I use a mortar and pestle that I brought back from Burma and I just love it. I really don’t like those ceramic ones so much but I could just be biased. I use my mortar and pestle all the time, so it is really good to have a big solid stone one like the one used in our videos. Sometimes you can find them in Chinese grocery or cooking equipment stores.

It is interesting what you mention about the ginger being bitter. I am not sure if I can help you in that area. The only thing that might make a difference that you can observe by looking at the ginger is if it is young or old, the young ginger has a thinner, more translucent skin and the taste is more crisp and biting, whereas more mature ginger roots will get more fibrous and mellow. Some people prefer the more mature ginger, but there is a place for young ginger too. Hope this helps

oh, another question (since you’ve become the ginger expert), sometimes i get ginger and it’s slightly bitter, although it appears the same both inside and outside — at least to my eyes — as all the other pieces i’ve bought. is there any way you know of to tell if ginger will be either bitter or sweet from the look of it?