Looking to find out the Kind of Mortar And Pestle Does Gordon Ramsay Use? Just continue to read this post.
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Who is Gordon Ramsay?
A British Restaurateur, Chef, TV personality and writer. Gordon James Ramsay (OBE) was born on the 6th of November 1966 (54 years old).
Born in Scotland and raised in English, his restaurants have moved up the global chain and awarded 16 Michelin Stars.
Gordon is known to be very blunt, with a strict personality. He combines his restaurant business with writing and TV and has been known to have worked with quite a number of chefs.
He has grown to be one of the most popular, influential and highly sought after Chef in the United Kingdom.
What kind of mortar and pestle does Gordon Ramsay use?
M.V. Trading MTP92 Stone (Granite) Mortar and Pestle, 9-Inch
Gordon Ramsay uses a Granite mortar and pestle made in Thailand. The mortar and pestle are specifically built to last and to ground both and soft substances to powdery form.
The Thailand granite mortar and pestle are built to withstand all sort of pounding and will never chip nor crack.
This granite mortar and pestle was mentioned as the best mortar and pestle in America in 2007 and has been endorsed by Gordon Ramsay.
So you might just do well to pick it up as your next kitchen item.
I would if I were you.
The dimensions are
Diameter – 9.25″
Inner Bowl – 6.50″
Height – 7.25″
Pestle – 9.25″
8 inch 5 cup-capacity Mortar and Pestle Set
You can also try out this cheaper alternative if you cannot afford the one above.
This cheaper alternative is with dimensions of 9.5 x 8.5 x 8.5 inches.
It comes with two pestles: an 8.5inch pestle which is very good at crushing tougher and harder ingredients while there is the 6.5 inch which is perfect for muddling.
Reviews are positive and people really love it!
It is definitely going to be a worthwhile investment for you if you’d like to have it in your kitchen.
Things to note about Gordon Ramsay culinary Career
In the line of knowing the kind of mortar and pestle this legendary chef uses, we will briefly run through the important and relevant significance of his culinary career, how professionally he uses pestles and how you can learn from them to become an excellent cook in connection with grinding stuff.
If you watch his reality show, you will agree with me that Chef Gordon Ramsay is best known to TV viewers for his sharp rebukes of chef-students.
When it comes to studying an icon in the catering field like this, culinary students should mostly be concerned about his success and accomplishments as a chef and restaurateur.
Drifting a bit from the grinding expertise, his original vision was to be some type of athlete until he sustained an injury that led him into the culinary facet.
Incidents in life change people. The same thing applies the day I decided to add mortar and pestle as part of my kitchen tool. And today, I’m not regretting it.
I guess it is because you want to make the perfect choice to grind like a professional, that is why you’ve searched for what types of mortar Gordon Ramsay uses. Now that I have shown you. I will also give you a sneak peek on how to grind professionally.
There are basic techniques to apply when grinding some particular herbs and ingredients.
Although, Ramsay studied hotel management before getting busy in the kitchen full time. But you don’t have to do all that to become professional in doing wonders with your mortar – At the very least
He is one of the icons in the culinary field who has won awards representing the owner of best-of-the-best chefs and eateries. And this is something most students would want to emulate.
Having one of only a handful of restaurants in the UK to consistently maintain the coveted status, most people who use kitchen equipment look out to what he uses to make dishes and teach students.
This is a very smart way to learn anything about the kitchen. And in this case, about grinding.
Beginners can also get to read his series of formulaic cookbooks, tackling Epicurean subjects like Great British Pub Food, Sunday Lunch, Just Desserts, and World Kitchen.
He outlined some cooking ethics and techniques as well as his autobiography in these books as the author.
Grinding spices perfectly using a mortar and pestle
This is more like saying how does Gordon Ramsay grind with mortals professionally? Because that is what most people want to know.
As your first time, Here are some tips to make you get things right when grinding with a mortar and pestle. Please note that these steps are what I recommend as per personal preference and experience.
As they say, improvisation can bring about improvements.
Unpolished granite is the deal
If you look closely at the type of mortar and pestle that Gordon uses that we have shown you earlier, you will notice that they are quite large and unpolished.
A perfect mortar that will grind stuff without much hassle should be unpolished, and this you will get in a granite type of mortar.
The stone creates enough friction to easily and evenly break down any type of ingredient without you having to pound or munch with the pestle with too much energy.
There are arguments that granite is porous while others say they are not. But this doesn’t change the fact that unpolished mortars like granite will not retain flavours as wooden will. Hence it is easy to clean by hand.
Having said that, the first step or approach that any professional would do when grinding an ingredient with mortar is to use the pestle like a hammer to soften and break down ingredients into smaller pieces.
This will allow you to easily grind away while pushing the pestle against the walls of the mortar. On granite mortar, Ingredients will quickly get pulverized when drawn between the stone.
Exploring the flavour of spices
A small sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper, for example, adds a powerful warmth to complex sauces and seared meats (talking about some meat rollers here? LOL) just as much as it does to a fried egg or buttered toast.
In addition, to get impressive meals from using a mortar and pestle, work the whole spice. No pre-ground.
Putting an end to garlic fingers.
When it comes to grinding spices like garlic, it can get too clingy to fingers and cutting boards. But using a granite mortar and pestle to effectively peel and mash them will not only avoid having garlic fingers but will mash without pungent residue.
So to handle this perfectly, use the edge of the pestle to bulldoze the head of the garlic. This will break the garlic into individual cloves. Since they are now partially cracked, squeeze lightly to separate them from their skin.
You can have the mortar quickly and cleanly mashing them into a paste perfect for all types of cooking.
I do this with a pinch of salt to strengthen the flavour of the garlic.
Freshly ground spices or herbs are the building blocks to any perfectly prepared sauce. Especially a salty garlic paste.
What do you grind in a mortar and pestle?
Choosing to use a mortar and pestle to grind spice and herbs is a good choice because the process comes with a certain cooking joy.
There is just something interesting about transforming the original state of food and spice into another form like powder or minute quantities using nothing but a handy stone as a pestle and a food bowl which is the mortar.
But it is also crucial to be aware of the herbs and ingredients that can be ground with certain types of mortar.
It is no news that mortar can be used to grind garlic effectively. But are there not other spices that can be ground using mortar and pestles?
Pesto is one of the most classic meals that mortar and pestle is used for. It is time to give a break at just chopping them finely. Don’t you notice that raw garlic tastes bitter when finely chopped? You can get the desired result by crushing and bruising them.
In addition, you can take matters into your own hands by producing your spice with just your Mortar and pestle.
Although you can get it already ground with little cash just around, you can be assured to make them fresh and aroma-reserving when you grind them yourself. And the best tool to help you accomplish this is a mortar and pestle.
It doesn’t take much education to blend spices like Middle Eastern za’atar, Indian garam masala, or North African Bharat
I personally love doing home made versions of things, especially DIYs. This is because no version can beat the taste of what you prepare by yourself. Curry paste is something you can get in the market.
But with a mortar and pestle in the kitchen, you can create your own at home. Simply get the list of all the required ingredients and be ready to mash them together in a mortar.
Finally, most people waste money buying Fancy flavoured salt when they are so easy to make at home using a mortar. This can be done by mixing dried herbs and spices, adding coarse salt, putting the mixture into a mortar and grinding with a pestle. This is a DIY option.
I’m sure you understand how I showed you earlier the best to grind stuff in a mortar.
What type of mortar and pestle is best to use?
Well, as you can see in the two mortars that we looked into in the early part of this article, they are the types of mortar that Gordon Ramsay Use for his culinary stuff in grinding spices and ingredients.
But you may still ask what type of mortar is the best actually. One of the types of mortar we looked into earlier on is granite and the other is, well, granite too.
This does not mean that other types of mortar are bad, but if you have been studying the tone at which it describes mortars, you will notice I’m a granite mortar lover.
All types of mortar and pestle have their respective pros and cons. From stone to rock, wood, marble, granite, iron, metal and beyond. On the experience level, I can only tell you about granite pestles because that is what I use.
I’ve done a lot of research on other types of mortars to know which is actually best.
Wooden mortar and pestle is lightweight and you can carry it around easily. But since it is light, it definitely absorbers moist. This is a downside because stains and residue will be difficult to remove after grinding a particular spice. And the last thing you want is that the smell of garlic that you have previously ground begins to smell in the paper you are currently grinding.
So I don’t follow the crowd when people go to where they sell mortar and just pick the wooden one.
Granite works best for professionals like Gordon Ramsay because it is rigid and hard. It will grind almost any type of the hardest ingredients without any cracks.
It can be washed easily and thoroughly after every use. While it is very heavy to carry around, it will not yield and fall easily, even with a deliberate push.