I've had two marble mortar and pestles in my life. They were small and inefficient and fussy. I only used them when a recipe called for them. The rest of the time they sat in a drawer ... until I broke them accidentally. This mortar and pestle--beautiful, rugged and large-- is an entirely different story. As soon as I took it out of the box it was love at first sight. I tried it out and quickly found that it is fun and satisfying to use. It is solid enough that you feel safe pounding stuff really hard. That makes it very efficient to use, and me, meditatively mind-cleansing! In the first eight hours I owned it, I pulverized salt, crushed garlic, ground caraway seeds, whipped together a cashew butter mushed up an olive tapenade, crafted a butter-blue cheese spread and made the most amazing pesto ever. I've made a pesto a day since then and I"m still just awed by how good it is. Purists say pesto is better in the mortar and pestle than in food processors, which is how I've always made it. I'm not sure if there's a meta reason why, but I can say mine came out the best in my life-at least in part because the hand method makes it easy to improvise and add ingredients until the flavor and texture is perfect. The reason I say it is lifestyle changing as I immediately realized I am going to hardly ever use my food processor again. I was making a sweet-potato pie and I did the first batch of sweet potatoes in my excellent Cuisinart, I did the second one in the mortar just as fast and more pleasurably. After that there's no going back.... it's going to be a rare day I take out the food processor, plug it in, adjust the blade right, put the ingredients in, adjust the top, pulse, then take off the lid to scrape ingredients off the sides, pulse again etc. . And of course afterwards, take it apart and clean it. The mortar and pestle was WAY easier to use and a breeze to clean afterwards. It is also much more suited than the food processor to making small batches of anything--and since I typically cook for only one or two, that is going to mean a lot more impromptu pestos! Today I was able to make enough pesto in moments to dress a small bowl of orzo with no waste and no leftovers. I was also able to make just enough cashew butter for a sandwich in literally a minute. It was incredibly delicious, easy and cheap; I don't see any reason why I will ever buy a commercial nut butter again! I purchased the 2+ cup size of this item. I love this size. It is large enough to do a big batch of pesto or blend butter or smash potatoes efficiently. However it's still small enough that I can grind a teaspoon of spices without feeling they get lost in a giant cavern. The size of this item is just large enough so I can store it on the back edge of my counter and it doesn't impinge on my work space. The 3+ cup size is one inch larger in diameter--8 inches--which is a bit bigger than I want on my countertop permanently; the 1.5 cup size seems too small to me...why buy something that might be too small for some tasks when you can get one that takes up just a little more real-estate and will be more useful? When you first get this item, the directions say it must be cleaned first using an abrasive pad and then, they suggest, you can cut a lemon in quarters and crush it for practice and additional cleansing. My mortar and pestle looked clean out of the box but I decided to clean it anyway. All my Brillo pads are pre-treated with soap and that felt unappetizing to me for this item so I followed tips in these reviews to crush white rice. I added a little water and crushed up a couple of cups of rice to a paste, and then I crushed a lemon and I was done. The instructions also say to fold a dishtowel and put it underneath to absorb impact and protect your countertop. I didn't like that idea since it adds another step (finding a dishtowel and folding it) every time I use this. If the dishtowel gets dirty, then it needs to be washed. So instead I bought this rubber mat:Packing Mat, 8 x 6 . The mat is the perfect size to fit under the 2+ cup mortar and pestle and it works perfectly to absorb the impact. I love the combination and would recommend it to anyone. The directions do not say how to clean after every use. This bookAlchemy of the Mortar & Pestle: The Culinary Library Volume 1 says to avoid soap and detergent because perfume particles can get into the stone and taint your food. I have been rinsing and wiping lightly dry with a paper towel, and so far so good! The book also says you can sanitize a stone mortar and pestle by heating in the oven at 350 degrees for ten minutes then turning off oven, opening door and letting cool until safe to take it out. If the manufacturer is reading this post I would love it if you could say if this is safe to do with your product! It seems like a smart idea to me if the product is ever used to smash up meat or raw dairy.
