Alternative to a mortar and pestle?

[Nonny]

If you don't have a mortar and pestle, is there something else you can use to finely pulverize spices? 
Assume I also don't have a spice grinder. 

I found a recipe for roasted carrot hummus that sounds good, but it involves toasting whole seed spices and then pulverizing them. 

I don't really think I'd use a mortar and pestle (or a spice grinder) often enough to warrant finding a place to store them. 

[lemoncupcake]

Do you have a food processor? Blender? Depending on what you’re making those could possibly work.

[isabel]

Without seeing the recipe, I would recommend just dry toasting ground spices.

It might also work to put them in a baggie and crush them with a can, rolling pin, or meat mallet. You could wrap the head of a hammer with a towel too and use that.

[winecat]

Nov 3, 2019 14:28:35 GMT -5 isabel said:

Without seeing the recipe, I would recommend just dry toasting ground spices.

It might also work to put them in a baggie and crush them with a can, rolling pin, or meat mallet. You could wrap the head of a hammer with a towel too and use that.

Yup.  I've never been able to get spices finely ground without a mortar/pestle/spice grinder.  If they're not spices you plan on using, I'd go to a specialty spice shop where their inventory is fresher. 

[Nonny]

Nov 3, 2019 14:27:05 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Do you have a food processor? Blender? Depending on what you’re making those could possibly work.

Yes to both (and a small chopper thing that's like a tiny food processor).  But it only calls of like 2 tsp of spice, and they all seem too big.

[Nonny]

Nov 3, 2019 14:28:35 GMT -5 isabel said:

Without seeing the recipe, I would recommend just dry toasting ground spices.

It might also work to put them in a baggie and crush them with a can, rolling pin, or meat mallet. You could wrap the head of a hammer with a towel too and use that.

Nov 3, 2019 14:34:27 GMT -5 winecat said:

Nov 3, 2019 14:28:35 GMT -5 isabel said:

Without seeing the recipe, I would recommend just dry toasting ground spices.

It might also work to put them in a baggie and crush them with a can, rolling pin, or meat mallet. You could wrap the head of a hammer with a towel too and use that.

Yup.  I've never been able to get spices finely ground without a mortar/pestle/spice grinder.  If they're not spices you plan on using, I'd go to a specialty spice shop where their inventory is fresher. 

Doh!  This is much better idea.  Do you know how to convert the whole spice amounts into their ground equivalents? 

This is the recipe:
www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/carrot-hummus/13419/

There are no specialty spice shops near me, but I always have ground cumin and ground coriander on hand for various recipes. 

[winecat]

Nov 3, 2019 14:44:13 GMT -5 Nonny said:

Nov 3, 2019 14:28:35 GMT -5 isabel said:

Without seeing the recipe, I would recommend just dry toasting ground spices.

It might also work to put them in a baggie and crush them with a can, rolling pin, or meat mallet. You could wrap the head of a hammer with a towel too and use that.

Nov 3, 2019 14:34:27 GMT -5 winecat said:

Yup.  I've never been able to get spices finely ground without a mortar/pestle/spice grinder.  If they're not spices you plan on using, I'd go to a specialty spice shop where their inventory is fresher. 

Doh!  This is much better idea.  Do you know how to convert the whole spice amounts into their ground equivalents? 

This is the recipe:
www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/carrot-hummus/13419/

There are no specialty spice shops near me, but I always have ground cumin and ground coriander on hand for various recipes. 

www.mccormick.com/articles/lifehacker/the-measurements-to-convert-common-whole-spices-in

[isabel]

Nonny, I would toast a full teaspoon of each in a dry pan on the stove top (just until they start to get fragrant). Put in half a teaspoon of each and then add more to the finished dip if you need more once you taste it.

ETA: Huh, those McCormick measurements are not what I would have thought. Maybe ignore me or toast a little more than you think you need so you don’t have to repeat that step if you need more later.

[lo]

My H has been using the same cheap coffee bean grinder for like 10 years to do this and it works perfectly.

[MixedBerryJam]

Coffee grinder. Grind some stale bread in it after to remove the aromatic oils.