If you’re a fan of cooking, it’s possible a friend or family member got you a mortar and pestle for the holidays that you just don’t know what to do with. But don’t put it away to be forgotten and collect dust! This is a very specific and strange tool, but it’s also a very useful one. Here are just some of the things you can make with it.
Pesto
If you want to make delicious Italian basil and pine nut sauce the authentic way, you’ll do it with a mortar and pestle, hand-crushing the garlic and basil to get their flavor out without any bitter aftertaste that you can get from the food processor.
Guacamole
Your other favorite green sauce is also totally make-able with a mortar and pestle, provided that it’s big enough, of course. In fact, the molcajete, used to make guacamole in Mexico, is basically just a large mortar.
Hummus
While you may have gotten used to hummus blended to a high level of smoothness, it can actually be made chunky too, and some even prefer it that way. If you want to give a more textured hummus a shot, you can easily whip it up with your mortar and pestle.
