Corn grinder
To grind the corn for tamales, Latin use sturdy mills that do the job to perfection with a minimum of fuss and just some elbow grease

Molinillo to stir chocolate
Since colonial times Latin Americans and Spaniards frothed their hot chocolate with a chocolate mill (molinillo). This is a wooden stick with wooden rings at the bottom which rattles when people twirl the stick with their hands.

Molcajete (Mexican three-legged mortar)
This sturdy volcanic stone mortar is an essential tool of the Mexican kitchen. A molcajete grinds foods to perfection with the help of a pestle (mano).

Tortilla Press
To mold tortillas into perfect rounds, a cast iron tortilla press does the job beautifully.

Yerba mate gourds (mate)
Yerba mate gets its name from the gourd (mate) where people drink it. These range from simple and earthy to ornate vessels.

Yerba mate silver straws (bombillas)
The yerma mate infusion is sipped from silver straws such as these that filter the woody stems of the yerba.