If you have enjoyed a Mexican meal with a Mexican family or at a good quality restaurant, there is a strong chance that traditional Mexican cooking pots and pan were used to make the meal. Mexicans use deep-frying, slow roasting and baking amongst other cooking methods and they have unique pots and pans for these. A lot of Mexican food is made with fresh produce such as vegetables, spices and herbs and you will find a mortar and pestle in any Mexican home, as well as a selection of sharp vegetable knives.
Authentic Mexican Cooking Pots
Barros or ollas are large, deep cooking pots made from clay. They are ideal to simmer stew, beans, or soup. Olla means pot and Barro means mud or clay. Clay is good for avoiding burnt spots in the food because it distributes heat evenly. It is also safe to place over a direct flame for hours.
You do need to warm clay before using it else; it might crack if you suddenly expose it to a high heat. If you are baking, you can let the pot warm up as the oven does. Your Mexican food will have a subtle earthy taste if you cook it in a clay pot.
Mexicans use Comals in cooking and a Comal is a large, round griddle made from aluminum, clay, or cast iron. These days, Comals usually have a non-stick finish. These are used to warm tortillas and roast chilies.
A cazuela is used for simmering mole and other sauces. This is a large, round clay dish, which is between five and seven inches deep. The outside might be painted in bright colors and the inside is glazed. A cazuela has handles so you can put it over an open fire.
An authentic Mexican tortilla press is called a tortillero. These used to be made from wood but are often made from cast iron now. Some tortilleros are made from aluminum but these often break. There are two round plates or wooden discs in a tortillero and a ball of masa is placed between them to make a tortilla.
Useful Mexican Utensils
A metate y mano is found in most Mexican kitchens and this is a platter sized, concave dish made from stone. It sits on three short legs on the table or three long legs so you can pull a chair up to it. There is a large, round stone, which you roll on the surface to grind or mix your ingredients.
A Mexican mortar and pestle is called a molcajete y tejolote and this is a small clay, wood or stone bowl with a long cylinder made of the same material. The cylinder is rounded on each end and you use it to pulverize the ingredients in the bowl by rolling the cylinder in a circular motion.
Hot chocolate is a popular Mexican drink and a wooden whisk called a molinillo is used to make froth on the top. You spin the molinillo between your hands to do this. Some are plain and others are highly decorated. The molinillo is a small but significant part of the exciting world of Mexican food customs. Even though it is possible to make delicious Mexican recipes without the proper equipment, it is more fun to use it. Mexican pots and tools look great displayed in the kitchen as well.
Authentic Mexican Cooking Pots
Barros or ollas are large, deep cooking pots made from clay. They are ideal to simmer stew, beans, or soup. Olla means pot and Barro means mud or clay. Clay is good for avoiding burnt spots in the food because it distributes heat evenly. It is also safe to place over a direct flame for hours.
You do need to warm clay before using it else; it might crack if you suddenly expose it to a high heat. If you are baking, you can let the pot warm up as the oven does. Your Mexican food will have a subtle earthy taste if you cook it in a clay pot.
Mexicans use Comals in cooking and a Comal is a large, round griddle made from aluminum, clay, or cast iron. These days, Comals usually have a non-stick finish. These are used to warm tortillas and roast chilies.
A cazuela is used for simmering mole and other sauces. This is a large, round clay dish, which is between five and seven inches deep. The outside might be painted in bright colors and the inside is glazed. A cazuela has handles so you can put it over an open fire.
An authentic Mexican tortilla press is called a tortillero. These used to be made from wood but are often made from cast iron now. Some tortilleros are made from aluminum but these often break. There are two round plates or wooden discs in a tortillero and a ball of masa is placed between them to make a tortilla.
Useful Mexican Utensils
A metate y mano is found in most Mexican kitchens and this is a platter sized, concave dish made from stone. It sits on three short legs on the table or three long legs so you can pull a chair up to it. There is a large, round stone, which you roll on the surface to grind or mix your ingredients.
A Mexican mortar and pestle is called a molcajete y tejolote and this is a small clay, wood or stone bowl with a long cylinder made of the same material. The cylinder is rounded on each end and you use it to pulverize the ingredients in the bowl by rolling the cylinder in a circular motion.
Hot chocolate is a popular Mexican drink and a wooden whisk called a molinillo is used to make froth on the top. You spin the molinillo between your hands to do this. Some are plain and others are highly decorated. The molinillo is a small but significant part of the exciting world of Mexican food customs. Even though it is possible to make delicious Mexican recipes without the proper equipment, it is more fun to use it. Mexican pots and tools look great displayed in the kitchen as well.
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