How To Clean And Maintain A Molcajete Without Ruining It

There are many underrated tools that you should be utilizing in the kitchen, and the molcajete is undoubtedly one of them. The traditional Mexican version of a mortar and pestle (which Gordon Ramsay swears by when making homemade spices) is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship made out of lava rocks. However, this specific type of material makes cleaning the tool all the more crucial. We spoke to Rick Bayless — the chef at and owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Bar Sótano, and Xoco — who gave us insight into both why you need to clean your molcajete regularly and how to do so. "Though a usable kitchen molcajete is made from relatively smooth, dense rock, it still has some porosity, which means that when grinding ingredients for salsa, little bits will stick in the crevices," says Bayless. "You need to clean it well to get those bits free."

So, if you want to use a molcajete to make truly great guacamole, you need to be very thorough when cleaning it. To do this, Bayless skips the sponge and goes for something designed for heavy-duty cleaning. "I use a brush to thoroughly scrub my molcajete," notes Bayless, who adds that a stiff-bristled brush is the right tool to get the job done.

Now, while using a brush might seem like an obvious and vital choice, whether or not you also use soap is a bit more questionable. Rick Bayless uses soap sparingly, as it can create more problems than it solves. "I rarely use soap, because scrubbing it with a brush is usually sufficient to eliminate any food bits," reveals Bayless. "Many cooks believe that soap takes away a certain 'seasoning' a molcajete develops over time. I tend to agree." In the same way that a cast iron pan benefits from being seasoned by the food cooked on it, a molcajete retains minute traces of foods that ultimately improve its capabilities. However, this isn't to say that soap is never necessary; if your molcajete has a strange odor, for example, you'll want to use soap and water to ensure it's safe to use. "If your molcajete stinks, you haven't scrubbed it well enough," says Bayless. "A molcajete should never smell."

Beyond that, it's also important to properly dry the molcajete after cleaning it and before using it, as this will help prevent bacterial growth — something which can happen often to the porous tool. "Lots of people store molcajetes upside down after washing to allow them to thoroughly dry," notes Bayless. "Once dry, I just store mine with the pestle upright."