Priority Chef Heavy Duty Large 5.5-Inch review

What the maker puts in writing

• “This large mortar measures 5.5 inches across and 2.2 inches deep, paired with a sturdy 6.2 inch pestle. Total set weight is approximately 7 lbs — heavy, solid granite designed for serious grinding. Ideal for making 1-2 servings”
• “Home made, fresh delicious guacamole, pesto and more can be made on demand with this granite mortar and pestle set”
• “This mortar and pestle set with a generous 1.5 cup capacity and sturdy 6.2inch pestle gets the job done quickly. Crush, grind and pound herbs, nuts, spices and more to release natural flavors and aromas”
• “This black granite stone mortar and pestle is a beast! Super sturdy and heavy enough to leave out on display, but that could cause scratches to your countertop. That’s why we have included 2 non slip countertop protectors”
• “Elegant black granite molcajete bowl adds style to any kitchen”

Five and a half inches, which is the reason to pay the four dollars

Priority Chef sells two mortars on this shelf:

5.1 in across, 2.2 in deep — $21.99 — 2,420 g 5.5 in across, 2.2 in deep — $25.99 — 2,490 g — this

On a mortar, width is working room. A wider bowl lets the pestle travel further before it meets the wall, and that travel is what brings a paste together rather than just bruising it. Half an inch of extra diameter on a five-inch bowl is noticeable in the hand.

It is also the widest bowl on this shelf short of the 8-inch UMIEN.

And the thing both listings get right

“that could cause scratches to your countertop. That’s why we have included 2 non slip countertop protectors”

Granite with a rough base, two and a half kilograms of it, dragged half an inch across quartz or laminate, leaves a mark. Priority Chef says so and puts two protectors in the box.

This model adds a non-slip base as well, making it the fullest answer to the worktop question anywhere here.

Nine of the fourteen mortars on this shelf publish nothing about it. The others that do: both WALDWERK mortars (an anti-scratch wood base), HPYNPES (anti-slip base), Tera (padding).

Two figures that do not hold up

Seven pounds. The listing says “approximately 7 lbs”, which is about 3,175 g. The catalog figure is 2,490 g — about 5.49 lb. A gap of nearly 700 g.

The comparison that settles it sits on the same shelf: the maker’s 5.1 inch model states “approximately 5 lbs” and carries a catalog weight of 2,420 g (85.4 oz), or 5.34 lb. That matches well.

So the smaller mortar is weighed accurately, and this one claims a pound and a half more than its data supports — for a bowl half an inch wider. Expect about 2.5 kg (5.5 lb), which is still heavy enough that both hands can go to the pestle. ChefSofi is 3,200 g (112.9 oz) and UMIEN 4,569.

One point five cups. Published on both Priority Chef mortars, at 5.1 and 5.5 inches, both 2.2 inches deep. A 5.5-inch circle has about 16 per cent more area, so at equal depth it holds more. One of the two is wrong, and the smaller model is the one whose weights agree.

The three granite bowls on this shelf

• This — 5.5 in, stated 1.5 cups, 2,490 g (87.8 oz), $25.99 — $17.33 a cup
• ChefSofi — stated 2 cups, 3,200 g (112.9 oz), $32.99 — $16.50 a cup — and the only one to describe its interior as unpolished and “metate-like”
• UMIEN — 8 in, 3.5 cups, 4,569 g (161.2 oz), $29.99 — $8.57 a cup — with a bonus avocado tool and a claim to double as a serving bowl

So UMIEN is far and away the most bowl for the money, ChefSofi the best-described grinding surface, and this the most manageable size with the most worktop protection.

And one thing this page drops

It does not say the interior is unpolished. The maker’s own 5.1 inch listing does — “this unpolished grey granite stone mortar” — and that is the specification that decides whether a mortar grinds at all: you cannot grind on a smooth surface, because a polished bowl lets food slide round the wall.

Six of fourteen listings here state an interior finish. IMUSA publishes both halves — polished exterior, rough textured interior. ChefSofi says unpolished. This one says only “black granite”.

It is very likely the same stone and the same finish as its stablemate. The page does not say.

Granite, on the merits

WALDWERK is the only listing here that explains the material: one of the oldest and hardest rocks in the world. It hardly absorbs any water.

Granite is 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale. The two marble mortars on this shelf are calcium carbonate at about 3 — softer under the pestle, absorbent, and etched by acid, which is awkward for a bowl sold for salsa and guacamole.

No washing instruction here, though granite needs little. No warranty, like twelve of the fourteen.

Availability

On sale at around $26 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.