The kitchen shelf
You can buy the food almost anywhere. The thing you cook it in is harder to find.
Molcajetes
Cut from volcanic stone, heavy enough that you feel it when you lift one off the shelf. A blender chops. A molcajete crushes, and the difference shows up in the salsa.
Season a new one before you use it: grind rice in it until the rice comes out white instead of grey. Then garlic and salt. After that it is yours for the rest of your life.
Comals
Flat, unglazed, meant to sit straight on the burner. For heating tortillas, blistering chiles, toasting garlic and spices dry before they go in the pot.
Presses and pots
Tortilla presses. Ollas de barro and cazuelas for beans and mole. Tamaleras big enough for a holiday batch.
If you do not see the size you want, it is worth asking at the counter.
