How To Clean Cast Iron Mortar And Pestle
Basically you re seasoning the underneath just like you d season the inside of a cast iron pan.
How to clean cast iron mortar and pestle. Like cast iron cookware most mortar and pestle sets need to be seasoned before use. Do not use soap to clean your mortar and pestle. Remove the coloured grains and repeat the process until the crushes grains remain white. For bamboo and wooden mortar and pestles use a damp cloth to wipe them clean. The process of cleaning a mortar and a pestle depends heavily on its material.
To get rid of the rust on the underneath scrub it with steel wool soaked in vegetable oil then wipe as much oil off the cast iron as you can with paper toweling then bake the mortar in the oven until it goes dark underneath. Thereafter you can wash clean off with a dry cloth and then allow to dry. Repeat a couple of times. Then you want to grind a few tablespoons of plain white rice to a fine powder to get the surface ready to use. To rinse mortar and pestle one should use running water.
After each use thoroughly rinse your mortar and pestle with warm water. Leave it for a towel to air dry. Take 2 tablespoons of white rice grains and start crushing them. The porous volcanic rock has little holes that will trap the scent and taste of soap. Clean ceramic glass and metal alloy brass iron mortar and pestles with warm water and a rough scrub brush.
Discard the rice and repeat the process as necessary. Usually this starts with washing it by hand out of the box many mortar and pestles are not dishwasher safe and then drying it thoroughly. For cleaning ceramic metal or glass materials use warm water and some rough scrubbing brush. You know how you should never use soap to clean a cast iron skillet. To clean stone mortar and pestles made from marble granite or lava stone use warm water and rice.
If your pestle and mortar has started to retain the smells and stains of strong spices try pouring some dry white rice into the mortar and use the pestle to grind it to a fine powder. Most wooden and bamboo mortars and pestles can be wiped using a damp cloth. Fill your mortar with warm water and leave it for two days this usually works for wooden and granite mortar and pestle especially. Never ever use soap. Soak your mortar and pestle in warm water apply unscented detergent into the water and leave it for 24 48 hours.