The best mortar and pestle sets help you crush, grind and mill with more control than an electric spice grinder or food processor. Here are our top picks.

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.

Cole & Mason Granite Mortar and Pestle: available at Amazon, Wayfair and Sur La Table. Our take: Elegant black granite and a generous two-cup capacity make this set both beautiful and functional.

PLUS: The Mortar & Pestle: A Visual Breakdown. The cumin in the back of your spice cabinet is at least two years old. So is the ground fennel. So is the powdery white pepper you thought you'd use ...

The first documented use of the mortar and pestle came from an ancient Egyptian papyrus dating back to 1550BC, and estimations say that the tools were used for 6,000 years prior to this inscription.

Meet the mortar and pestle (the bowl is the mortar, and the pestle is the club-like pounding tool). Simple? Yes. And utterly invaluable in a kitchen. Tools don’t get much more basic than a ...

Chic, unbreakable, and relatively intuitive, a mortar and pestle deserves prime real estate on your kitchen counter. It's fun to use in front of guests, and makes a seamless transition from the ...

4 medium garlic cloves. 3/4 teaspoon medium-grain sea salt, divided. 1 large pasteurized egg yolk. 1 cup mild, fruity extra-virgin olive oil (such as California Olive Ranch). 1 tablespoon water ...

If you own a mortar and pestle, pick it up off its shelf and take a look at it: the curved lip, the deep bowl. Feel the thick, oblong weight of the pestle in your palm. More often than not, these ...