Food processor and/or pestle and mortar?

I've got a marble pestle and mortar but confess I don't use it very often. I use it mostly to smash cardamom pods to extract the seeds or to smash up black peppercorns. Mainly I use an electric spice grinder (like a coffee grinder). It can be pulsed for a rough texture if needed but its a breeze for grinding finely.

Like you flyinglentris, I don't have a food processor. I don't seem to have a need for one. A stick blender can do a lot of the jobs a processor can do with much less washing up.
 
I have small cast iron pestle & mortar - because its textured I find it grinds things much more easily than my old ceramic one. I use it fairly often, mostly to grind spices or smash up herbs for marinades.

I also have a food processor (a Magimix we got as a wedding present) but until recently I didn't use it very much....I preferred a stick blender or mini-chopper. But since I've made space for it to live on the worktop instead on in a cupboard I've started using it much more. Mainly to finely chop onions and other veg, but also to blend soups and a few other things. The washing up isn't any worse really than my old mini chopper.....its slightly larger of course but it washes very easily, and chops much better. I think it was the hassle of getting it out of the cupboard and putting it away again afterwards that stopped me using it before.
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I use mine for different things, so I don't think a food processor would ever totally replace a pestle & mortar.
Click to expand...
Yep, I use my FP for entirely different things than what I use my M&P for.

Tomorrow, for example, I'll be shredding a pound of cheese for fondue. That's an FP job. It'll take approximately three seconds. 😬
 
Morning Glory said:
I've got a marble pestle and mortar but confess I don't use it very often. I use it mostly to smash cardamom pods to extract the seeds or to smash up black peppercorns. Mainly I use an electric spice grinder (like a coffee grinder). It can be pulsed for a rough texture if needed but its a breeze for grinding finely.

Like you flyinglentris, I don't have a food processor. I don't seem to have a need for one. A stick blender can do a lot of the jobs a processor can do with much less washing up.
Click to expand...

I think a Stick Blender would do me well, as a lone wolf old tyke. Thanks for the tip.
 
flyinglentris said:
I think a Stick Blender would do me well, as a lone wolf old tyke. Thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...
I got a stick blender for free when my MIL passed. She had loyalty points on a credit card that needed to be used up, and so MrsT got me a stick blender. I really had no need for one.

I use it quite a bit, to my own surprise. I make salad dressings with it, crepe batter, Yorkshire pud batter, salsa, pesto, and a couple of other things I'm forgetting.
 
Morning Glory said:
I've got a marble pestle and mortar but confess I don't use it very often. I use it mostly to smash cardamom pods to extract the seeds or to smash up black peppercorns. Mainly I use an electric spice grinder (like a coffee grinder). It can be pulsed for a rough texture if needed but its a breeze for grinding finely.

Like you flyinglentris, I don't have a food processor. I don't seem to have a need for one. A stick blender can do a lot of the jobs a processor can do with much less washing up.
Click to expand...
The parts to my food processors go right into the top rack of the dishwasher and come out perfectly clean. I would like to get a stick blender, I have been meaning to do that. I also have a coffee grinder. I have only ever used it to grind garlic. I don't use it for coffee because I tend to drink more tea than coffee these days and my husband likes pre-ground coffee for his morning cup so I just buy a canister for him and it lasts a month. And, after using the grinder for garlic it has retained a garlic scent. Even if I bought whole bean coffee: the parts on it do not go into the dishwasher and I don't want garlic coffee :laugh:
 
JAS_OH1 said:
The parts to my food processors go right into the top rack of the dishwasher and come out perfectly clean. I would like to get a stick blender, I have been meaning to do that. I also have a coffee grinder. I have only ever used it to grind garlic. I don't use it for coffee because I tend to drink more tea than coffee these days and my husband likes pre-ground coffee for his morning cup so I just buy a canister for him and it lasts a month. And, after using the grinder for garlic it has retained a garlic scent. Even if I bought whole bean coffee: the parts on it do not go into the dishwasher and I don't want garlic coffee :laugh:
Click to expand...

A lot of people use coffee grinders as spice grinders, including me. But, once you use it for grinding spices, you can't use it for coffee.

CD
 
caseydog said:
A lot of people use coffee grinders as spice grinders, including me. But, once you use it for grinding spices, you can't use it for coffee.

CD
Click to expand...
Pretty much if you use it for garlic, it's over and done with. I had dried some garlic and then ground it with the coffee grinder shortly after I bought it. Oops.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
I also have a coffee grinder. I have only ever used it to grind garlic
Click to expand...

I've never done that. You grind fresh cloves of garlic in it?
JAS_OH1 said:
I had dried some garlic and then ground it with the coffee grinder shortly after I bought it. Oops.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by 'dried some garlic'.
 
TastyReuben said:
I use it quite a bit, to my own surprise. I make salad dressings with it, crepe batter, Yorkshire pud batter, salsa, pesto, and a couple of other things I'm forgetting.
Click to expand...
flyinglentris said:
I think a Stick Blender would do me well, as a lone wolf old tyke. Thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...

Its great for soups and sauces. You can also make 'foams' with a stick blender.
 
Last edited:
My m and p doesn't get used, too laborious, I like Morning Glory use a coffee grinder used for my spices for Garam masala etc. I also have a food processor which is 30 years old. I also have a stick blender. And thinking on it I also have two mini blenders I inherited some where along the way.

Russ
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom