Is the inside of the bowl and the pestle smooth? Is it difficult to use with round seeds/spices like peppercorns
1169943
this specific mortar and pestle i bought as a gift - i own a similar one though (mine is a bit larger), marble as well; i have never used it for peppercorns, however use it frequently for all kinds of seeds such a cumin, coriander, caraway, fennel and anise seeds; i tend to throw my salt in with the seeds to grind them and have no problems; or some sugar if i need seeds for a "sweet" recipe. The bowl as well as the pestle i have are not rough, but not polished smooth; need to be washed between spicy and sweet seeds. I find it easy!
1169944
There are ridges in the bottom of the bowl. I have not ground peppercorns in it but it has worked great for corriander. It is deep enough and small enough that they don't come flying out.
1169945
The inside is not entirely smooth. There are a few circular ridges at the bottom. However, i add a little rough salt to make grounding easier. I have never grounded pepper corns, but there are little techniques that you can develop on your own to ensure that they dont fly all over the place. Like pressing them first firmly with the pestle and cracking them and then start the grounding process. you may also place your hands over the mouth of the mortar which is not very wide ,leaving a space just to work the pestle . Hope all this help.
1169946
The inside of the bowl might show some very shallow circular lines from the manufacturing process, however they polish out fairly quickly with use. Before I bought it, one of the reviewers mentioned using a bit of sandpaper to smooth it out.It will grind anything, I love it. My sister has one too, and uses it to grind all manner of spices.
1169947
Its not totally smooth, it has some ridges, I think it would be fine to use with spice seeds and peppercorns but I have not done that.
2192788
It is smooth. BUT, questions like this about electric ranges should be directed to Cuisinart.IT IS A GREAT PAN. I LOVE IT. !!! SMALL FLAME THOU8GH.
1176098
My unit is not as smooth on the outside as on the inside. It won't grate vegetables or eat up sponges without a great deal of effort, but it will damage nail polish if you aren't careful. It would be nice if it were made completely smooth on the outside, but until that happens I will continue using it because it works better than any other colander I have ever used.
616886
Smooth, if I remember correctly. It's at a thrift store now. Couldn't grind fennel with it at all. However I'm not awfully strong.
167126
Yes it is very smooth. It is also a very handsome kitchen accessory. I used it for fennel seeds. As they turned to powder, the powder did not have anything to cling to and just sank to the bottom.
1790713
The inside is rough to help grab while you grind. It isn't super rough, but I think you would end up losing some of the product you were crushing stuck in the texture of the bowl.
756109
Yes. I have mostly jars of spice and liquid extract on mine, so not a lot of weight, but it does turn smoothly without wobbling or catching. It seems to be pretty well made relative to the price.
794800
There is not a grind adjustment. The pepper is fairly coarse, but I like it that way. The salt is an average grind. There is no cap on the bottom, so they do "leak" a bit.
2040916
It is smooth but it has its brand and size on both ends. I love using mine.
1342043
It's smooth. I've had this pan for over a year and I absolutely love it. I also bought one for my mom and my sister and they love theirs as well.
909238
Yes, the inside bottom is flat and smooth. The top is wider than bottom, The green one in the picture is example of finished item, you can see directly from the picture. Sincerely, Seller: Allforhome
1818675
I am pretty sure it's smooth. But I'll go home and check later. Here's where I found most of the info:http://www.woll-cookware.com/mediathek/defaultScripts/PHP/index.php?c=/export/English/doc/107.html&sn;=NAV_2_S&img1;=411.gif&sel=2〈=4Hope that helps.
1251546
From what I can tell, yes. There is a dome like piece that joins the blade with the bowl. This piece could very well be a hard plastic; it's not soft. I'm not clear why the question though. I've ground many spices without even a scratch on the smooth glossy piece. Everything seems to stay brand new looking. I use an OXO Bottle Brush to very easily clean the bowl leaving no residue trace behind. I very much recommend this grinder - but I only need it for grinding spices, which it consistently and very effectively accomplishes.
2191777
This is a very sturdy mortar and pestle combo. It has a somewhat coarse finish on the interior surfaces which makes short work of most grinding tasks. To protect the kitchen counter top, I work with it on a good wooden cutting board. Yes, just grab it firmly and tip it over. It's not that heavy and does a great job.
1294273
We use a mortar and pestle and it works well. Worth the minimal effort since the fine ground is significanlty more expensive.
1587896
Mine is speckled and the pestle is a bit different in coloring than the bowl. Granite is a funny thing though. Albeit, it doesn't look bad at all. I am pleased.
1790712
Yes. The surface is smooth enough for this purpose, and the size is perfect for that. This is a great little mortar and pestle for herbal preparation purposes (whether powdering leaves, grinding seeds or crushing pills) if you're doing it for home use purposes. Probably want the next size up if you're making even small home business quantities. It's easy to clean and very attractive. Not something you feel like you need to hide when guests re over.