Machacadora (Wooden Bean Masher)
Free shipping on orders $50+
The most wonderful thing that you had no idea that you wanted: the best tool for making refried beans (and a fine sauerkraut masher as well).
We've been looking for a good machacadora for years. Who hasn't? Normally when you find them they are made of cheap pine and split even with oiling and care. This beautiful version comes from Michoacan and uses a local wood called granadillo that looks a little like pomegranate wood and only grows in the southern part of the state.
To make really memorable refried beans, saute white onion rings in some freshly rendered lard, bacon fat or olive oil. Obviously lard is the best choice here but olive oil is perfectly delicious, just not so authentic. When the onions are soft, add some beans and their broth. Allow to heat and then start running your machacadora along the bottom of the skillet. The bean, fat and onions will start to incorporate and you will start to salivate! Keep going until you have the texture you like. Smooth as velvet or chunky and rustic- you can't lose!
As if this wasn't enough, we can say this makes a great masher for making sauerkraut. After you slice through the cabbage and add salt, most recipes have you mash the mixture until the water starts to give. We tried a wood spoon and just about everything else in our kitchen only to end up frustrated and very tired. The machacadora was perfect.
These machadoras come with a honey wax finish that comes off with repeated use. There have been no stains used. With use they are still beautiful but a little different. We recommend using a thick mineral oil for cutting boards to help protect the wood.
Maestro Elíseo Tolentino made these using all different parts of the same Guamúchil tree, so each spoon can vary a lot. You'll have to take your chances, but these handmade treasures are all wonderful.
Not available for shipping to Canada.
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The Rancho Gordo Story
You Can Blame it All on the Dutch
I was shopping one August for tomatoes and, despite Napa being one of the world's most magnificent agricultural regions, all the tomatoes were from a hothouse in Holland! Worse, they were hard and pale pink instead of the ripe tomatoes I was craving. I started to grow my own tomatoes and this eventually led to beans.
My first harvested heirloom bean was Rio Zape. They were pretty and easy to grow but I had no idea what to expect when I cooked them. They were similar to the pintos I liked but there was so much more going on. Hints of chocolate and coffee mixed with an earthy texture made my head spin. I was blown away by Rio Zape and the other heirloom beans I was growing, but also really confused why they were such a big secret. I took the beans to the farmers market, organizing things on my kitchen table. Soon there was a warehouse, followed by more markets and mail order. It seems we had struck a nerve. People agreed that heirloom beans were worth saving, growing and cooking. Currently our warehouse, a retail shop, and offices are in Napa, California, and a stop here is part of many tours of the wine country.
All of my agricultural pursuits have been based on being someone who likes to cook but gets frustrated by the lack of ingredients, especially those that are native to the Americas. One of the things that originally drew me to beans was the fact that they are indigenous to the Americas. It seems to me these indigenous ingredients should be familiar, if not common. American cuisine is re-inventing itself and I'd love to include ingredients, traditions and recipes from north and south of the border as part of the equation. I love the concept of The Americas. I feel as if it's just as important as the European heritage many of us share.
You can read more about the Rancho Gordo story here.