Flint glass Mortars offer clear view of materials. Mortars are manufactured with a heavy molded base and lip for pouring. Product is not suitable for use with food. Mortars and pestles are sold as a set. The porcelain Mortar and Pestle has been used in laboratories for centuries. Laboratories often face challenges of matching the best grinding tools for each application. Do you need multiple Mortar and pestles or will one kind dohere are some factors to keep in mind when answering those questions. A porcelain Mortar and Pestle is most popular. Cole-parmer's porcelain Mortars feature a pouring spout and are rounded in shape. Porcelain Mortars and pestles are "porous," and may not be ideal for all applications. Alumina is an ideal material for a grinding tool used for precise element analysis in which minimal sample contamination is required. Silicic acid Mortars are ideal for undetermined chemical compositions.