Simple and versatile, the mortar and pestle is a popular piece of kitchenware that has been in existence for millennia. Read on to find our top recommendations.

A mortar and pestle can be made from a wide variety of materials, with granite, ceramic, marble, and volcanic rock being the most popular. No matter what material your mortar and pestle are made ...

One person's mortar and pestle is another person's molcajete (Mexico) and still another's suribachi (Japan). You can find mortars of almost any material: lava, volcanic rock, wood, brass, marble ...

In a large, sturdy mortar (preferably marble with a wooden pestle), sprinkle the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pound and grind it to a relatively smooth paste.

When I’m making a pepper soup blend from whole spices, I glance first at my mortar and pestle, and then to the spice mill next to it. I grab the mill probably 99 times out of 100.