Mortar & pestle options, was Re: SC - Wafers -- and Questions (long)

[Dana Huffman]

- --- H B <nn3_shay at yahoo.com> wrote:
...
> Q1)  How do I grind up saffron threads without a mortar &
> pestle?

I have found that a small bowl and the back of a spoon will
sort of work, at least for chunky stuff like peppercorns. 
I have not tried it for saffron, though -- you might need
something rougher (a wooden bowl, maybe, and the handle of
a wooden spoon?).  If you try the first option, put your
thumb on the inside of the bowl rather than relying on the
handle for leverage, unless your spoons are a whole lot
sturdier than mine.

> 
> Q2)  I’ve been thinking I need a m & p, but most of the
> ones I see are
> marble, and being a lapidary-type, all I can think of is
> how soft that
> is, and won’t I end up with a lot of extra calcium
> carbonate in my
> food,
> and how porous it is and won’t they absorb and transmit
> flavors?  So I
> thought I’d rather have an agate one, or possibly
> ceramic; but if the m
> & p are both of the same material, and they grind against
> each other,
> will this mean little bits of whatever-it-is will end up
> in my food,
> and I’d rather have tiny easily dissolved bits of calcium
> carbonate
> than tiny insoluble quartz grains?  Or is there some
> actual culinary
> advantage to one over the other?  Or is this just too
> silly to worry
> about?
...

I have a marble one and have not noticed any transfer of
flavors; the bottom is getting a little discolored, though,
so your concerns may be justified.  Maybe I just don't use
a wide enough variety of spices for it to be noticable. 
 
I chose the marble because it was cheap and because the
sound of ceramic grating together bothers me, not for any
wise culinary reason. I've seen wooden ones as well, but I
don't remember any agate ones.  Sounds pretty.

Anyway, isn't calcium supposed to be a good thing?  Or is
it the carbonate part that's bad?

Dana/Ximena


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