You might have been lucky enough to try real authentic Mexican food and, if so, perhaps some traditional Mexican pots or utensils were used in its preparation. Mexicans use different cooking methods, such as baking, deep-frying and slow roasting and they have pots and pans for these purposes. They also use a lot of fresh produce, including herbs and spices, so any Mexican kitchen will have plenty of sharp knives and a mortar and pestle.
Authentic Mexican Cooking Pots
Ollas, also known as Barros, are deep clay cooking pots. They are perfect for simmering beans, stew or soup and clay is a great medium for cookware because it distributes the heat evenly to avoid burnt spots. Barro means clay or mud and olla means pot. These cooking pots are fine to put over a direct flame all day long.
Clay can be sensitive to temperature changes so you need to warm it gently before using it to prevent it from cracking. One excellent reason for cooking in clay pots is that it gives the food a slightly earthy flavor.
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 a big clay dish for simmering sauces like mole. A cazuela is about six inches deep and round like a bowl. These Mexican pottery dishes usually have handles so you can place it over an open fire without burning yourself and the outside might be brightly painted. The inside of a cazuela is glazed.
A tortillero is a Mexican tortilla press with two wooden discs or round plates. You put a ball of masa between the plates and press down to make a tortilla. These machines used to be wooden but are normally cast iron now. You can get cheap aluminum ones too but these break easily.
Popular Mexican Cooking Utensils
You will find a metate y mano in most Mexican kitchens. This concave dish is the size of a platter and made of stone or rock. It will have three short legs and sit on the table or three long legs so you can sit up to it on a chair. There is a big, round stone, which you roll on the surface to mix together or grind the ingredients.
A molcajete y tejolote is a mortar and pestle, which consists of a small stone, clay, or wooden bowl with an elongated cylinder or the same material, rounded on both ends. The end of the cylinder is used in a circular motion to grind the item in the bowl, to pulverize it.
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.
Tags: mexican recipes, eating, Recipies, health
