Grinding Bay Leaves

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

notbob wrote:
> On 2008-05-12, Goomba38 <Goomba38@comcast . net > wrote:
>
>
>> I'm going to order one today.
>
> NO! .WAIT!!.......
>
> Get one of these:
>
> * w w w .importfood . com /mortarpestle.html
>
> Thai granite M&P's rock!.... literally. None better. Less pounding, better
> crushing, etc. I tossed my other M&Ps. No comparison.
>
> nb

LOL, Okay, you caught me before I hit the "order" button!
Which size do you prefer?

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

On May 12, 3:21=EF=BF=BDpm, Goomba38 <Goomb...@comcast . net > wrote:
> notbob wrote:
> > On 2008-05-12, Goomba38 <Goomb...@comcast . net > wrote:
>
> >> I'm going to order one today.
>
> > NO! .WAIT!!.......
>
> > Get one of these:
>
> > * w w w .importfood . com /mortarpestle.html
>
> > Thai granite M&P's rock!.... literally. =EF=BF=BDNone better. =EF=BF=BDL=
ess pounding, better
> > crushing, etc. =EF=BF=BDI tossed my other M&Ps. =EF=BF=BDNo comparison.
>
> > nb
>
> LOL, Okay, you caught me before I hit the "order" button!
> Which size do you prefer?

I think the mortar comes in cup sizes...D... well, you asked. ;)
Um, you'll have tell us which pestle size you prefer... just wrap your
hand around a few with your eyes closed, you'll know. hehe

You do realize that you need to properly season and care for a stone
mortar and pestle. I much prefer the Mexican style ones carved of
lava rock, I like that they have legs that raise them up off the table
so you can slip your fingers all the way underneath, makes it much
less fatiguing to hold for steadying as you pound.

* w w w .tortillacocina . com /molcajetes.htm

You'll use it maybe three times and then like most everyone else
you'll retire it to be used as a decoration.

---

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

On 2008-05-12, Goomba38 <Goomba38@comcast . net > wrote:

> LOL, Okay, you caught me before I hit the "order" button!
> Which size do you prefer?

Mine is not from this particular company, mine being green granite and about
6-1/2" ID. But, I wish now I'd gone bigger. I'd go with the 8" unless you
might have trouble lifing it. Then get the 7". These babies are not for
lightweights, as the pestle alone weighs at least a couple lbs. But, that's
the beauty of them. Once you get that pestle moving downwards, ain't no seed
nor nut nor anything gonna resist. Were talking serious pulverization,
here. We're talking the hardest seed to DUST!! in just a few blows. Those
other mealy-mouthed pussy French and faux marble M&Ps make you do all the
work. Not Thai granite. We're talking a rock and a hard place!

I'm tellin' ya', these things are a hoot. Great way to work out your
frustrations. Die! fennel seed, die! They're the superhero of spice
grinders. The Incredible Hulk of M&Ps! I don't even mess with table or
kosher salt anymore. I just crush rock salt to the desired grade. Same
with whole pepper. Big fun! ;)

nb

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

In article <Lx3Wj.38475$gB5.37351@fe105.usenetserver . com >,
notbob <notbob@nothome . com > wrote:
hard place!
>
> I'm tellin' ya', these things are a hoot. Great way to work out your
> frustrations. Die! fennel seed, die! They're the superhero of spice
> grinders. The Incredible Hulk of M&Ps! I don't even mess with table or
> kosher salt anymore. I just crush rock salt to the desired grade. Same
> with whole pepper. Big fun! ;)
>
> nb


You are easily amused, nb.
"-)
-B

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

On Sun 11 May 2008 08:49:16a, Goomba38 told us...

> Last night I made chorizo per the recipe in Rick Bayless' "Mexico, One
> Plate at a Time" cookbook. It calls for you to grind the bay leaves with
> mortar and pestle, which I don't own. I tried to do it in the food
> processor, even adding the salt from the recipe to act as an abrasive
> but it barely worked.
> Any other suggestions to get the job done?

Yes, I use a "whirly blade" type of coffee grinder to grind all my spices.
It quickly reduces almost anything, including bay leaves, to a fine powder.
If you don't have one, it's worth the usually cheap investment. I'm still
using the $15 Oster that I bought in the 1970s.

Other notably had things to grind are whole cloves and allspice berries.
The coffee mill totally pulverizes them.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 05(V)/11(XI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Today is: Mother's Day, Pentecost
Countdown till Memorial Day
2wks 14hrs 25mins
-------------------------------------------
Be careful when you're playing under
the anvil tree.
-------------------------------------------

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

On Sun, 11 May 2008 11:49:16 -0400, Goomba38 <Goomba38@comcast . net >
wrote:

>Last night I made chorizo per the recipe in Rick Bayless' "Mexico, One
>Plate at a Time" cookbook. It calls for you to grind the bay leaves with
> mortar and pestle, which I don't own. I tried to do it in the food
>processor, even adding the salt from the recipe to act as an abrasive
>but it barely worked.
>Any other suggestions to get the job done?

Do you have a whirly blade coffee grinder? that would probably be
best. Did the recipe specify fresh or dried? I think that might make a
difference also.

I've gotten in the bad habit of buying mortars and pestles. I have
probably 5 in graduating sizes. Believe it or not I use most of them.
I don't have one as big as Christine's granddaddy of them all though.

koko
---
* w w w .kokoscorner.typepad . com
updated 5/11
"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
George Bernard Shaw

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

koko@letscook . com wrote:

> Do you have a whirly blade coffee grinder? that would probably be
> best. Did the recipe specify fresh or dried? I think that might make a
> difference also.
>
No, I don't have a whirly blade coffee grinder! I don't drink coffee,
lol. I'm a tea drinker.
I will be in the market for either a whirly diddy or the mortar/pestle
though. Which one would you suggest being most valuable if I only wanted
one or the other?

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

Goomba38 wrote:
>
> koko@letscook . com wrote:
>
> > Do you have a whirly blade coffee grinder? that would probably be
> > best. Did the recipe specify fresh or dried? I think that might make a
> > difference also.
> >
> No, I don't have a whirly blade coffee grinder! I don't drink coffee,
> lol. I'm a tea drinker.
> I will be in the market for either a whirly diddy or the mortar/pestle
> though. Which one would you suggest being most valuable if I only wanted
> one or the other?

No M&P, no coffee grinder. I'm revoking your membership
in RFC.

You do have a stick blender, right? You might be
able to grind the leaves by crumbling them into
one of the other ingredients, such as the cider
vinegar, then using the blender to pulverize the
bay leaf bits while they're suspended in the liquid.

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

Mark Thorson wrote:

> No M&P, no coffee grinder. I'm revoking your membership
> in RFC.

<pout>
>
> You do have a stick blender, right? You might be
> able to grind the leaves by crumbling them into
> one of the other ingredients, such as the cider
> vinegar, then using the blender to pulverize the
> bay leaf bits while they're suspended in the liquid.

I tried it using kosher salt but it wasn't too successful. Something
wicked odd about those thin, dry leaves I tell ya!
I've often used coarse salt to help grind and smash garlic directly on
the cutting board or in the food processor. It works well there.

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

On Sun, 11 May 2008 15:11:27 -0400, Goomba38 <Goomba38@comcast . net >
wrote:

>Mark Thorson wrote:
>
>> No M&P, no coffee grinder. I'm revoking your membership
>> in RFC.
>
><pout>
>>
>> You do have a stick blender, right? You might be
>> able to grind the leaves by crumbling them into
>> one of the other ingredients, such as the cider
>> vinegar, then using the blender to pulverize the
>> bay leaf bits while they're suspended in the liquid.
>
>I tried it using kosher salt but it wasn't too successful. Something
>wicked odd about those thin, dry leaves I tell ya!
>I've often used coarse salt to help grind and smash garlic directly on
>the cutting board or in the food processor. It works well there.

the mortar and pestle is ideal for this, and the clean-up is easier.

your pal,
blake

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Goomba38 wrote:
> > k.. wrote:
>
> > > =EF=BF=BDDo you have a whirly blade coffee grinder? =EF=BF=BDthat woul=
d probably be
> > > best. Did the recipe specify fresh or dried? I think that might make a=

> > > difference also.
>
> > No, I don't have a whirly blade coffee grinder! I don't drink coffee,
> > lol. I'm a tea drinker.
> > I will be in the market for either a whirly diddy or the mortar/pestle
> > though. Which one would you suggest being most valuable if I only wanted=

> > one or the other?
>
> No M&P, no coffee grinder. =EF=BF=BDI'm revoking your membership
> in RFC.
>
> You do have a stick blender, right? =EF=BF=BDYou might be
> able to grind the leaves by crumbling them into
> one of the other ingredients, such as the cider
> vinegar, then using the blender to pulverize the
> bay leaf bits while they're suspended in the liquid.

A stick blender won't work any better than a regular blender or her
food processor.

All else fails I'd try crumbling a few bay leaves and running them
through a pepper mill set on the finest grind... I've never done this
so I've no idea of the results, and I'm not intimately familiar with
Goomba's grinder but I've heard only good things. ;)

Maybe brewing a strong bay leaf infusion will suffice.

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

Sheldon wrote:
>
> A stick blender won't work any better than a regular blender or her
> food processor.

I'd agree that a stick blender is no better than
a regular blender, but I disagree with regard to
a food processor. With a blender, there's at least
a chance it would achieve a fine grind. I'm pretty
sure a normal food processor would produce a coarse
grind, at best.

> All else fails I'd try crumbling a few bay leaves and running them
> through a pepper mill set on the finest grind... I've never done this
> so I've no idea of the results, and I'm not intimately familiar with
> Goomba's grinder but I've heard only good things. ;)

That's a good suggestion. I think it might work.
Of course, that assumes she has a pepper mill.
I'm not sure we can even assume she has a spoon.

> Maybe brewing a strong bay leaf infusion will suffice.

That seems like an even better suggestion. She could
do a cold infusion overnight into the cider vinegar
without upsetting the basic proportions of the recipe.
I've never done a cold extraction on bay leaves,
so I don't know how easily they give up their flavor.

Boosting the number of bay leaves would help ensure
the infusion had sufficient flavoring punch. On the
plus side, it would remove the bay leaf solids from
the final product, which could only be beneficial.

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

Mark Thorson wrote:

> That seems like an even better suggestion. She could
> do a cold infusion overnight into the cider vinegar
> without upsetting the basic proportions of the recipe.
> I've never done a cold extraction on bay leaves,
> so I don't know how easily they give up their flavor.

I wonder.... fresh leaves over dried would seem preferable in an
infusion, right?

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

Goomba38 wrote:
>
> Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> > That seems like an even better suggestion. She could
> > do a cold infusion overnight into the cider vinegar
> > without upsetting the basic proportions of the recipe.
> > I've never done a cold extraction on bay leaves,
> > so I don't know how easily they give up their flavor.
>
> I wonder.... fresh leaves over dried would seem preferable
> in an infusion, right?

Yes, more likely to surrender their flavors.
Of course, bruising them up a little would
be even more likely to produce a successful
result.

Re: Grinding Bay Leaves

On Sun 11 May 2008 01:33:40p, Goomba38 told us...

> Mark Thorson wrote:
>
>> That seems like an even better suggestion. She could
>> do a cold infusion overnight into the cider vinegar
>> without upsetting the basic proportions of the recipe.
>> I've never done a cold extraction on bay leaves, so I don't know how
>> easily they give up their flavor.
>
> I wonder.... fresh leaves over dried would seem preferable in an
> infusion, right?
>

Yes, and I would coarsely chop the leaves to expose maximum open edge area.


--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 05(V)/11(XI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Today is: Mother's Day, Pentecost
Countdown till Memorial Day
2wks 9hrs 55mins
-------------------------------------------
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad
at math.
-------------------------------------------