Typhoon Cast Iron Pestle and Mortar

by Typhoon

Product Features

• Typhoon pestle and mortar
• Includes 26-1/4-ounce mortar and 7-inch pestle
• Made of heavy black cast iron with a matte finish
• Stainless steel top attached to pestle handle
• Do not place in the dishwasher

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009XHDP8
• Item model number: 39900
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,838 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Combining form, function, and style, Typhoon has created a unique line of cookware tools, kitchen gadgets, and dinnerware items that coordinate with a variety of home decors and occasions. Designed with a contemporary flair, many of the housewares products blend a sophisticated sensibility with a retro edginess.

What better way to smash garlic, grind spices, or make guacamole than with a traditional pestle and mortar. Made from heavy matte finish cast iron, that won't move when being used, the set includes a large 26-1/4-ounce mortar that sits on a non-skid rubber foot and has a spout for pouring. The accompanying 7-inch pestle, also crafted from cast iron, contains a stainless steel top attached to the handle. Typhoon recommends washing by hand and not soaking in water. --Lea Werbel

Product Description

Cast iron pestle with stainless steel top. Cast iron mortar with a generous 26.25floz capacity

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Godsend!, July 21, 2006

By 

Talia (Santa Fe) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Typhoon Cast Iron Pestle and Mortar (Kitchen)

After years of using a tiny little suribachi to grind up spices, I upgraded to this. My God, what a difference! I was able to grind up a handful of dried rice into a powder in an hour -- that task would have taken days in the old mortar. It makes fast work of anything, and it holds quite a bit, so I don't have that old problem of having to grind in batches.
There are only a couple of little problems. First, the pestle is a little short for how deep the bowl is, so I find I often hit my knuckles against the edges as I grind. Also, I've not had the mortar long, but I'm already noticing wear, especially on the pestle; and when grinding up small batches of food, I notice a slight metallic taste is left. I suppose any mortar would get worn and wind up in ones food, though.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really effective on whole spices, January 3, 2008

By 

E A Jewell (Pacific Northwest, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Typhoon Cast Iron Pestle and Mortar (Kitchen)

If you cook from scratch and store your spices whole (which keeps them fresher and more tasty), then this mortar and pestle are for you. In the past we have tried ceramic and stone, but the surfaces are just too smooth to be effective. The weight of the pestle and the rough surface of the cast iron mortar take care of even cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves. Just be aware not to go anywhere near it with water or salt, as rust will follow, unless you oil it afterwards. We recommend using an old-fashioned pastry brush to get the spices out after grinding. Excellent value for money and an indispensible item in our kitchen.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Heavy Duty, but Quirky Sub-Optimal Design, August 24, 2010

By 

Darby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Typhoon Cast Iron Pestle and Mortar (Kitchen)

Product: Typhoon Cast Iron Mortar and Pestle
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

I first saw this product mentioned in a glowing review in Cooks Illustrated, and since the price was right, I bought one (from the manufacturer, not Amazon). I've owned my share of different M&Ps, and all of them have their quirks, and this one is no different in that regard. I really wanted to give it 5 stars, but I could only give it 3, and I'll explain why.

ADVANTAGES:

* Large Mortar: This has a nice roomy bowl, holding 20+ ounces, which is nice for making things like Guacamole.

* Large Pestle: I like the heft and sturdiness of the pestle, which helps to crush/grind hard spices. It's large enough that you can grasp it with with your whole hand, instead of just a few fingers.


DISADVANTAGES:

* SUB-OPTIMAL SIZE RATIO: The upper sides of the mortar bowl are too steep, and too tall, and the otherwise good pestle size is rendered too short. The result is frequently rapping one's knuckles on the lip, and an inability to use the sides of the work bowl for grinding. The overall impression is that the person who designed it wanted to make a truly stellar product, but wasn't very experienced at actually using M&Ps on a regular basis.

* NO-SLIP BASE TOO NARROW: The cushioned no-slip base was a good design idea, as it protects your work surface, and prevents clunking and chipping when moved. However, the base is a bit too narrow, and because the sides of the bowl are a bit too tall and steep, it tends to be a bit tippy if you grind anywhere near as aggressively as the designers wanted this bowl to be able to handle. A mortar that was least 1/3 wider, 1/3 shorter, and less steep-sided, would have been wonderful.

* SKID MARKS: The material they used for the no-slip base (some sort of black no-slip rubberized compound) is annoyingly staining ... it left black skid marks all over my cutting boards and counter the first few times I used it, and as a result I've had to put a plastic tupperware lid underneath it.

* LACKS TRANSVERSE HANDLE: Because of the overly steep-sides of the mortar bowl, stability becomes an issue if you really want to put some muscle into whatever you're grinding. Because the sides are so steep, everything concentrates in the center bottom of the bowl, if you're grinding anything other than a trivial amount of whatever, you have to use the sides of the bowl ... and because the base is a bit too narrow for that (as compared to a good lava-rock mortar), it tends to tip when using non-trivial force. A transverse handle (like the ones on a soup crock) would have been a helpful solution ... if only they'd thought of it.

* EXCESSIVE COATING: In trying to prevent rust, the designers heavily overdid the coating, and also used the wrong material. The specs advertise a "matte finish", which is an annoying half-truth. It was a matte finish *BEFORE* they put the protective coating on. The actual finish is HIGH GLOSS, and the result is overly slippery, which makes it hard to gain purchase when grinding spices. The result is an annoying tendency to simply move spices around, instead of being able to grind them ... in a good mortar, you're supposed to be able to GRIND against a slightly coarse uncoated surface with fine pores and iregularities, and putting a high-gloss coating on it ruins that. For example, in order to grind peppercorns in this thing, you have to pound the pestle up and down, instead of using a proper grinding motion. The coating is slowly wearing off, but only from the tips of the irregularities, so even the wear pattern is of no use. Rather than the high-gloss coating, they probably should have just electroplated it with something food-grade and rust-resistant, or just left it uncoated. I'd much rather have a little rust (which is easily managed by those with a smidge of experience and/or intelligence) than the over-glossy coating that significantly undermines the ginding effectiveness.

Bottom line: Don't believe all the overly effusive reviews, most of them clearly written by people who don't have a lot of experience with regularly grinding their own spices, multiple times per week ... this unit, due to it's too-tall & too-steep sides, and ill-advised high-gloss coating, is not nearly as ergonomic as I'd hoped. I give the designers an A for ambition, but only a B- for results.