How to season a new molcajete
You’re the happy owner of a brand new molcajete. It would be a shame to serve your guests chalky salsas! Read on for instructions on how to break in your new molcajete and later care for it into its old age!
Molcajetes need to be cured before they’re first used. It’s something of a workout, but unfortunately an essential step, so don’t put it off!
Take a small handful of white rice, and grind it to dust using the ‘pestle’. Don’t forget to place a towel or similar underneath the molcajete to protect your kitchen surfaces, and prepare for the process to take up to 15 minutes.
You’ll notice the rice flour you’ve created is quite gray in color. That’s because it’s mixed with volcanic dust from the walls of the molcajete. Discard the flour and wash your molcajete with a small amount of soap, plenty of hot water and a strong brush. You’ll see even more dust go down the drain.
Repeat the rice grinding process one or two more times until the flour you produce is more or less perfectly white. Wash one last time, and use as normal.
From the second use, you don’t need to cure your molcajete again, just wash it with hot water and a brush as described above. Don’t worry if a few chile seeds get stuck in the holes. It’s normal for flavor to build up over time, and the hot water and soap will prevent the build-up of bacteria.