This is the most instructional video on seasoning on RUclips. I just got my first M+P and was getting frustrated starting the process with rice. By using your method, I was able to get a nice smooth surface by grinding with water, especially on the high sides, and then finishing off with a single grind with the rice. Thanks for doing this video.
I don't know why everyone does the rice thing, that is only for cleaning out the pores on the surfaces, it does almost nothing to to make the surface smooth. and if you don't get it smooth, you will get small chunks of stone at some point in your food, which won't hurt you, unless you chip a tooth on it. Thanks for the comment my friend--- Don
Yes! Thank you for posting this video! I've been wanting to get a mortar & pestle now for a while. Well I finally got one (my brother had it, never used it, and was getting rid of it [come to mama]) and I thought maybe it was used because I could see grind marks on the inside. But because of your video, I now know they are "tool" marks. I read to condition with raw rice, that's what I started doing. But I'm tossing out the ground up rice right now and I'm going to do this with water. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Lots of love... ♡♡♡ :o)
@@donaldporta true, but it does hinder the texture and taste because it’s prevalent throughout the food. Just awful thank you for the video, six years later, and you’re 😊still rockin.
Thank you for this video!!! The instructions that came with my granite Mortar and Pestle did not help with smoothing, only cleaning... I was struggling with finding information on how to properly prepare it and this helped me so much! I'm so glad you took the time to make this!
i added about 3 tblspn of coarse celtic sea salt to about 3 tblspn of water and ran my pestel in my mortar (recieved today) for about 30 minutes today and reached an amazing result. id try adding some sea salt to the water, itll speed up the process. the slurry it made also polished the stone as i was wearing it down a lot better than just plain water and stone dust.
This is one of the best videos I've watch on preparing a mortar. I was very hesitant to by an unpolished mortar and pedistal but I am confident now I've made the best choice. This is a much better way of conditioning than beginning with dry rice. Thank you!
Many thanks for this video!! My granite mortar and pestle didn’t come with any prepping instructions, and the other videos I’ve found so far ONLY address the grinding rice technique. Your video is so much more thorough and clear!
Dude. Dude. Are you aware you have possibly the best instructional video for caring for a mortar and pestle? I can't thank you enough for this video. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Mr. Porta, What came across in the video, loud and clear, is that your are a Gentleman, first and foremost. It is an added gift to learn about care and feeding of a M+P. Thanks for upping my flavor game in the kitchen. Do you have a recipe book you've written or suggest. Brand new to this culinary experience. Blessings and Peace for this fine video. My world is a little better having viewed it!
I'm so glad I found this video, I just ordered my mortor and pestle. Also, rock dust is a good soil conditioner and great for the garden, adding trace minerals. Consuming a little rock dust is nothing to worry about.
I just got my first food mortar and pestle and this video helped me prepare it for use. A mortar is really useful and I really recommend having at least one. This video really helped me out as I am/was new to this. Appreciated indeed.
I don't know why this is necessary except to remove large imperfections or extremely rough areas, because even when it is perfectly smooth it will continue to create stone dust whenever there is a gap between foods that allows stone-on-stone contact. I thought some roughness was desirable to chew up seeds more easily.
Thank you for this great video! I kept reading about "seasoning" using garlic, oil, etc, as if to add flavor to guac and passed on from one meal to the next. Because we cook with seasonings from all over the world, I didn't want to believe that was ALL I had to do to prepare my new mortar and pestle for first time use! Thanks again! I'm sure I am going to enjoy mine for years to come now.
When I polish stone in the tumbler I use Carbide Grit. This is the FAST first step to get the stones round. The use of Grit may help speed up this process. I enjoyed the session. Keep up the great work. I learned more about grinding from your words.
Yes that would work --- the valve grind compound is also carbide grit, could work in a pinch, and can get in any auto parts store, thank you my friend. Don
You can use dry carbides to do this. Do not use valve grinding compound in an oil or grease suspension. Clean thoroughly by grinding dry rice when finished.
Excellent video. I bought one of these and it is exactly like yours before you treated it. Now I will get to work. Very good information, thank you. EDIT: Well, mine is great now but it took me about 4 hours total to do. I did it in 45 minute sessions over several days. Thanks again.
I use to find motars for $5 a few years ago and I never purchased a spare bc I never imagined that the price of these items would climb so much. Well I no longer have my old one and It had been seasoned for me. This video was perfect! Not only did it help me to tell the authentic vs the counterfeit it also showed me how to season easy and w perfection. Thank you so much for this upload.
Love this thank youuuu. I have now watched 7 seasoning videos and none of them acknowledged the water first to smooth the surface of the inside. All the videos went straight to rice seasoning a new mortar. I have been doing it for 2 days now off and on. the rice is barely cracking and im still seeing grey powder. I started with water but none of the videos used it so I thought I was being too hard grinding without any rice/herbs; this is what happens when you use this tool without something to gring, you start grinding down the mortar which is supposedly wrong because none of the videos and tutorials showed this. so thanks and this is why people need to make videos sharing THEIR way of doing things so we can all learn new tricks about things we already know how to do.
Very helpful video! My first M&P is arriving tomorrow, so I wanted to see what needs to be done, if anything. The slurry reminds me a lot of sharpening knives by hand. You never rinse the slurry off until you're done with the sharpening, as the slurry will naturally polish the edge. Of course, I take it to an extreme, going from 1,000 grit to 3,000 grit, to 8,000 grit, then raw hide treated with extra fine green jeweler's buffing compound (about 250,000 grit), then strop it on a high quality Italian leather strop. Principle seems the same, to be consistent/even with your wear pattern, and keep that slurry in play. Good stuff to know! Thanks for taking the time to make this video!
Thanks for the awesome tips! I just got a nearly identical one for Christmas and it told me to put raw garlic and cumin in there! I'm grateful to you for posting what clearly appears to be the proper conditioning directions!
thank you so much for this tutorial! i bought this exact one today and i’m going to grind it down like that tomorrow, at first i wasn’t sure if i should work just one side of the pestle but i see now that doing both sides will be good
Wow! You are so informative! I first thought you might be in California, but saw something that had Florida in it. We live in upper FL. You have so much info here for anyone. Thanks so much for all your videos..
It is arguable whether making the surfaces perfectly smooth is helpful, as the rough surfaces that it comes with aids in grinding. Think of a mill stone, the grinding surfaces are not perfectly smooth like a polished granite countertop. Sure, bits of stone could break off but that would only happen if you are grinding it without anything in the bowl. The substance that is being ground acts as lubricant so that the stones do not make contact.
Stone on stone grinding on a smoother surface works just fine without getting rock chunks in your food. But if that's what you want, then don't condition it.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I tried doing it with rice; and honestly, it just wasn’t working. The rice was getting all clumped up and wasn’t turning into a powder, so now that I know you can do it with just water- imma do that.
Just took delivery on an identical one to grind dent corn into corn meal for some no-added-sugar cornbread. Dent corn is corn that ripens and dries on the cob still on the vine. Part of the carbohydrate turns to sugar in the drying process. the ear is then shucked. You can buy bulk dent corn as animal feed and it's just fine for humans, making wonderful corn bread. Just don't clean it by washing or it will quickly turn moldy and poisonous. Keep it dry until ready to use for baking. Stone grinding was used into the late 1930's when faster steel grinding took over, destroying the wheat germ and natural sweetness. the mortar and pestle will allow me to re-create the delicious old no-sugar cornbread I remember as a boy. ... Thanks for the video. I had already planed to do pretty much the same before finding and watching it. .
Hello Don, I tried it without water and it never worked . Then I did you water and like you said. I then primed it with garlic and other stuff. then I did the water again thing again. then today I put rice in and it turned into powder in no time. Great!
mine came with instructions that said straight to the rice. no initial grinding. glad I found your video because I am still making some pretty grey water haha
Thanks for this very good tutorial Donald, I just got mine today and am eager to condition the right way! And I appreciate your hard working hands, like patents and mine.
I have a very similar mortar and pestle to yours. I was to nervous to use it due to it not being seasoned. I tested this for 10 mins to see how difficult it was, and boy howdy my arms are sore.
I have one just like this plus one made out of lava rock and I have been working on mine for a couple years off and on because my shoulder just can't handle it. Hopefully one day I will get them finished before I die LOL
I treated myself to a really nice one for Christmas. Once I opened it up it was obvious I could t just used this for food as is. So since the spring I been using it to grind my egg shells for gardening as my conditioning. Maybe by next Christmas I will feel comfortable using it for food. :) Thanks for top with the rice.
Iiiiiiiiiiii didn't even know I had to do this with mine (also granite. Possibly the same brand in this video) since no papers came with it in the box. Maybe I missed something, but I honestly thought you just use it right out of the box. now I know better....and my pesto probably came with rock pieces in them. Whoops.
Thank you. I was sitting here grinding rice per the conditioning instructions which came with my mortar and pestle and decided to do a youtube search on it. It quickly dawned on me that I should set aside the rice until this stone-on-stone method gives me a smoother surface. I did add some rock salt as someone suggested, because it made sense. Thanks again, smoother is obviously better. Is it possible to do any damage to the mortar, perhaps making the grooves worse by not being even with the grinding?
This is great. Thanx Donald. I had a small one of these many moons ago but I always wanted to make one out in the bush. I wonder how much new granite dust enters the rice flour.......Lol......... the only cure for grinded teeth is to use a pestle and mortar. Lol..........
THANK YOU THANK YOU! IM HERE APRIL 22ND 2020. Im so blessed to have found your video tutorial on how to prepare my MP for use. Now I'm off to look up some recipes for salsa! Also grinding techniques for spices:) 🤗🤗🙏
It will be clearer, but stone against stone will always make a small amount of fine dust. this is not harmful to consume, it may even help to alkalize your body pH which would be a good thing.
@@SMart7751 Could you please explain your perspective in greater detail? I would appreciate it, since it is difficult to understand what you mean. The body is not "controlled" by what goes through the digestive system, and neither is the body's pH "controlled" by food stuffs, but our bodies are certainly *influenced* by what we consume. The body has its own internal controlling system for maintaining optimal functioning and homeostasis, but what food or drink we put into it is going to affect its functioning. That is why an unhealthy diet can cause disease. It's likely that too much acid-forming food (or too much of the opposite) is going to make it more of a struggle for your body to maintain pH balance. I know that from personal experience. It can even temporarily change one's body odour.
Hey Donald-- Next time you have a new mortar with ridges in the bowl, start by working them down using very rough sandpaper wrapped around a tennis ball or other ball that is a little smaller than the bowl. Once you've done this, you will have a much easier (and shorter) time water-truing the pestle against the bowl of the mortar.
Sofia Diogo your supposed to break it in to "smooth" it down. the first maybe 1-3times to get rid of the excess rigid edges that will most like break down and leave your food gritty the first few times. it's still going to be pourus and will grind like it's supposed to, your just getting rid of the rough edges at first. your only supposed to do this once when you first purchase it.. If you compare a new mortal and pestal to a used one the you will understand what type of "smooth" he is talking about..
M + P is not for grinding, it is for crushing. As you can see when you grind with an uneven surface, you get a lot of stone particles in the water, or your food. You don't want that. The surface should be completely smooth, with all the rough parts ground out, until there are no more particles in the water (or your food!)
If the mortar and pestle are too rough you cannot grind your object very small because it gets caught in the pores. If they are smoother and the faces meet much closer you can crush your object more finely.
I just recently purchased my first molcajete made of granite and have been following your instructions and so far it's working very well. 😊 Do I need to continue to do the water grinding until the water is totally clear? It's been about an hour and it is quite clear but just slightly cloudy at this point. I also ground some rice and salt for a bit after the water method with little to no greyish cast. Thanks for any info you can provide.
I got one used (second hand) and it does not look nice and smooth, can I do the same with water till I get even? Thanks in advance and best regards, very nice and informativ video.
@@donaldporta Thanks. I got the 7" from Williams Sonoma. Went over it for about an hour over two days, then ground some rice. It works like a charm for hummus now. Thanks very much for your tips. It seems that seasoning these, cast iron, or clay everyone has their method so its difficult to know what is proper.
@@danielisler4132 It's probably like using cast iron. There's a hint of truth to not washing with soap but for the most part it's an old wives tale. As long as you've got a good season on it and don't go crazy with the soap it's fine.
Thank you for this video! My set didn't come with any instructions for seasoning - I'm sorta miffed about that but glad for your information. Thanks again.
I got a small mortar and pestle (all I could afford) that are made out of a very smooth stone. When I say smooth, I mean an almost glass finish. It's beautiful, but I worry that it's TOO smooth to grind effectively. Is this something I should be worried about and, if so, do you have any ideas what I should do to fix it?
❤️Great video. I have used water and worked on it for about 4 hours. I then used rice for about 45 min. Today I got it out and tried water again and it’s still dirty water. Will it ever get rid of the dirty water? Maybe I wasn’t pressing down hard enough? Thanks
Informative video, I loved it, will use this method when mine comes in the mail. I have a question, I would like to make the outside smoother as well, what should I use to do so? Would sandpaper work? Or would I need to use another material?
Thanks for the tip! I've seen the rice thing a lot, but was wondering if there was something else to do. The instructions don't say to season it (at least mine don't), but I will before using. It only says using water and a mild soap to wash it. Like you mentioned, I don't want chips of granite in my food!
Hmmm in doing this and after many rounds in still getting grey water. Am I just going to have grey granite water no matter how long I do the water stage? I'm wondering if I'm just trying to get it smooth and when crushing avoid stone on stone grinding or should it go totally clear? Thx!
just grind until you like the finish--- stone on stone will always make cloudy water, this is harmless and when grinding food there will be minimum stone grinding. You are good to go!
@@donaldporta thx ... Well I'm using it for grinding pigments and other non food items. I'm wondering about the oil people sometimes use help or some other kind of sealing to help with reducing the grey powder as well :) .
Does doing this smooth the surfaces? Because I need rough surfaces to grind my seeds, to make paste, etc. I have a marble mortar & pestle that is hard to work with because it’s so smooth..
Yes it will smooth the mortar, however the type of stone use will determine it's final smoothness. mine is still rough enough to grind seeds, and yet not make excessive dust.
Could you put that on a wheel and fill with stones like a rock polisher? Just let it turn the rocks in a bit of water for a few days? On a cheap potters wheel?
This is the most instructional video on seasoning on RUclips. I just got my first M+P and was getting frustrated starting the process with rice. By using your method, I was able to get a nice smooth surface by grinding with water, especially on the high sides, and then finishing off with a single grind with the rice. Thanks for doing this video.
I don't know why everyone does the rice thing, that is only for cleaning out the pores on the surfaces, it does almost nothing to to make the surface smooth. and if you don't get it smooth, you will get small chunks of stone at some point in your food, which won't hurt you, unless you chip a tooth on it. Thanks for the comment my friend--- Don
Yes!
Thank you for posting this video!
I've been wanting to get a mortar & pestle now for a while. Well I finally got one (my brother had it, never used it, and was getting rid of it [come to mama]) and I thought maybe it was used because I could see grind marks on the inside. But because of your video, I now know they are "tool" marks. I read to condition with raw rice, that's what I started doing. But I'm tossing out the ground up rice right now and I'm going to do this with water.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Lots of love...
♡♡♡
:o)
@@donaldporta true, but it does hinder the texture and taste because it’s prevalent throughout the food. Just awful thank you for the video, six years later, and you’re 😊still rockin.
Why am I watching this it's 3 in the morning and I have an exam tomorrow
Did you pass?
It was on preparing mortar and pestles :0
R Mets shit I only just saw this I got an a for everything but German and two of them were A+s for math and science
@@bradmeh7930 GCSEs? Well done bud
Holy crap, 6 months later and here I am at 2:30 in the morning with a HESI exam to take in a few hours! Lmao
Brilliant- I just started using mine. No instructions that I had to season it first. Very much appreciate your video. Cheers mate!
Thank you for this video!!! The instructions that came with my granite Mortar and Pestle did not help with smoothing, only cleaning... I was struggling with finding information on how to properly prepare it and this helped me so much! I'm so glad you took the time to make this!
I learned from a Mexican friend that you should do one or two cycles of dry rice and then the wet. Worked well for me.
thank you
i added about 3 tblspn of coarse celtic sea salt to about 3 tblspn of water and ran my pestel in my mortar (recieved today) for about 30 minutes today and reached an amazing result. id try adding some sea salt to the water, itll speed up the process. the slurry it made also polished the stone as i was wearing it down a lot better than just plain water and stone dust.
Just bought a m&p. I will try this tomorrow. Thanks
Thanks
It's a good feeling when you know that you have learned something.
This is one of the best videos I've watch on preparing a mortar. I was very hesitant to by an unpolished mortar and pedistal but I am confident now I've made the best choice. This is a much better way of conditioning than beginning with dry rice. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Many thanks for this video!! My granite mortar and pestle didn’t come with any prepping instructions, and the other videos I’ve found so far ONLY address the grinding rice technique. Your video is so much more thorough and clear!
Dude. Dude. Are you aware you have possibly the best instructional video for caring for a mortar and pestle? I can't thank you enough for this video. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Thank you my Friend--- It is so good to read such good review comments--- very encouraging indeed---Don
Mr. Porta,
What came across in the video, loud and clear, is that your are a Gentleman, first and foremost. It is an added gift to learn about care and feeding of a M+P. Thanks for upping my flavor game in the kitchen. Do you have a recipe book you've written or suggest. Brand new to this culinary experience. Blessings and Peace for this fine video. My world is a little better having viewed it!
Lovely comment. Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪
Bless you. I was so stumped on what to do after getting it and seeing how rough it was initially.
I'm so glad I found this video, I just ordered my mortor and pestle.
Also, rock dust is a good soil conditioner and great for the garden, adding trace minerals. Consuming a little rock dust is nothing to worry about.
I had no idea I had to do this with my mortar and pestle. I was just looking up care instructions and I’m so glad I stumbled on here
I just got my first food mortar and pestle and this video helped me prepare it for use. A mortar is really useful and I really recommend having at least one. This video really helped me out as I am/was new to this. Appreciated indeed.
I don't know why this is necessary except to remove large imperfections or extremely rough areas, because even when it is perfectly smooth it will continue to create stone dust whenever there is a gap between foods that allows stone-on-stone contact. I thought some roughness was desirable to chew up seeds more easily.
that’s what i’m thinking too! I’m a bit confused by this video
Thank you for this great video! I kept reading about "seasoning" using garlic, oil, etc, as if to add flavor to guac and passed on from one meal to the next. Because we cook with seasonings from all over the world, I didn't want to believe that was ALL I had to do to prepare my new mortar and pestle for first time use! Thanks again! I'm sure I am going to enjoy mine for years to come now.
When I polish stone in the tumbler I use Carbide Grit. This is the FAST first step to get the stones round. The use of Grit may help speed up this process.
I enjoyed the session. Keep up the great work. I learned more about grinding from your words.
Yes that would work --- the valve grind compound is also carbide grit, could work in a pinch, and can get in any auto parts store, thank you my friend. Don
i’m not sure if using valve grinding compounds is a good idea for food preparation. i wouldn’t.
I know the cutting oils you buy to drill metal are super carcinogenic
You can use dry carbides to do this. Do not use valve grinding compound in an oil or grease suspension. Clean thoroughly by grinding dry rice when finished.
Excellent video. I bought one of these and it is exactly like yours before you treated it. Now I will get to work. Very good information, thank you. EDIT: Well, mine is great now but it took me about 4 hours total to do. I did it in 45 minute sessions over several days. Thanks again.
This is the most helpful tutorial I have seen for seasoning my new mortar and pestle. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I use to find motars for $5 a few years ago and I never purchased a spare bc I never imagined that the price of these items would climb so much. Well I no longer have my old one and It had been seasoned for me. This video was perfect! Not only did it help me to tell the authentic vs the counterfeit it also showed me how to season easy and w perfection. Thank you so much for this upload.
you are so welcome!
Love this thank youuuu. I have now watched 7 seasoning videos and none of them acknowledged the water first to smooth the surface of the inside. All the videos went straight to rice seasoning a new mortar. I have been doing it for 2 days now off and on. the rice is barely cracking and im still seeing grey powder. I started with water but none of the videos used it so I thought I was being too hard grinding without any rice/herbs; this is what happens when you use this tool without something to gring, you start grinding down the mortar which is supposedly wrong because none of the videos and tutorials showed this. so thanks and this is why people need to make videos sharing THEIR way of doing things so we can all learn new tricks about things we already know how to do.
Very helpful video!
My first M&P is arriving tomorrow, so I wanted to see what needs to be done, if anything.
The slurry reminds me a lot of sharpening knives by hand. You never rinse the slurry off until you're done with the sharpening, as the slurry will naturally polish the edge. Of course, I take it to an extreme, going from 1,000 grit to 3,000 grit, to 8,000 grit, then raw hide treated with extra fine green jeweler's buffing compound (about 250,000 grit), then strop it on a high quality Italian leather strop.
Principle seems the same, to be consistent/even with your wear pattern, and keep that slurry in play. Good stuff to know!
Thanks for taking the time to make this video!
I googled mortar and pestle yesterday and today this video pops up well done AI...well done
Thanks for the awesome tips! I just got a nearly identical one for Christmas and it told me to put raw garlic and cumin in there! I'm grateful to you for posting what clearly appears to be the proper conditioning directions!
thank you so much for this tutorial! i bought this exact one today and i’m going to grind it down like that tomorrow, at first i wasn’t sure if i should work just one side of the pestle but i see now that doing both sides will be good
Hope you enjoy it!
Wow! You are so informative! I first thought you might be in California, but saw something that had Florida in it.
We live in upper FL. You have so much info here for anyone.
Thanks so much for all your videos..
It is arguable whether making the surfaces perfectly smooth is helpful, as the rough surfaces that it comes with aids in grinding. Think of a mill stone, the grinding surfaces are not perfectly smooth like a polished granite countertop. Sure, bits of stone could break off but that would only happen if you are grinding it without anything in the bowl. The substance that is being ground acts as lubricant so that the stones do not make contact.
I agree
I was thinking the same thing.
Stone on stone grinding on a smoother surface works just fine without getting rock chunks in your food. But if that's what you want, then don't condition it.
Thank you. Very helpful. And the story of finding indentations where the first people used the stones for grinding made my day!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I tried doing it with rice; and honestly, it just wasn’t working. The rice was getting all clumped up and wasn’t turning into a powder, so now that I know you can do it with just water- imma do that.
Cool ! Thank you ! I just got a granite mortar & pestle, so you helped me to understand, by example, how I am to season it ! Thanks Again !
Just took delivery on an identical one to grind dent corn into corn meal for some no-added-sugar cornbread. Dent corn is corn that ripens and dries on the cob still on the vine. Part of the carbohydrate turns to sugar in the drying process. the ear is then shucked. You can buy bulk dent corn as animal feed and it's just fine for humans, making wonderful corn bread. Just don't clean it by washing or it will quickly turn moldy and poisonous. Keep it dry until ready to use for baking.
Stone grinding was used into the late 1930's when faster steel grinding took over, destroying the wheat germ and natural sweetness. the mortar and pestle will allow me to re-create the delicious old no-sugar cornbread I remember as a boy. ... Thanks for the video. I had already planed to do pretty much the same before finding and watching it.
.
@TexanForever Thompson I would love to taste your cornbread from the era of good tasting food. Would you post a recipe please?
Hello Don,
I tried it without water and it never worked .
Then I did you water and like you said.
I then primed it with garlic and other stuff.
then I did the water again thing again.
then today I put rice in and it turned into powder in no time.
Great!
Thanks for sharing
mine came with instructions that said straight to the rice. no initial grinding. glad I found your video because I am still making some pretty grey water haha
Best M&P instructional video on RUclips. Thanks
just got my Molcajete today. it's already paid for itself by directing me to your channel. Great stuff, thanks!
Great to hear!
Спасибо большое за данное видео! Столько лет прошло, а оно продолжает помогать людям!) Здоровья и всех благ вам! 🫶🏻
you are welcome!
I absolutely love the sound of a granite mortar and pestle
Thanks for this very good tutorial Donald, I just got mine today and am eager to condition the right way! And I appreciate your hard working hands, like patents and mine.
Very welcome
I have a very similar mortar and pestle to yours. I was to nervous to use it due to it not being seasoned. I tested this for 10 mins to see how difficult it was, and boy howdy my arms are sore.
I have one just like this plus one made out of lava rock and I have been working on mine for a couple years off and on because my shoulder just can't handle it. Hopefully one day I will get them finished before I die LOL
Someone told me about this method and I was questioning it. They shared this video and I was sold after I saw your Gators shirt! Go Gators!
That is awesome!
I treated myself to a really nice one for Christmas. Once I opened it up it was obvious I could t just used this for food as is. So since the spring I been using it to grind my egg shells for gardening as my conditioning. Maybe by next Christmas I will feel comfortable using it for food. :) Thanks for top with the rice.
you are welcome!
Excellent video, Donald. Thank you for being so thorough.
Iiiiiiiiiiii didn't even know I had to do this with mine (also granite. Possibly the same brand in this video) since no papers came with it in the box. Maybe I missed something, but I honestly thought you just use it right out of the box. now I know better....and my pesto probably came with rock pieces in them. Whoops.
Thank you. I was sitting here grinding rice per the conditioning instructions which came with my mortar and pestle and decided to do a youtube search on it. It quickly dawned on me that I should set aside the rice until this stone-on-stone method gives me a smoother surface. I did add some rock salt as someone suggested, because it made sense. Thanks again, smoother is obviously better.
Is it possible to do any damage to the mortar, perhaps making the grooves worse by not being even with the grinding?
P
This is great. Thanx Donald. I had a small one of these many moons ago but I always wanted to make one out in the bush. I wonder how much new granite dust enters the rice flour.......Lol......... the only cure for grinded teeth is to use a pestle and mortar. Lol..........
Best instructional video on RUclips. Thanks Donald!
Nice s2000
I just got one for my birthday, so will do what you advise. Thank you!
I followed your method, worked so great! Thanks a bunch. I really like your channel and I like the way you call us "my friends"! Plus I subscribed🐱
Great to hear!
I am sure this is the most accurate video on curing granite mortar and pestles! Thank you.
THANK YOU THANK YOU! IM HERE APRIL 22ND 2020. Im so blessed to have found your video tutorial on how to prepare my MP for use. Now I'm off to look up some recipes for salsa! Also grinding techniques for spices:)
🤗🤗🙏
Glad it was helpful!
Just wondering how long does complete process take ? I bought one and get it today, but didn’t know about seasoning it so glad I found your video.
Hope you enjoy
Thanks for the helpful tutorial. How do you clean it after each use? Does it need occasional upkeep and conditioning?
I wash mine
Thanks for the tip. Am glad i researched in this now i can give my mum her Granit morter in good Condition for xmas
Glad I could help
My Mortar turned out great. Thank you.
Cool video man, thanks. I'm beginning to think the central nub is meant to be there. It creates a little thumping action even when you're rubbing.
Is the idea that once this process is finished that you can grind the M+P together in water and the water will stay clear?
It will be clearer, but stone against stone will always make a small amount of fine dust. this is not harmful to consume, it may even help to alkalize your body pH which would be a good thing.
Thanks @@donaldporta! It's been hard to find info on this.
Donald Porta the body’s ph is NOT controlled be what goes through the digestive system.
@@SMart7751 Could you please explain your perspective in greater detail? I would appreciate it, since it is difficult to understand what you mean.
The body is not "controlled" by what goes through the digestive system, and neither is the body's pH "controlled" by food stuffs, but our bodies are certainly *influenced* by what we consume.
The body has its own internal controlling system for maintaining optimal functioning and homeostasis, but what food or drink we put into it is going to affect its functioning. That is why an unhealthy diet can cause disease.
It's likely that too much acid-forming food (or too much of the opposite) is going to make it more of a struggle for your body to maintain pH balance. I know that from personal experience. It can even temporarily change one's body odour.
Thanks for a great example. I can now confidently ready my new set.
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Donald-- Next time you have a new mortar with ridges in the bowl, start by working them down using very rough sandpaper wrapped around a tennis ball or other ball that is a little smaller than the bowl. Once you've done this, you will have a much easier (and shorter) time water-truing the pestle against the bowl of the mortar.
Ty for ur time:) thought my wife bought me a screwed up set lol
My thought exactly. Now I know :)
Oh my goodness, this was so helpful. I was just about to return my M&P because I thought it was defective, LOLOL...
Oh man, very helpful! Thanks you, I'd only seen broke in m&p before i ordered mine
Appreciate the tutorial! I have the exact same one.
This is great! Greetings from southwest PA!
Thanks for the useful video, from India.
What's the use of smooth mortar and pestle? The smoother they are, the less they grind
Sofia Diogo your supposed to break it in to "smooth" it down. the first maybe 1-3times to get rid of the excess rigid edges that will most like break down and leave your food gritty the first few times. it's still going to be pourus and will grind like it's supposed to, your just getting rid of the rough edges at first. your only supposed to do this once when you first purchase it.. If you compare a new mortal and pestal to a used one the you will understand what type of "smooth" he is talking about..
I would like to see how you use the M P on grains an show what you use them for. That is really cool. Your vidio are so instructional thanks my friend
M + P is not for grinding, it is for crushing. As you can see when you grind with an uneven surface, you get a lot of stone particles in the water, or your food. You don't want that. The surface should be completely smooth, with all the rough parts ground out, until there are no more particles in the water (or your food!)
If the mortar and pestle are too rough you cannot grind your object very small because it gets caught in the pores. If they are smoother and the faces meet much closer you can crush your object more finely.
Hi Donald. Thank you for your video. It was very helpful.
This was very helpful! Thank you very much for this video!
I just recently purchased my first molcajete made of granite and have been following your instructions and so far it's working very well. 😊 Do I need to continue to do the water grinding until the water is totally clear? It's been about an hour and it is quite clear but just slightly cloudy at this point. I also ground some rice and salt for a bit after the water method with little to no greyish cast. Thanks for any info you can provide.
you do not have to grind until clear, I just want to get rid of larger chunke of stone, the small is inert and harmless.
@@donaldporta Thank you.
I got one used (second hand) and it does not look nice and smooth, can I do the same with water till I get even? Thanks in advance and best regards, very nice and informativ video.
Yes you can!
@@donaldporta thank you very much for your prompt answer. Have a good day, greetings from Germany.
Thanks so much! I've been trying to smooth out my new M and P using the rice method. It was taking forever. I'm trying the water method. 👍
You got this!
How long are we supposed to do this? It seems like I'm going to grind a hole in the mortar before the water clears.
just until it feels smooth , when rubbing stone on stone there will always be some in the grind, being smooth will make minimum and it is harmless
@@donaldporta Thanks. I got the 7" from Williams Sonoma. Went over it for about an hour over two days, then ground some rice. It works like a charm for hummus now. Thanks very much for your tips. It seems that seasoning these, cast iron, or clay everyone has their method so its difficult to know what is proper.
Thank you for the amazing video. After the seasoning is done, how do you recommend cleaning the p&m after each use? Thank you.
I wash mine with dish soap and water
Donald Porta aren’t you not supposed to use soap?
@@danielisler4132 It's probably like using cast iron. There's a hint of truth to not washing with soap but for the most part it's an old wives tale. As long as you've got a good season on it and don't go crazy with the soap it's fine.
thank you. Just picked up my first mortar and pestle this week.
Yee I thought my mortar is defective and needed to be replaced but now I understand, awesome
thank you!! I am ready to use my new tool now.
Just bought one, thank you kindly sir
Super helpful! I will be making a spice blend tomorrow, and now I know how
Thank you for this video! My set didn't come with any instructions for seasoning - I'm sorta miffed about that but glad for your information. Thanks again.
You are so welcome!
I got a small mortar and pestle (all I could afford) that are made out of a very smooth stone. When I say smooth, I mean an almost glass finish. It's beautiful, but I worry that it's TOO smooth to grind effectively. Is this something I should be worried about and, if so, do you have any ideas what I should do to fix it?
Great job! Thanks for showing the whole process.
I received instructions with my m&p but not as good as yours. Thank you so much for such an informative video.
Just bought same one in vid i plan the weekend to break it in watching movies and work on my wrist action
Ty
😆
Your last message is covered by pop up's. Could you please tell us what the 1st word is? (???te's nonporous quality). Thanks for a very helpful video.
granite's --- thank you, now fixed--- Don
❤️Great video. I have used water and worked on it for about 4 hours. I then used rice for about 45 min. Today I got it out and tried water again and it’s still dirty water. Will it ever get rid of the dirty water? Maybe I wasn’t pressing down hard enough? Thanks
This is also what i want to know, hard to make use of it for food as as I don't want to eat bunch of mud with my food, or am I missing something?
Thanks Donald. Very informative video on use and care
Very good... thanks! Do you have some favorite uses... recipes?
about how long did it take to grind the rice to coarse flour? Mine is taking a very long time.
Wow!😳 very interesting! Thanks so much for sharing!
You are so welcome
Informative video, I loved it, will use this method when mine comes in the mail. I have a question, I would like to make the outside smoother as well, what should I use to do so? Would sandpaper work? Or would I need to use another material?
use wet/dry sandpaper.
You can use sand paper to get a great finish outside. 3000 grit can get you a smooth finish, 5000 and then 7000 will make the outside shine!
Thanks for the tip! I've seen the rice thing a lot, but was wondering if there was something else to do. The instructions don't say to season it (at least mine don't), but I will before using. It only says using water and a mild soap to wash it. Like you mentioned, I don't want chips of granite in my food!
Not that I know of
thanks! i want to buy one like that but a little bigger, so thanks for the tips!
Glad I could help!
I love that specific form 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Most excellent video! Thanks for sharing
Hmmm in doing this and after many rounds in still getting grey water. Am I just going to have grey granite water no matter how long I do the water stage? I'm wondering if I'm just trying to get it smooth and when crushing avoid stone on stone grinding or should it go totally clear? Thx!
just grind until you like the finish--- stone on stone will always make cloudy water, this is harmless and when grinding food there will be minimum stone grinding. You are good to go!
@@donaldporta thx ... Well I'm using it for grinding pigments and other non food items. I'm wondering about the oil people sometimes use help or some other kind of sealing to help with reducing the grey powder as well :) .
Awesome video, a huge thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Won’t stone dust always get in your food from stone on stone rubbing?
not enough to be concerned with
I have a giant granite mortar and pestle so big I can barely lift it how do I condition it
Does doing this smooth the surfaces? Because I need rough surfaces to grind my seeds, to make paste, etc. I have a marble mortar & pestle that is hard to work with because it’s so smooth..
Yes it will smooth the mortar, however the type of stone use will determine it's final smoothness. mine is still rough enough to grind seeds, and yet not make excessive dust.
Could you put that on a wheel and fill with stones like a rock polisher? Just let it turn the rocks in a bit of water for a few days? On a cheap potters wheel?