Mortar and Pestle

Although often thought of as anachronistic, a good mortar and pestle are necessary for grinding certain ingredients when the action of a food processor either is too brutal or will not crush the ingredients in the way necessary to release their flavor.

Mortars and pestles are probably not used more often because good ones are difficult to find and can be very expensive. The best are relatively large and made from solid chunks of stone. Marble, granite, and other kinds of stone have the advantage of being very heavy, so that the mortar does not move around during grinding, and it does not absorb odors.