Molcajetes!

[Mosca]

First: most people don’t need one of these.

But, for those who decide that they do need (or just want) one: It might be true that everyone buys two molcajetes. First, they buy the cheapest one they can find by googling. Then, after the frustration of dealing with a substandard tool (not heavy enough, not stable enough, the grain is too smooth or too rough, the bowl shape is wrong, the tejolote (pestle) is the wrong curve for the bowl)… they buy the one they should have gotten in the first place.

I got these from Masienda, using a coupon code MARCYINSPIRED10 for 10% off. I tried to combine it with free shipping, but it only allowed one code, and the difference was less than 50¢ so I took the free shipping. But if you order a bunch of stuff the 10% might work better.

The difference between my last molcajete (which I discarded WITH PREJUDICE) and this one is the grain. The last one needed almost no seasoning (where you grind rice repeatedly until it isn’t gray), but didn’t really grind anything, either; I could just as well have been mashing ingredients on a plate with a fork. These took three solid rounds of rice grinding each (and my shoulders are tired), but they ground up garlic as if I was using a press.

Everything from Masienda has been excellent. The tortilla press, the masa, these molcajetes, the recipes, even the shirts. This is a quality on line vendor.

[58limited]

I have the larger one from Masienda but I haven't used it yet.

[Jerod Broussard]

I got one "delivered" from Mexico years ago. HEAVY!

[FireMan]

Yup, ther are good 'ins and not so good 'ins.

[JCBBQ]

Yeah! I absolutely LOVE my Masienda mulcajete. It makes mincemeat out of spices!! Nothing better to grind a ton of pepper for your brisket.

[Michael_in_TX]

The last one needed almost no seasoning (where you grind rice repeatedly until it isn’t gray), but didn’t really grind anything, either; I could just as well have been mashing ingredients on a plate with a fork.

So much this. I got one without properly doing research and it was so smooth as to be useless.

[Mosca]

We could probably make an exception for those smooth marble ones that are for apothecary use. But otherwise, right? They need to be a certain grade.

The molcajete people had thousands of years to figure it out; we should trust them, and pay them for their expertise.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I recently got a Fastmex one, first one was beautiful but had a chunk missing and the chunk wasn't in the box so I'm guessing bad QC. The replacement works great but has some other stone on part of the handle and the underside so it doesn't look great. They gave me a partial refund so I'm keeping it, but I would have got the Masienda one if I had done a full return.

[Oak Smoke]

I was given one of the large ones as a Christmas gift 3 years ago. My thought was “how will I ever get that rough surface clean”. That’s why I haven’t used it yet. I mean they have to be cleaned after use don’t they? All the little pores and rough places would be full of what ever I put in it.

[Jerod Broussard]

You have to season it by grinding dry rice. I took mine to the car wash first and blasted it.

[Carolyn]

I just watched a bunch of videos on Molcajetes. I don't know that I would use one, but I sure learned a few things today.

This looks really good.

https://youtu.be/2_41mt1ntEw?si=PwBJ0eWU6251OgyH

[Mosca]

Pati Jinich knows her mierda. She is an icon.

[Mosca]

That is incredible. A proper molcajete is made from a single piece of volcanic rock, so it can take the heat! But I think those are dedicated to that purpose. Mine are just going to grind spices and make sauces.

[Carolyn]

Mosca Some of the videos I watched were of the men cutting the rocks.

[Mosca]

I was given one of the large ones as a Christmas gift 3 years ago. My thought was “how will I ever get that rough surface clean”. That’s why I haven’t used it yet. I mean they have to be cleaned after use don’t they? All the little pores and rough places would be full of what ever I put in it.

You start by putting about half a cup of rice in it, and just start grinding. What this does is, it grinds off any loose stone, and the rice also fills some of the pores. Work the bottom and the sides, all the way up to the edge. The rice will look like a gray powder. Dump it, and repeat. If it still looks kind of gray, do it a third time, etc.. I poured the dust into a white bowl and put a little fresh rice next to it, to compare. Both of mine took 3 grindings, each of those about 10 minutes, about half an hour each molcajete, an hour total for both. At that point, the rice ground to a fine white powder.

Masienda says at that point, rinse it out, dry it with a towel and then let it air dry. Others say you can mix some salt and garlic, and grind that, then rinse etc. I figured that’s what I was going to do with it eventually anyhow, so I ground up some salt and garlic. It turned it into a serious paste; a food processor or blender could never do that.

From what I understand, the only way bacteria will build up inside the pores is if you use soap. The soap will trap it in there. Again, there are tens of thousands of years worth of millions of users. I’m not going to question that wisdom.

[CRO]

These are mine.
The larger volcanic one is exclusively for Guac.

[Santamarina]

I’ve got a big, heavy one I got at Costco probably 15-20 years ago. It was maybe $15. Works like a champ no matter what I put in it.

[Murdy]

We have one of those from Costco too. Seems to work well for us; however, it's the only one I've ever used and don't have anything to compare it to.

[fzxdoc]

I've looked at that Masienda molcajete many a time but cannot get past not being able to clean it with something bacteria-killing. I cannot adjust my mind to the concept that grinding the molcajete with additional food is a good cleaning method (with the exception of salt, perhaps). But as a few posts here have noted, they have been used for centuries, so what could be the harm?

So every time I see a video like Kenji's here, making some amazing looking guacamole, I want to get a molcajete. Then I wait 24 hours, and the temptation goes away.

http://molcajete mortar and pestle kenji lopez alt

In this video, Kenji lists all the many things that he uses his molcajete for. I'm once again convinced I need one.

So here I sit, tempted once more after reading your post, Mosca , and watching the Kenji video.

Time will tell if I have resisted the Masienda molcajete temptation this time around too. 🤞🏻

Kathryn

[Mosca]

I’m the same way. And I’m having a really hard time with the two week old pepper mash fermenting at room temperature (68°) in the cabinet, too.

But this is going down here at La Casa de Mosca, regardless.

For what it’s worth, when we got quartz countertops, the installers (all Hispanic) insisted I could clean them with just hot water. That has proven to be true. I still use a mild cleaner, but not every time.

For what it’s worth part 2, Rick Bayless uses non-fragrant soap on his molcajetes.

[Carolyn]

I'd probably use a Waterpik to try to get all of the food out of the pores followed by a kitchen torch to make sure nothing raw was left behind. 😆

[fzxdoc]

Carolyn , .
Mosca , I know if anyone can figure out what to use one for safely (foodwise), it's you. Thanks for the tip about Rick Bayless and using soap. If I could use soap and water, I'd get one in a NYminute. I use soap on my cast iron pans for a quick wash down after scrubbing all the gunk off with a chain mail scrubber. Ditto for my woks. They all seem to survive without losing the nonstick features much if at all.

K.

[Oak Smoke]

fzxdoc you are the voice of reason in my mind. I can’t imagine making guacamole in one and not scrubbing it clean. I see tiny pieces of of stuff mashed into those pores then promptly turning dark and deteriorating to what guacamole looks like when it goes bad in the fridge. As I stated earlier, I have one and won’t use it.

[Sid P]

Oak Smoke fzxdoc This is a screen shot of a comment of Masienda’s response to that very question on one of their videos. Let your MCGD (More Cooking Gadget Disease) run wild!

And this is the vid:

[RonB]

fzxdoc - what about a vinegar bath?

[fzxdoc]

Actually, I've been mulling that over, RonB . I'll add that to my deep dive list. Thanks.

K.

[Mosca]

Don’t use vinegar on basalt. “Vinegar should never be used to clean basalt or other natural stone surfaces, as its acidic nature (pH 2–3) causes etching, dulling, and long-term damage.”