A few years ago I got a Gorilla brand granite mortar and pestle. I seasoned it as directed and got quite a bit of use out of it, then I stopped cooking for a while and it got kind of…well, gross. It’s possible that I spilled something on it, but portions of the bowl and exterior are a darker color now. I guess I’m afraid with the relatively porous granite that it’s full of rancid garlic effluvium. Does anyone know how to clean this thing? Should I just pitch it?
Before: https://imgur.com/a/lWyQNGH
After: See Google album link (I tried again to use imgur and my phone crashed 😆)
Alt share because imgur is being a pain: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LzXZoxnhdEvmQHug7
Edit: Edited to include links to “before” images. Edit #2: Added a backup Google album Edit #3: Added after images to Google album
If your problem is specifically a rancid garlic smell you want to neutralize, then try the following:
Use 1/4 cup of baking soda and 5 drops of dish soap, then add just enough water to make a paste. Grind with the pestle and be sure to coat the sides completely. Then add 1/2 cup of vinegar and stir until the sides are coated in foam. Let sit about 5 minutes, then rinse with hot water and dry thoroughly.
*takes notes* ty ty
Edit: I learned how to escape in markdown or whatever this system is. 👍🏼
No problem!
Did you have any luck getting that mortar and pestle cleaned?
Not yet. What a lazy butt I am. I’ll probably try it tomorrow. I will add some before & after pictures.
Added links to “before” images. Will update after it dries to include “after”.
I’m a day late. Sorry about that.
No worries! Looks like you really had your work cut out for you there!
The m&p was totally dry this morning so I took “after” photos and added them to the Google album. Still some darker spots but better than it was before.
Looks pretty usable to me!
My sniffer isn’t 100% today but it seems not to be malodorous after the bath. I may try seasoning it tonight. Thanks again for the advice! ✌️
Yes, it was pretty gross. It all started when we went through a phase where all the fresh garlic we were buying had mold in it. After a few weeks we gave up and went back to powdered garlic, so our m&p sat around and occasionally got various soups slopped on it. That last part miiight be my fault.