Which kind of mortar and pestle replaces a blender?

Which kind of mortar and pestle replaces a blender? - Purple Petaled Flowers in Mortar and Pestle

I can't stand the noise, and even just the idea, of a blender in my kitchen. I want to keep things more natural (less plastic) and waste free (less products).

So I was looking into getting a mortar and pestle instead. I stumbled onto a great looking olive wood one but after reading the answers to this question I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for. I did some more reserach about the different kinds but since I have no experience with any of them it just sounds like I would need a different one for every task. I can't imagine every chef as every kind.

In the best of worlds I want to crush spices and herbs, make sauces, grind seeds and nuts, pound garlic and ginder, and maybe even make some soups. Which kind of mortar and pestle would be most versatile in this case?



Best Answer

As usual, Serious Eats has an article for this, covering what type of M&P to buy. They recommend a large granite model for most purposes, but an olivewood or marble one for certain special foods, like pesto.

Your question is specifically "replacing a blender", though, and "even make some soups". An M&P will never replace a blender for pureeing liquids. First, you can't put much liquid in even the largest countertop M&P, no more than a liter. Second, M&Ps do not work for pureeing liquids, but rather for grinding dry ingredients. If you were to put a chunky soup in, and try to pound it, the soup would just splash all over the counter. And forget trying to make frozen drinks like daquiris in one.

All is not lost, though: you can pretty much handle almost all foods if you combine an M&P with a stick blender. Yes, it's still a blender, but it's smaller, quieter and more economical. The only thing you won't be able to do is the frozen drinks.




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Which kind of mortar and pestle replaces a blender? - Purple Flowers on Brown Wooden Table
Which kind of mortar and pestle replaces a blender? - Woman Holding Mortar and Pestle to Prepare Ingredients for Perfume
Which kind of mortar and pestle replaces a blender? - A Person Holding a Bottle



Can a mortar and pestle replace a blender?

While blenders can do a much higher volume of ingredients, a mortar and pestle can yield a finer grind. And if you're just looking to mix shakes, soda, and fruit drinks, consider using either a milkshake mixer instead of a blender.

Is a mortar and pestle better than a blender?

Whether you're getting hardcore about making curry paste or simply mushing up some herbs to spread over a roast chicken, a mortar and pestle makes it better. Better than the sharpest knife, fastest blender, or most vicious food processor.

Can you use a mortar and pestle as a grinder?

Mortar and Pestle Another piece of kitchen equipment that can work surprisingly well for grinding weed is a Mortar and Pestle. These are usually used for grinding herbs like rosemary and thyme, but they can work just as effectively when you need a quick and easy way to grind weed without a grinder.

What can I substitute for a mortar and pestle?

1Try a Coffee Grinder A coffee grinder is virtually identical to a spice grinder, making it a great mortar and pestle substitute.



[Traditional vs Modern] Mortar \u0026 Pestle vs Blender




More answers regarding which kind of mortar and pestle replaces a blender?

Answer 2

OK, some thoughts...

A mortar & pestle needs to be always clean, always handy & always the right size for the job.
A teeny mortar & pestle rapidly becomes a decoration rather than a useful tool if it's not big enough to cope with the high volume tasks. On the other hand if all you're grinding is 4 cloves, then you'd be lost in a large one... so you may end up with two.

There's always a lot of 'elbow grease' involved to use it & to clean it.
If you're happy with that, read on...

Personally, I went with a resin one. Looks like stone, feels almost like stone, actually man-made.
From comments - I had an untested theory that a real stone one could potentially be tainted by strongly flavoured ingredients, so I went with resin, as being completely impermeable.
Weighs a ton, or feels like it. I just weighed mine to see... my kitchen scales wouldn't take it, so it went on the ones in the bathroom - 7.5kg, that's over 16lbs.

I found a pic of one a bit like it...

enter image description here

Heavy, so it doesn't run away from you when you're pounding like a champ.
I used to have a smaller & much lighter one & I found I was chasing it round the worktop more than I was actually usefully grinding. Also, it was wooden, so every time I cleaned it I couldn't use it again until it was properly dry or I'd be making sludge. I eventually binned the smaller one as I almost never used it, & because I have no qualms about using an electric grinder, chopper or blender as appropriate - & in fact I got an electric spice grinder the last time I had just 4 cloves to grind & could barely find them in the bottom of the mortar ;)

The trouble is that even at that weight, it will still really only hold about a litre [2 pints or so] whilst giving you room to manoeuvre.
For similar reasons I also bought an electric blender big enough to do large batches of soup.

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