wff_ng_7 wrote:

> > wrote:
>
>>thanks for all the comments.
>>ceramic just doesn't seem to be ideal for hard grinding of spices and
>>abrasive ingredients--granite (rock) just seems more robust than
>>ceramic (glass).
>
>
> I've also got one of those ceramic ones... vitrified ceramic. The material
> is extremely dense and impervious to moisture. It doesn't absorb anything
> and doesn't stain. Mine is unglazed and has a somewhat rough finish that
> helps in the grinding.
>
> There are different kinds of ceramic mortars and pestles, including
> vitrified ceramic, stoneware, porcelain, and even glass. Just as there is a
> vast difference between earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain when used for
> dishes, there is a vast difference in "ceramics" when used for a mortar and
> pestle.

Indeed, porcelain is fired to a very high temp and is quite hard. Even
so, we have a marble M&P and it has served will for over a decade. Even
a relatively soft material, as stones go, such as marble is a lot harder
than any spice

Peter