SC - Marble - Mortar & Pestle

[H B]

Dana Huffman <letrada at yahoo.com> wrote:
>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.

And expensive.  Marble is fairly soft, can be worked (though not
easily) with standard woodworking tools; agate is much harder, must be
worked with lapidary tools that are abrasive (corundum, diamond) rather
than cut with metal or ground with standard emery.  That's why they're
not very common, though I remember seeing them many years ago.

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

I don't think small amounts of calcium carbonate would hurt you, but it
is a bit alkaline and might change the pH of your foodstuffs -- which
may or may not be important, but that is mostly what I was thinking of.
 Actually I think it's used as a dentifrice in lots of toothpastes --
though they recommend you don't swallow those.  And it was used in
ancient/medieval medicine as an antacid (grind up a pearl).  You may be
able to use this if you want to clean away the discoloration on your
marble m & p -- pour in a little vinegar, and it should foam up a bit,
and dissolve the surface of the marble.  Don't think the appearance
would be a big concern, however.

I'll try the spoon tip.  I have read that te saffron should be set to
soak for about 20 minutes in some liquid (like the rosewater) to get
the best coloring from it; would it be easier to try to grind/mash the
threads before or after soaking?

- -- Harriet


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