The Ancient Kitchen Tool Gordon Ramsay Swears By For Spices

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Cooking with spices is not always as simple as sprinkling them on top of a dish, straight from the rack. Since whole spices have been dried for long-term storage, their flavorful oils are preserved inside seeds, pods, and bark. To bring these oils out, and maximize their flavors and aromas, they need to be crushed or ground. In modern kitchens, home cooks can do this using tools like grinders. However, critics have long pointed out that electric grinders can ruin your spices by turning them into fine powder. Because of this, experts continue to vouch for more traditional techniques. Gordon Ramsay, for one, swears by an ancient tool as the most effective for cooking with spices: the mortar and pestle.

"To get the most out of your spices, there's only one piece of kit that you need: pestle and mortar. I mean, they look fantastic, and it's essential for any good kitchen," he said on his YouTube channel. "These things are so versatile. These ancient kitchen tools are perfect for everything, from pestos to dressings ... Use to grind spices, and you'll max out on flavor, get perfect textures, and always be totally in control." Historically, the two-piece tool can be traced back to ancient times, per the oldest preserved medical literature from Egypt. Interestingly, its primary use as a device to grind spices has remained the same.

Aside from being the most fun way to prepare any recipe, nothing screams "homemade" more than pounding and crushing ingredients with a mortar and pestle. The process is quite simple and satisfying, especially once the oils and signature scents of the spices start to ooze out. Gordon Ramsay said it best when he noted, "The heavier, the more durable they are, the more confidence it gives you when you're pounding. And it's almost a way of confirming 'homemade' — hand-pounded." 

It's worth noting that the design of the tool has remained the same since it was first introduced thousands of years ago. That speaks volumes about just how effective it is in its purpose; newfangled equipment is no match for the old-fashioned way of grinding spices by hand.

If you want to invest in your own stoneware, consider the ChefSofi Mortar and Pestle Set, made of heavy, unpolished granite, which provides natural friction for crushing ingredients. If you prefer a wider mouth, the UMIEN Natural Stone Molcajete comes highly recommended. With its larger circumference, you can prepare guacamole, salsa, and pesto in bigger batches. Do note that brand-new molcajetes (traditional Mexican mortar and pestles) require proper seasoning before use.