tldr: Can molcajetes actually be fully cleaned (if so how), or is minor residue normal and harmless?
Hi.
People often say to get "all" the gunk out. But from experience I do not see how this is possible without an absurd amount of time and effort if at all. I have yet to find someone addressing this issue satisfactorily anywhere online.
I've tried soaking with boiling water, power washing, and scrubbing vigorously with an escobeta as well as a finer bristle brush. I've even picked at individual bits with a tooth pick and pointy flosser to no avail. No matter what I do, tiny food particles remain deep in the crevices. So I'm looking for clarification.
For you molcajete users, is some tiny leftover residue inevitable, or is a full deep clean somehow possible? If so how?
Is this unsanitary/harmful? I cannot imagine why there wouldn't be mold/bacteria growth.
Do you ever sanitize it with heat or another method to prevent microbial growth? If so, how often and what’s your process?
For context, I have quality Molcajete (from Masienda). I cured it properly with rice then salt and garlic both of which I scrubbed out thoroughly (I believe rice is to used to dislodge loose debree not fill the pitting. Also rice spoils)
by ProfessorFabulous978
6 Comments
Blow it with a compressor
The only way I got past this point was to grind more rice.
It’s like you’re trying reinvent the wheel. This is ancient technology and I think you’d be better off just buying a blender. I bet you think plastic cutting boards are safer than wood.
A properly cured molcajete should have the larger holes filled with a mixture of ground rice, salt and garlic. The salt and garlic are antibacterial.
Besides getting rid of sharp edges and rock bits, this is the point of curing a molcajete. You fill the larger holes with something that won’t grow bacteria so you don’t trap new stuff inside them every time you use it.
After properly curing it, just give it a good rinse every time you use it and stop worrying about it. People have been using them for a thousand years, and everyone is fine.
Lick it, you get there.
Where do you think the flavor comes from?