hello,
i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
thanks in advance for any helpful comments.

I have a granite one and it's great. It's very heavy so the stuff gets
pounded easily. The only hassle is lifting it to the sink to wash it! In
Sydney, the cheapest places to pick up the granite ones are in the Asian
supermarkets in Chinatown.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> hello,
> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.
>

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> hello,
> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.

Granite is terrific. Here's where I got mine:

http://www.importfood.com/index.html

Good luck, Terry

In article .com>,
" > wrote:

> hello,
> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.

I'm pretty sure mine is porcelain. I have only a small one.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-22-05

Are they as fragile as they sound? I'd be too scared of it breaking.
That's why I really like my granite one - it's very robust.

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article .com>,
> " > wrote:
>
>> hello,
>> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
>> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
>> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
>> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.
>
> I'm pretty sure mine is porcelain. I have only a small one.
> --
> http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-22-05

wrote:
> hello,
> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.
>
IIRC, Alton Brown recommended a ceramic with an unglazed interior - the
rougher interior (compared to granite) helps grind things up.

--

================================================== =============

Louis Cohen

Bah! Humbug!

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).

> 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).

Scientists generally use ceramic mortar & pestles, and they work very
well - as long as you get a good quality one, they will last forever and
grind up just about anything you want. I'm a chemist and I use a
ceramic mortar & pestle in the lab to grind up hard blocks of chemicals
- probably more abrasive than anything I'd use at home in the kitchen.
The good ones are made to take a lot of abuse.

They are breakable, if you dropped one on a hard floor, and they're not
as pretty as the granite ones, but a good quality ceramic mortar &
pestle will work just fine.

Karen

> 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.

--
( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )

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

I have a ceramic M&P that I have used for nearly 40 years without a
single problem. It is about 6 inches across, and it wasn't cheap, even
then. My advice is to invest in a good ceramic set, and don't drop it.
Your great grandchildren will still be using it. The best come from
Coors (Yes, the beer people, politics aside.) A Google for coors
ceramics should turn up what you need, but any good laboratory supply
(e.g., van Waters and Rogers) should be able to help as well.
Granite would be a good second choice, and it looks great if you are
serving something like guacamole in it.
Mike Acord

wrote:
> hello,
> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.
>

On 2005-12-24 06:16:30 -0500, "
> said:

> hello,
> i'm in the market for a good m&p and was wondering about the best
> material. granite seems to make the most sense. i plan on using it
> mainly for thai curries and italian pestos.
> thanks in advance for any helpful comments.

we sell granite and marble and lava stome from mexico is good too
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