How to Use pestle in a Sentence

pestle

noun
  • With a mortar and pestle, crush the rosemary with the oil.
    Daniel Neman, sacbee, 26 June 2018
  • Use the knife or a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the seeds.
    Yotam Ottolenghi, The Seattle Times, 26 Dec. 2017
  • The pounding of the pestle in the mortar — thum thum thum — became the word for the technique.
    Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 June 2020
  • Hand-carved in Tunisia, each mortar and pestle set is one-of-a-kind.
    Christina Montoya Fiedler, Good Housekeeping, 28 Dec. 2022
  • Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to gind the spices to powder.
    Bibby Gignilliat, The Mercury News, 5 July 2019
  • Grind the spices to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
    ExpressNews.com, 4 Dec. 2019
  • Transfer to a mortar and pestle, add the garlic, and pound to a paste.
    Jessica Battilana, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Apr. 2018
  • Coarsely crush cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle or with the flat side of a chef’s knife.
    Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit, 18 June 2018
  • In a mortar and pestle, roughly pound the bird’s eye chiles.
    ExpressNews.com, 31 July 2019
  • Grind the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
    Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2021
  • Grind them in a spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle and put the powder into a blender.
    Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, 11 Nov. 2020
  • And yeah, a mortar and pestle is the key to mojo magic.
    Valerio Farris, Bon Appétit, 2 June 2021
  • Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind with the allspice.
    Daniel Boulud, ELLE Decor, 21 Oct. 2015
  • Once cool, grind the pods in a pestle and mortar until the seeds inside are ground down.
    Aimee Farrell, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2017
  • Use a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic and the anchovies to a paste; add to the bowl, along with the sour cream and mayonnaise.
    Sarah Fritsche, SFChronicle.com, 3 July 2018
  • To do this, put the saffron in a mortar and pestle and crush until the threads begin to break down.
    Jane Black, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2022
  • Coarsely grind the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
    Jessica Battilana, SFChronicle.com, 23 Oct. 2020
  • Transfer to a plate to cool, then finely grind in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
    Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
  • Using a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder), grind with the chile flakes to a coarse powder.
    Nik Sharma, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2018
  • To crush the fennel seeds, pulse a few times in a spice or coffee grinder or use a mortar and pestle.
    BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2021
  • Coarsely grind the cumin in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and toss with 1½ teaspoons kosher salt.
    Christian Reynoso, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2021
  • Some students jumped up to scrutinize the spice jars and the mortar and pestle.
    Kate Taylor, New York Times, 23 June 2017
  • Once cooled, coarsely crush them with a mortar and pestle (or just the flat side of a chef’s knife) and transfer to a large bowl.
    Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appetit, 18 June 2018
  • Crack open the peppercorn using a mortar and pestle; add to the saucepan.
    Anita L. Arambula, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2023
  • Crack peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or with the back of a knife and sprinkle on top.
    Ellise Pierce, star-telegram.com, 2 May 2017
  • Crack open the pods with the back of a knife, the bottom of a solid glass, a mortar and pestle or just your fingers and remove the seeds.
    Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2021
  • Using a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron to a fine powder and set aside.
    Nik Sharma, SFChronicle.com, 11 July 2018
  • Place ¼ teaspoon of salt and the garlic clove in a large mortar and pound with a pestle until smooth.
    Layla Schlack, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 June 2021
  • To make the buns: Using a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron, cardamom and salt to a fine powder.
    Nik Sharma, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2018
  • Step 2 In a small food processor or mortar and pestle, blend the pecorino, 3 tablespoons of the oil, the oregano, thyme, and garlic to a paste.
    Saveur Editors, Saveur, 18 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pestle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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