Rise and Grind: Become a Mortar and Pestle Snob With These 25 Recipes

Earlier this summer, my mom called to tell me that the only kitchen gadget I truly need to own is a mortar and pestle. She explained that she’d heard this fact on a podcast, so it had to be true. I listened and nodded, chopping up some garlic for a spicy veggie stir-fry I was making. A couple of weeks ago, a package showed up in the mail for me. My mom had gone and bought me a granite mortar and pestle, intent on proving its usefulness. I took it out of the package, read the cleaning instructions, and put it on my bookshelf, where it looked quite elegant. “I guess it will be useful for making guacamole?” I thought.

I WAS A FOOL BACK THEN. Yes, my mortar and pestle is indeed great for making guacamole, but it is so much more than that. I can hardly believe I used to CHOP GARLIC. Chopping garlic probably took whole days off of my life. I put garlic in almost everything. The chopping never ended. But now, I don’t chop my garlic; I pound it in my mortar and pestle. And not only does it take way less time—and act as a bit of a stress reliever—I’m told by culinary experts that using a mortar and pestle to pulverize garlic is better for the overall flavor of your dish than chopping it is. I cook a lot of Indian food, and grinding spices and herbs for my curries has never been easier. There is a reason these things have been around since 35,000 B.C. They are useful as fuck.

Ever since incorporating my mortar and pestle into my daily cooking routine, I feel superior to everyone I know, and you too can feel like the king of your kitchen by getting your mortar and pestle on (the one I have was only $16.99 on Amazon). Food processors are for 21st-century chumps TBH. Go old-school and feel so much better than your technology-dependent friends.