I remember seeing my mother’s molcajete sitting on display in my childhood kitchen, not allowed to use it because it was so heavy that I was doomed to hurt myself, granted I was a clumsy child. The ancient Mexican tool, still widely utilized in the modern kitchen, is essentially a mortar and pestle on steroids, used to make salsas, guacamole, grind spices, or any sauce you want to mix together by hand.
Given its distinct cultural significance — it’s essentially become a symbol of Mexican culinary tradition, with heirloom pieces passed down through generations — I was delighted to learn that celebrity chef and personality Bobby Flay actually collects them! In fact, he owns a whopping eight molcajetes, as he revealed in his recent Open Door with Architectural Digest.
He’s been a proponent of the use of volcanic stone molcajetes for years, noting that they’re “important to [him],” as he uses them to make sauces and salsas in them. “They’re great for grinding spices and making salsa and guacamole because they give everything a nice coarse and rustic feel,” Flay tells Men’s Health. “I’ve never collected anything, but I think I might start collecting these because each one is decorated differently, from Aztec carvings to impressive paint jobs.”
Flay hasn’t shared any of his favorite brands of molcajetes, as many of them are from small boutiques on his travels in Mexico — but luckily, I did find one he shows off in his AD tour. Below, find one of the molcajetes he has in his kitchen, as well as a few others to consider for your next taco night.
The molcajete has lasted for thousands of years, prepping foods for the Aztecs and Mayans and now in so many kitchens across the globe. It always warms my Mexican heart to see what Hispanic mothers always knew to be a powerful kitchen tool recognized by a world-renowned chef like Flay. You don’t have to collect them, but maybe if Bobby Flay has eight, any chef should have at least one!