Molcajete - Aztec Blender

The blender is the modern tool used to make salsas, it chops quickly and evenly with just a push of a button. But the ancestral way to make salsa is in a molcajete - a bowl on legs cut out from volcanic stone with a volcanic hand tool to grind vegetables and fruits into delicious salsas. Molcajetes make the best salsas molcajeteadas and guacamoles. This is because the rough surface of the volcanic stone shreds the flesh and skin of tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, herbs and chiles. This grinding action, rather than a chopping action, is what releases the essential oils of ripe vegetables and fruits and make salsas 'sing' with deep flavour. 

When you receive your molcajete you will need to season it, the volcanic stone needs breaking in and smoothing out. This is done with dry uncooked rice. Place a small portion in your new molcajete and grind until you have powder, you will see little flecks of stone in there too. Dump it out and start again, do it until you see no more little flecks of stone, then wash, dry and store until you are ready to make the best salsa ever!

Spice grinding: 

These grinders are very porous which are perfect for what it is intended for, grinding vegetables into salsas. To grind spices it is better if the molcajete has been well seasoned, even then you will need to grind a fair amount at any one time, but if you choose to, we have seen people use a 1cm dry paintbrush to sweep out the spices after grinding. 

Size: external diameter approx 19cm, internal diameter approx 15cm, height 10cm