Large granite mortar and pestle

I bought a granite mortar and pestle set a few years ago to up my Thai cooking game, and I now use it almost every day. For small quantities, it’s less fuss than a food processor or blender (you don’t have to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl), and the heavy pestle and rough interior texture make efficient work of pounding solids into pastes or powders. Use a mortar and pestle for spices; toss a few cloves of garlic in and tap them to remove the skins (if you want to keep your cutting board uncontaminated by garlic oils); crush nuts and seeds for toppings and sauces; mix marinades; make seasoning pastes with fresh or frozen aromatics. You can find them pretty cheap at Asian grocery stores. My mortar has a well that’s 4½ inches (11 cm) in diameter at the top, and it’s a good size.