MACARONI AND CHEESE !!! !!!

I'm here for the mortar and pestle talk (I don't like macaroni & cheese). I thought I read that marble wasn't a good material, but I dunno. What's a good material, and also, what size should I get? I'm cooking more South Asian these days and want to grind my own spice mixes & also make curries.

At present I make pesto in the food processor & it seems good to me.

i think the idea is that crushing bursts more of the plant cells than the shearing you get from a food processor, right? it's just a matter of degrees though, you end up with the same flavor, one's just a bit stronger

I *do* like mac and cheese and I want to make mac and cheese for work lunches next week. show me your best recipes!!

my 4-5" marble mortar and pestle was $25 at sur la table but I think you can get them cheaper. I use it for grinding small quantities of nuts and spices and it works great and is easily cleaned with soap and water.

Since I stopped grinding my own coffee beans I use my coffee grinder for larger quantities of spices, it saves a lot of time