Kitchen Gadgets - Mini Mortar and Pestle by Norpro

This is just too cute for words! This mini mortar and pestle will be your go to gadget when you want to crush a pill (seriously)...or, only need to crush or grind a few herbs or spices.




It holds about a couple of tablespoons, so with this in your gadget drawer, you may not always need to go for the "big mama" mortar and pestle.

If you're unsure of what exactly a mortar and pestle is used for, check out this definition from Wikipedia:

A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances (trituration). The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed with the pestle.

Kitchen Gadgets - Mortar and Pestle

A mortar and pestle is a useful (and old-fashioned) way to grind up herbs, garlic, chilis or whatever ingredients you like - into a paste like consistency. It's also great for grinding spices. The mortar is the bowl, and the pestle the grinding tool that does all the actual work. For obvious reasons, mortars and pestles are generally made out of very durable materials, such as marble, stone or even cast iron. They need to be durable, because they really take a beating!

Here are a couple of examples of good, heavy-duty mortars and pestles: