Looking for ways to clean your marble mortar and pestle? Get in here. This is the first-hand information you need to make your marble mortar and pestle serve you well. Ready?
Mortar and pestles are considered as an ancient tool that is used mostly in the kitchen to grind or crush ingredients or herbs. Nothing has been able to beat that feeling to be able to grind things with the hand, it may seem a little bit old fashioned, but it is very efficient.
See a quick grab on steps in cleaning a marble mortar and pestle:
- Step 1: Wipe away all the remaining residue
- Step 2: Remove all the visible stains with Paper Towel
- Step 3: Wash the marble mortar and pestle with a little dish soap
- Step 4: Rinse the marble mortar and pestle
- Step 5: Dry your marble mortar and pestle
- Step 6: Store the marble mortar and pestle
The blenders came as a modern way of grinding things quickly, but it has not been able to completely replace the mortar and pestle. This is because the blender is an electronic machine that has blades and a motor, the blade slices what you put inside it, unlike the mortar and pestle that crushes and grinds.
The blender is not capable of crushing ingredients like the mortar and pestle, when you make use of the mortar and pestle, it crushes the substance and you will be able to get all the essential oil from it. This is not possible with the blender, you will not be able to get the essential oil, instead, when the blades rotate, it starts to generate heat which would not permit you to get that essential oil that you need.
That is why we still have the mortar and pestle up to this day, there is no perfect replacement for it yet.
Marble mortar and pestles are very good at grinding spices, it is also very pleasurable to use. Aside from the marble mortar and pestle, there are other materials such as wooden, ceramic, granite, etc.
The marble is usually the best when it comes to grinding and crushing spices, so, if you are going to be grinding and crushing some spices, then you need to get yourself a marble mortar and pestle because it will serve you a whole lot.
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Important steps on how to clean a marble mortar and pestle?
The most important aspect of a marble mortar and pestle is not just owning it, the most important aspect of a mortar and pestle is how you take care of it. How you take care of it determines how long it is going to last for you.
You should not neglect this aspect of owning a mortar and pestle, this is because that is what determines how long you will use it. Cleaning your mortar and pestle may be a little bit tedious when you are doing it, but as you do it continuously it begins to get easier and simple.
It may seem tedious and stressful, but it is just for the betterment of your mortar and pestle. You need to also understand that we are talking about cleaning a marble mortar and pestle.
The way you take care and clean a marble mortar and pestle is quite different from how you clean a wooden mortar and pestle, a ceramic mortar and pestle, or a granite or stone mortar and pestle, and this is because of the difference in materials and the difference in the texture and the ability of the material to resist some kind of handling.
Here are the simple steps that you need to follow when you are cleaning a marble mortar and pestle.
Step 1: Wipe away all the remaining residue
This is the first thing you need to do when you are cleaning a marble mortar and pestle. When you are done grinding with a marble mortar and pestle, there is a possibility that there will be residue, and so it be should be scraped or wiped away.
This will help you to remove all the residue and those small particles that may have stuck to the surface of the mortar and pestle. When you are removing the residue and those small particles of substances from the mortar and pestle, it is best that you do this with a cloth, preferably a dry cloth.
If you do not want to make use of a dry cloth you can also make use of a paper towel. When you are cleaning the marble mortar and pestle you also need to pay attention to the curved edges and all the carved nooks and crannies of the handle of your pestle.
You need to pay close attention to the carved part of your mortar and pestle because some residue could get stuck on the inside of the curved mortar.
Step 2: Remove all the visible stains with Paper Towel
This is the next step after wiping away the residue. You may decide to start with this step but I will advise you to start with the first step. This eliminates all stains at the first dab.
Most times these stains on the marble mortar and pestle usually come as a result of grinding very oily and colored ingredients. The best way you can remove this stain from the surface of the marble mortar and pestle is to dab them with a paper towel that has been soaked in white vinegar.
White vinegar is usually best for removing stains, especially from marble surfaces, the vinegar will leave the surface neat and free from all forms of oil stains. It is not only good for the mortar and pestle, but it is also good when you use it to wash plates and other marble tools you have in the kitchen, it will keep it sparkling clean.
Step 3: Wash with a little dish soap
The next thing you should do after removing all the visible stains is to wash the mortar and pestle with a little bit of dish soap. You should add the dish soap to a damp sponge and then rub it gently on the mortar and pestle, you do not need to do it roughly or with so much pressure.
This is because the stains have already been removed with the white vinegar, and you do not need to apply so much pressure when you are cleaning with the sponge and the dish soap. Note that you should not just do this on the inside of the mortar, you need to do it on the inside and outside as well. The same applies to the pestle, you need to focus on all the parts of the pestle.
One downside of making use of dish soap is that the soap usually has fragrance, sometimes the fragrance could get stuck to the mortar and pestle and it could affect the next thing you are going to grind with the mortar and pestle.
To avoid this, you could consider using a dish soap that has less fragrance, like this one on Amazon.
Step 4: Rinse the mortar and pestle
The next thing that you need to do is to rinse the mortar and pestle so well. You should rinse the mortar and pestle in warm water.
It is preferable you use warm water so that you will be to remove all the soap from the mortar and pestle. One important thing you need to take note of is that you should rinse the inside of the mortar and the grinding end of the pestle.
This is because if you do not rinse those parts thoroughly and there is any soap residue there, it could affect the next ingredients that you may be grinding.
If you have a very stubborn stain on your mortar and pestle, what you need to do is to scrub your mortar and pestle out with dry rice so that you can successfully remove all the stubborn stains without using harsh abrasives. This works so well, do not forget that when you are done doing this, you should not forget to discard the rice.
Another thing that you need to do is that you should not soak your marble mortar and pestle in a harsh chemical, this could end up doing harm to the mortar. This is a very important point to note, it will help prevent your mortar from damage and help it to last long for you.
Step 5: Dry your mortar and pestle
To dry your marble mortar and pestle, you can decide to either let it air dry or you can dry it by making use of a clean dish towel to dry the mortar and pestle.
After doing this you will notice how clean the mortar and pestle is because you have carefully washed it and removed all the stains from the body of the mortar and pestle, the inside, and also the grinding end of the pestle.
If you want to air dry this mortar and pestle make sure that you leave it in a very good place to dry where it will not be prone to breaking or smashing. Take note of this because it is important as well.
Step 6: Store the mortar and pestle
The last thing you need to do after washing and drying your mortar and pestle is to store it. Storing it entails you putting it in a safe position where it will not easily get damaged or even fall from a height.
Another reason why you need to store this marble mortar and pestle well is so that whenever you need it you will be able to reach out to it quickly and make use of it any time you want to use it.
How and where you store your mortar and pestle is also an important part of caring for your marble mortar and pestle.
Like we said earlier, there are the marble mortar and pestle, the wooden mortar and pestle, the ceramic mortar and pestle, etc. These steps and tips we shared in cleaning your marble mortar and pestle are only applicable to the marble mortar and pestle.
It may probably not be the same thing for that of the wooden or the ceramics because each material is different, and they react differently to different substances.
Even though the steps to cleaning different mortar and pestle may be a little bit similar, it does not mean that you should take all the steps for the marble mortar and pestle and then use it for a wooden or ceramic mortar and pestle.
If you do this it will not make any sense at all, the best thing to do is to just follow each step for each kind of mortar and pestle, be it the marble, like we just wrote about, the wooden or the ceramic.
Each step we explained is very important and you should not neglect anyone at all. Take note of this.
My Final words on how to clean a marble mortar and pestle
The marble mortar and pestle are very good when it comes to grinding spice. If you want to grind spices and you want to get the best results, you should consider getting the marble mortar and pestle.
This is because it has a very smooth surface and it is not porous like the wooden mortar and pestle. The pores in the wooden mortar and pestle usually hold a lot of debris. This is not applicable to the marble mortar and pestle.
All these cleaning processes may seem a bit tedious at first, but the truth is that when you start to do it consistently, you will get so used to it and it will become a part of you, you will even do it without thinking too much about it.
Cleaning your mortar and pestle is very essential, just the way it is essential to clean all the tools and utensils in the kitchen. If you do not clean it begins to deteriorate and it will not last for as long as you want it to.
We also made it clear that if there is a very strong stain on your marble mortar and pestle, you can remove it by scrubbing the mortar out with dry rice, this will help to remove all the stubborn stains without you using harsh abrasives.
When you are done doing this, you should not forget that you should discard the rice immediately. You should keep following these steps in cleaning your marble mortar and pestle as long as you are still using it, to help it stay efficient and durable.
The mortar and pestle are not any different from other utensils or tools in the kitchen when it comes to taking care of it, the same care that other kitchen utensils need, you also need to care for your marble mortar and pestle that same way.
