Why Do We Use a Mortar & Pestle Rather Than a Blender to Grind Star Anise?
Some food ingredients are more responsive to different preparation techniques, and different devices are made to assist in specific ways. A mortar and pestle and a blender each have their own ideal uses, although both are handy multitaskers. The size and outcome of the job are often an indicator of which to use, and the small stature and high potency of star anise makes it ideal for a mortar and pestle. Does this Spark an idea?
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Background
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Star anise is the dried flower of an evergreen tree. The most common and flavorful is that from China, though the Spanish variety is also popular. According to the American Botanical Council, Japanese star anise is known to contain dangerous compounds, and is rarely found. The stars are less potent than the seeds alone, but still very flavorful, measured by points rather than whole stars. As with many dried spices, a little goes a long way. Star anise is frequently used in pork and duck preparations.
Identifying Blender Uses
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Blenders normally hold about a half gallon of liquid, and that is what they are really best used for. A blender is a pitcher with rotating blades at its base. The blades in the base create a cyclone that pulls ingredients at the top to the bottom, but the apparatus only works well if there is a suitable amount of liquid and the ingredients can move. For example, if making hummus in a blender, the chick peas cannot move as freely until olive oil is added. The ultra-fast blades can burn out the motor when the food is not able to constantly put resistance on them and slow them.
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Identifying Mortar and Pestle Uses
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A stone mortar and pestle has enough weight that the pestle can do most of the work. Mortar and pestles can be made of many materials, such as stone, metal, or wood. The coarse inside of the bowl is unfinished to aid in grinding. The easiest to use are heavy so that the tool does most of the work for you. The physical act of grinding and smashing with the pestle allows natural oils in the herbs or spices to be released that are otherwise dormant or destroyed by friction.
Significance
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When considering a small, potent, dried spice, such as star anise, it is prudent to use a properly sized tool to prepare it. Normally recipes don't call for more that a teaspoon, and that would be about two to three whole stars. The high-speed, rotating blades in a blender would pulverize the spice, but much would be flung onto the sides and lid of the reservoir or stuck to the blade, thereby difficult to collect; whereas the mortar and pestle would keep everything contained with simple cleanup, and the gentle grinding would protect the natural oils, making them even more potent.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit a plate of anise stars image by Flashon Studio from Fotolia.com blender image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com broilleur image by Nicolas LOGEROT from Fotolia.com
