These Mexican cooking utensils are the traditional and authentic tools used in Mexican cuisine for generations. This list isn't about the essential items you need to cook Mexican food or even the items that will make cooking any recipe easier. Instead, it lists those traditional, well-worn, even handed-down tools, their story, uses, and many dishes made with them.
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Traditional Mexican Cooking Utensils
These Mexican cooking tools are less common than they used to be; they are part of our culture and traditions. The advance of industrialization changed the way our great, great, grandmothers used to cook. Introducing electricity and new kitchen appliances also reduced the long hours spent in the kitchen.
The food industry created new food buying habits, and all those changes made some traditional cooking items end up as ornaments or in museums. Here are some of those Mexican Cooking Utensils that only some people will ever think of buying and that others will display as antiques. As for me, these items still have a use in my kitchen.
Traditional Mexican Cooking Utensils, Part I
The Metate ( Náhuatl: Metlatl)
Can you believe the metate was an everyday tool in many kitchens for hundreds of years? This Mexican cooking utensil and rectangular-shaped stone with three legs can grind the nixtamalized corn to make tortillas or atole finely. It can also grind seeds or dry peppers(chiles) and spices. Made of black or dark gray porous basalt volcanic stone with a slight inclination angle to one end helps with the grinding momentum.
To used the Metate, you will face the higher end of the stone and kneel on the floor. The product (masa ) will be rest on a wooden or clay tray at the other end of the metate. The Metate slab comes with the Metate Stone or Hand Metate. The Náhuatl name is "Metlapil"; Metate’s son.
This stone has tapered ends and is used to grind the grains against the Metate's surface. Although nowadays, many products like masa to make corn tortillas, tamales, and sopes are ready to use in the markets, and the Metate is hardly used even in rural areas. The funny thing is that even in the early 1940s, a Metate was considered an excellent gift for a newlywed woman; now, it will be a more sophisticated Kitchen Aid.
Molinillo de Chocolate or Chocolate Frother
In México, we have a wide variety of drinking chocolate, as you can see in this picture, but outside the country, the "Abuelita" and "Ibarra" brands are the ones commonly found. Drinking a cup of chocolate with thick foam is one of our pleasures. In Pre-Hispanic times it was a symbol of hospitality and wealth. Before the Spaniards arrived in America, the natives created the foam using two small gourd cups, pouring from the top of one another, repeating this process until they formed the desired texture.
The Molinillo (wooden whisk) is used to make Mexican hot chocolate and was created around the 1700s in Colonial times and made of a single piece of turned wood. The lower part has two rings around a striate and hollow sphere. Rub the molinillo between your hands together to make chocolate. The foam will form with the twisting motion of your hands.
Spaniards loved chocolate so much that later on, they started serving it in Spain as Hot Chocolate.
The Molcajete
One of the most popular of all Mexican cooking utensils is the Molcajete. The Mexican mortar, blender, or food processor is one of the few Mexican cooking utensils used today. Molcajete (Molcaxitl), which means bowl for salsa, from the Náhuatl mulli, like a mole, salsa, and Caxitlán for bowl, dates back several thousand years ago.
Molcajete is a volcanic stone carved in one piece, with a hand stone used for grinding, called temachín or tejolote from the Náhuatl words: tetl, and xolouia, meaning stone for crushing or grinding. According to historians, the molcajete has been around since Pre Hispanic times. The bowl of the Molcajete looks the same as pre-Hispanic times and will last many generations. Archeologists have found Molcajete and its pestle in Tehuacán Puebla in perfect conditions.
The Molcajete grins spices, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, to name a few, to make sauces and condiments. People think that a salsa or guacamole made in a molcajete has a better flavor than one made in a blender. It is also a great dish to serve the salsas and the famous guacamole. The best part is how easy cleaning this cooking utensils with a brush and water is.
Comal
From the Nahuatl word “comalli”. This basic cooking utensil in Mexican kitchens is one of my favorites. Mexican Griddles has many uses for cooking, like heating tortillas, toasting seeds, roasting peppers, and making quesadillas. Comales are in almost every kitchen in Mexico and come in different shapes and materials.
The most traditional comal griddle is round and made of clay with an unglazed finish. Because the material is very fragile and needs a light coat of cal and water mix (Calcium Hydroxide). This type of griddle is a favorite in rural areas in
Central Mexico and they were the standard griddles during the Pre-Hispanic time.
Nowadays, metal, cast iron, and non-stick griddles are popular on the market, some round, others in an oval shape. The oval ones are perfect for the stoves with a burner in the center to cook the tortillas. Because I like cooking, I have three different ones for different occasions. I love using the clay one for thick corn tortillas, gorditas, and roasting vegetables. Then I use the long oval-shaped comal to make several tortillas simultaneously. And finally, the large nonstick round griddle for flour tortillas and crepes.
For Mexican Cooking Utensils Information.
References of Mexican cooking utensils: Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana, Gastronomía & Compañía and The Universal.
More Mexican Cooking Utensils
This list is the first part of Mexican cooking utensils. If you would like to learn more about other tools like tortilla presses, clay pots, wooden spoons and spatulas, the lime squeezer, (tamalera)steamer, bean smasher (for authentic refried beans), and more, check the second part of this cooking utensils.
Traditional Mexican-Cooking Utensils Part II
For more recipes, tips , and ideas, follow Us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. in español Visit Us at Mexico en mi cocina
Hilda
Hi Mely. I came across your blog by accident and so glad I did. Do you know where in Dallas or a nearby town or city near D that I can buy a Metate? I saw one on offer up but looks damaged. I also saw one one the Walmart app and although it says it’s made of volcanic rock, I am still a bit leery. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I buy heirloom organic corn from macienda.com and also bought a manual grain mill bit does not seem to grain field dent corn well at all. Thanks for your help.
~Hilda C.
Mely Martínez
Hello Hilda,
Yes, in order to get a finer texture in the masa you need the final bringing using a metate.
Go to the Grand Prarie Flea Market, there are 3-2 vendors that sell Mexican cookware, including metates. Also, the Saver cost plus store in Irving, sometimes they have them too. And, if none of those work, check the Ancient cookware website. They ship to TX.
Kat
LOL ... you make me feel old. I still use metate and metlapil in my kitchen. It's more attractive than the kitchenaid and weighs about the same. Dark better than light colours -the light coloured ones "shed". And yeah. I own a good molcahete. But the stick blender usually wins unless the suegra is coming. Vitamix wins for grinding dry chiles and seeds. But for tortillas de nixtamal ... nothing beats the metate. And a good hot soak and some muscle rub. Ahhhhhh the things we do to keep the suegra happy 😂
Mely Martínez
Hello Kat,
You are right about the metate, it is the best thing to make a very fine and smooth "masa" to make tortillas.
John
Where can you find these Items to buy
Like bean smasher nd the others please reply
With address to store or site I remember the kitchen
Items like the ones you talk about thank you
mmartinez
Hello John,
Nowadays, most of these items can be found on Amazon. I wrote about it last December, you will find the links in that post.
Check this link: Gift Guide
margaret Gaeta
My husband showed me a cooking tool his mother had. She passed away and he kept it, because he remembered his mom having it. It was a metate so I googled it up and found your website. I have enjoyed reading it and I am going to use some of the recipes I found on Mexico in my Kitchen. I can picture my grandmother's mother using the metate. I remember my grandmother making tortillas all the time on her store. But I think the old fashion way on your knees using the metate would be much harder and strenuous and yet these women used it everyday. I'm glad I didn't make tortillas that way. LOL
Unknown
Thank you for helping me understand better the kitchen utensils I saw used in El Salvador. Que dios te bendiga!
From Wisconsin, United States
Mary
This was a great post. While I'm way too late for the contest, I found your blog by chance and just wanted you to know how interesting I found this entry. I'll check back often. Have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary
Mexico in my kitchen
Hello, Nichole
We still use this kitchen equipment. Specially in rural areas or cooking aficionados. The one in the picture is the one I use at home.
Saludos,
Mely
Nichole
We have one like the Metate but it's made of wood instead of rocks. The Metate is so unique and such a wonderful work of art. Do Mexican still uses them today?
Now Serving
This is a wonderful post - These look a lot like our Indian dry and wet grinders - these were the kind of kitchen gizmos we grew up up and I actually saw the transition happen as I grew up and now I go back to India and these are like antique and cost as much because no one makes them any more and it has been a fashion statement to own these, forget using them!
Lovely memories brought back - Mucho Gracias for that 🙂
Irish
Very informative. I love seeing the tools used to make traditional dishes. Thank you for taking the time to post this.
Lana
Mely, thanks so much on sending me info on preparing the molcajete. Now I am looking forward even more to preparing Latin American food:)
Sonia
Hola...This is one of the finest idea to reconnect the present generation with the past cooking techniques. The contemporary hi tech kitchen gadgets just cannot replace the authentic aroma and flavor of the food which comes from the traditional molcajete. My white stone mortar and pestle is so dear to me and makes my dish a huge success, always. So I would certainly vouch for the umpteen benefits of the traditional devices used by our mothers and grannies.
Its a superb idea to get it as a giveaway and that too made in Mexico, can have the best homemade goucomole in the world !!!
Jamie
Hi we have an old comal that was used for years by mi suegra then packed away. I cleaned with light soapy water and tried making tortillas and they have a stale kind of off flavor. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix the comal? Or better to start over and buy a new clay one?
Mely Martínez
Hello Jamie,
You will need to add some diluted "cal" and use a brush to cover all the top surface of the comal.
Anita
Very interesting and lovely pictures. We love to make homemade salsa, but do use the blender.
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