Your Guide to Mortar and Pestle

Here, you'll find your essential guide on everything you need to know about the great mortar and pestle. You’ll then be ready to add this historic tool to your kitchen collection and start creating delicious dishes with a wealth of flavour. 

What is a mortar and pestle?

Invented in the Stone Age, mortar and pestle has been the most traditional cooking tool for centuries. They’re used to grind or crush a wide range of ingredients, including nuts, spices and more to add exciting flavours to your dishes that food processors can’t give you.  

Though one of the most recognised cooking tools, people ask the question - which is the mortar and which is the pestle? 

• Mortar - a bowl-shaped container usually made of stone, ceramic, wood or metal 
• Pestle – a heavy, rounded end tool used to crush or grind ingredients in the mortar 

How do you use a mortar and pestle?

Using a pestle and mortar is simple. Place your ingredients in the mortar and hold it steady on a firm surface. Use the pestle to press, grind, or pound your ingredients, depending on the texture you want. For spices, crush them with a firm twisting motion; for pastes, grind in circles, smearing the ingredients against the mortar's sides. Adjust the pressure as needed for finer or coarser results. 

Which material is best for mortar and pestle?

There are different materials available for pestle and mortar, so depends on what you’re cooking with. For example, granite provides a sturdier surface that’s ideal for grinding hard ingredients like peppercorns, while ceramic is better for softer tasks like pastes, sauces and marinades. Our ceramic pestle and mortar range comes in 5 different sizes, including a small 140ml and the 900ml large mortar and pestle. However, we do advise avoiding wood a mortar and pestle, as with wet ingredients it will absorb flavours and stains, while increasing risk of contamination.