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Equipment You Will Probably Want To Buy For Mexican Cooking
There are certain tools and equipment that you will need for cooking authentic Mexican foods. Some of those tools may only be found in Mexico, where as others may be found in a good Mexican grocery store in your own neighborhood. They will help you to prepare authentic Mexican food. You will find that Mexican cooking is very rewarding.
A Cazuelas is a pottery dish that is used to simmer mole or other sauces. Clay disperses the heat very evenly and thus eliminates burnt spots. Usually shallow (five to seven inches deep) Cazuelas are round and bowl shaped. Handles make them easier to handle when using an open fire. Sometimes the outsides are painted in bright and beautiful colors and the insides are glazed. Clay imparts a great flavor to any dish.
Olla or Barro are Mexicaan pots. These large clay pots are used to simmer beans, soups or stews. They offer very even heating and can be used all day long over direct flames. Clay pots are fragile and quick changes in temperature should be avoided to keep from breaking the pot.
The griddle or Comal can be made of cast iron, aluminum or even clay. The griddle is round and can be used to warm tortillas or for roasting vegetables including chiles. There are several sizes of Comals available, some up to two feet in diameter.
The Metate y Mano is a hand grinder that has been carved from lava rock or stone. We would call it a mortar and pestle. In Mexico, it is used for grinding corn or spices and foods may be mixed using the cylinder of stone. There are usually three legs that have been carved to hold the bowl upright.
The true mortar and pestle of Mexican cooking is the Molcajete y Tejolote. It may be made of clay, stone or even wood. It has a cylinder of the same material as the bowl, which has rounded ends and is used to crush spices and other foods to bring out the flavor.
The Molinillo is a wooden whisk that is used to make foam on top of a cup containing hot chocolate. The Molinillo is spun between your hands in order to form the foam.
The Tortilla Press or Tortillero was first made of wood, but today can be found made of cast iron or resin. There are aluminum tortilla presses, however they tend to break easily, so save your money. The press has two large wood blocks or round plates. Mesa is rolled into a ball and pressed in the press in order to make a tortilla.
As you can imagine, cooking in the traditional Mexican way can take some time. Fortunately, there are many shortcuts that you can take, and many people make very tasting Mexican food using utensils that are already in their kitchen.
One example of these short cuts is finding a good local Mexican Bakery and buying freshly made tortillas. This will save you the steps of grinding corn, pressing tortillas and cooking them on a griddle. You can still have very tasty authentic Mexican food.
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