Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Kitchen Gadgets

Sam of Beck & Posh came up with “Utensibility” meme, a chance to talk about our kitchen gadgets. Who can resist this meme, certainly not me. It’s a chance to show off my precious few, ‘I could live without them but I don’t want to’ type of kitchen gadgets.

My most expensive purchase is a Wet Grinder for about $100 from a friend. The actual price is about $250. She gave this item to me just before she moved back to India. I wanted a wet grinder for so long and when she offered, I couldn’t resist (Thanks Jyothi).

My Wet Grinder

I regularly prepare dosa, idly, vada and also different kinds of chutneys using this wet grinder. It has two parts – a steel drum and two roller stones connected with each other through a plastic rod in-between. Not only perfect in shape and size but also using and cleaning is hassle free.

Inside Wet Grinder Wet Grinder Parts

Advantage of this wet grinder over regular mixie/blender is that stone grinding do not generate heat/overheat the contents like the mixie/blender blade does, and so in a way this preserves the micronutrients of the contents. This is really true, you can taste the difference and the stone grind batter and chutneys are always taste so much better. My mother’s generation prepared different types of batters and chutneys using a big mortar and pestle and their hands. My generation, with this kind of appliances can get the same taste but without the hard work.

Cheap but most valuable one is the mortar and pestle I purchased at Ikea 3 years ago for about 3 dollars, I think. I can flavor my tea with cardamom or prepare fresh ginger-garlic paste in a jiff and also it’s so pretty to look at too.

My favorite bargain basement item is a Sawa 2000 cookie gun/press, I purchased in Houston at a garage sale for one dollar. It’s a brand new item and has all discs, tips etc., and inside the box, the owners even kept the original receipt from William-Sonoma for 19 dollars. Perhaps a wedding gift, I don’t know but I too keep the receipt inside the box and whenever I use this item I always look at the receipt and feel very happy about how good a deal I got.

I never used cookie gun for its intended purpose but I use it to prepare murukulu or chakri, my favorite snack food, same kind of operation only the dough I use is not cookie dough but different. Various discs and tips that came along with cookie gun are very useful to make murukulu in shapes. I didn’t bring muruku maker from India with me, so I decided to use cookie gun for muruku making and it worked.

Mortar and Pestle My Murukulu Maker

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorites.

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Indian Kitchen,Indian Utensils (Friday July 1, 2005 at 12:02 pm- permalink)
Comments (32)

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32 comments for Kitchen Gadgets »

  1. I wish I had a wet-grinder! But hey Indira, does it handle small amounts, like for chutneys? Or do you make large amounts of chutney and save it for later or something?

    Comment by Shyam (aka Shammi) — July 1, 2005 @ 12:37 pm

  2. Shammy, we eat dosa/idly and chutney throughout the weekend, like for brunch, dinner again on Sunday:) So I do prepare them in large quantities.
    I took a very closeup photo, so it looks very big, in real its a medium sized one, not too small, not too big, suffice to prepare batter or chutney for 2 to 10 people.

    Comment by Indira — July 1, 2005 @ 1:03 pm

  3. oooh I so wish I had a wet grinder!
    Do you realise you can make your own chocolate?? *sigh*

    Comment by clare eats — July 1, 2005 @ 1:26 pm

  4. Clare, really? I would love to try that too. but first I have to know how to prepare my own chocolate. Please Help me or I will start googling.:)

    Comment by Indira — July 1, 2005 @ 1:33 pm

  5. Indira- My wet grinder just lies around. It is way too heavy to clean. So I am using my Sumeet mixer. Interesting use of the cookie press. I wish there was a sort of doughnut shaped press for making huge hotel-style medu vadas.

    Comment by mika — July 1, 2005 @ 1:56 pm

  6. Sometimes, I too feel the same way, but I love the results so I do the work and also mine is not that big and I can handle it very easily.
    I think there are some new gadgets for easy vadas available now in India. If you want, I can check them out next month.

    Comment by Indira — July 1, 2005 @ 2:42 pm

  7. Are you going to India next month Indira? Taking a blogging break???

    Comment by mika — July 1, 2005 @ 7:06 pm

  8. Anyway it would be great if you can find mor about the vada gadget. It would be of great help since I never seem to get the hole in the middle.

    Comment by mika — July 1, 2005 @ 7:08 pm

  9. Hi Indira
    thanks so much for this educational post. I had no idea such a thing as a wet grinder existed. Well, you know I love to cook Indian food so maybe this is what I need! Somebody else suggested something similar but not so exotic – you’ll see in the roundup. It’s really amazing all the kitchen appliances I didn’t even know existed. I am kind of intrigued by Clare’s ‘make your own chocolate’ comment too. Can’t wait to see you try that.
    I think I am going to have even more trouble spending the voucher than before I proposed this event after all the wonderful suggestions!

    As you probably saw – I love my pestle and mortar too,
    and I too love cardamom tea.

    great stuff – thanks
    I hope to have the roundup done by the end of next week some time

    sam

    Comment by sam — July 1, 2005 @ 10:44 pm

  10. ooh, i didn’t know there was one that was actually affordable, i’ve been wishing for one and the only ones i’ve found online were in the thousand-dollar-and-up price range — NO WAY. and clare, i’d love to find out how to make your own chocolate with this machine!

    Comment by stef — July 2, 2005 @ 9:32 am

  11. Wet Grinder

    This is getting dangerous. Yesterday it was a Kahuna burner. Today it’s a wet grinder. What next? To Pinoys: I’ve heard this is indispensable if you want to make your own authentic bibingka, etc. I’ve been putting my old blender…

    Trackback by stefoodie.net — July 2, 2005 @ 9:35 am

  12. Well
    I havent actually ever made my own chocolate… the cocoa beans are VERY HARD to get in Australia, but I am about to get 2kgs!!!

    But they are easy in America now have alook at this website
    http://www.chocolatealchemy.com/Index.php
    they seem to have the info and the beans etc…
    I hope you do have ago 🙂 and that this helps!

    Comment by clare eats — July 2, 2005 @ 10:34 am

  13. Mika – yep, leaving on August 1st. I will definitely look for those.

    Sam – thanks and I am looking forward to your roundup.

    Stef- Pardon my ignorance but who/what is “Pinoy”?
    “Bibingka” – If it is a vegetarin dish, I will definitely learn to make it. Iam going to get my 100 dollars worth of usage with that wet grinder.

    Clare- Thanks for the link. The method in that website looks very complicated. I have to taste the result first, before attempting such difficult procedure. Do you think it’s really worth all the trouble?

    Comment by Indira — July 2, 2005 @ 5:23 pm

  14. Oh, I didn’t know a wet grinder exists! I’ve been lamenting how differently stone ground and machine ground rice tastes.

    I’ve made my own chocolate, from the harvesting of the cacao beans to cooking them for chocolate drink. If it’s for drinking, the roasted cacao are mixed with roasted peanuts – proportion depends on how you like it. More peanuts, more frothy. Peel the beans upon roasting then grind. You’ll get something the consistency of peanut butter then you can store it in bottles. The natural oils will rise to the top and it will keep unrefrigerated for months.

    Bibingka is a Pinoy (slang for Filipino) rice cake cooked in a clay pan. I heard there are also Indian (Goa) and Macau versions. Must’ve been the influence of the Iberians.

    Comment by Karen — July 5, 2005 @ 12:35 am

  15. I am looking for a recipe for goan bibingka cake. many thanks tony.

    Comment by tony low — August 25, 2005 @ 6:08 pm

  16. Indira– do you(or any one) have any recommendation for a small dry (or both wet and dry) grinder that i can use to make podi(powders) for everyday use in small quantities….. I used to use a one touch coffee grinder for that, but it broke last week.. so I’m planning on buying one, but this time, i’m looking for a one that I can use for grinding something with moisture as well..(with garlic etc)..any suggestions?? I’ve looked at some websites and this what I’ve found
    http://appliances.safeshopper.com/52/cat52.htm?501
    http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=85
    appreciate if any one has any recommendations!!

    Comment by Aparna — October 29, 2005 @ 1:27 am

  17. indira i am planning to buy sawa cookie press from ebay for abt 5 + shipping…. r u sure that i can go ahead and buy.. u r lucky to get it for 1$ .. thats really a great deal..
    and my husband’s cousin lives in Maryland and she is new here.. she uses mixie for idli’s and dosa batter .. she says it doesnt ferment well and her idlies get hard and dosas r good.. any tips dear friend?

    Indira says,
    I make murukulu with sawa cookie press, I found it very useful and convenient too. Does that listing on ebay has the whole package, including the discs to make different shapes? Then go ahead and buy. I am sure, you are going to find it very convenient to make murukulu using this cookie press.
    This cold weather is tough for idli batter, I know. Heat up the oven to minimum, switch it off , then keep the idli batter vessel in this heated oven overnight. It works sometimes for me. That’s only thing I know, Priya.

    Comment by priya,ar — November 16, 2005 @ 3:40 pm

  18. indira , the description says it comes with the whole package incl 18 cookie discs and 34 pastry tips .
    and thanx for the tips , what i do is take the leftover batter abt a small katori and mix it with the fresh ground batter..the fermentation process is a little faster..

    Comment by Anonymous — November 17, 2005 @ 2:57 pm

  19. can you tell me how can i clean stone for using first time.

    Comment by ajitha — July 8, 2007 @ 12:28 pm

  20. I bought a Wet Grinder, brand new one, from New Jersey for just $159/ – It is really useful, because we make Dosa batter for the whole week, at one go. And we got a Atta Kneeder alongwith it.

    Comment by Arathi — August 23, 2007 @ 9:13 am

  21. Arathi, Can u please let me know from where u bought the Wet Grinder?

    Comment by Anand — October 9, 2007 @ 11:27 am

  22. Hi

    Need advice. i brought this grinder from india with a converter to use here. During the transit, something happened, does not work. is there any place here i can take it and fix this,i live in westerchester, NY.

    thanks

    viji.

    Sorry to hear about your problem Viji.
    Try Jackson Heights, NY or Oaktree road, NJ. Take the converter with you and try the appliance shops. The owners of these gadget shops are very helpful and some of them also do repair work.
    Good luck!
    – Indira

    Comment by Viji — October 20, 2007 @ 9:04 am

  23. hi
    i brought my wet grinder from India it is very new, but the problem is when i ve to rotate the drum to grind it.. my grinder grinds only when there is water, if i load it with few amounts of rice also it is getting stopped .. Now i m in WV i dont know how to repair it can anybody suggest me wat to do now…

    thanks

    Comment by goms — December 18, 2007 @ 12:47 pm

  24. hai
    any body know about the cost of a wet grinder 1.5 liters in india?

    Comment by swathi — January 7, 2008 @ 7:17 am

  25. ajitha

    Where did u buy your wet grinder in NJ from?

    Comment by priya — January 16, 2008 @ 7:58 am

  26. @ swathi
    WET GRINDER COST IN INDIA :
    I did my research on ELGI Ultra Pride (1.25 Ltrs).

    Cost in India :
    (1)(230v)Rs 5,350 ($106.6)
    (2)(110v)Rs 9,290 ($185.1)
    Dollar Rate Rs 50.165 ($1) – Nov,10,2011

    Cost in USA :
    (1)(110v)($249.9)

    @ priya

    I bought it from an online store called http://WWW.HOTDISHES.NET, though I had an option to get it through my friend from India, but was concerned about the after sales service & finally got it here.

    FOLKS hope this helps.

    Comment by Linda — November 10, 2011 @ 1:03 am

  27. how much does a wet grinder cost and is it available in Australia.

    thanks

    Comment by chris — January 19, 2012 @ 4:39 am

  28. where can i get a wet grinder in Melbourne, as i would like to have a look at one and check it out.

    THANK

    CHRIS

    Comment by chris — January 20, 2012 @ 9:14 pm

  29. Dear Sir,
    We are very interested in your wet grinder in your website . It mentioned $100/pc Could you send two pieces of samples? Do you have 220v or 110V for the grinder? The postage will be on your account. Pls respond asap the detail.
    Do you make small idli and dosa And Indian chabati machine? Pls inform the available situation

    G-Wah Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Rgds/Raju/Rosa

    Comment by Raju Hori — December 16, 2014 @ 2:53 am

  30. Dear Sir,
    We saw from your website that you have wet grinder mentioned $100/pc .We need two pieces of samples. Pls send us by parcel . We need idly , dosa and chabati making machine. )Pls revert the available machine and quote to us.
    Your prompt resonse will be appreciated.
    G-Wah Industrial Co., Ltd/

    Taipei,Taiwan
    Tel:8862-2502-5336

    Rgds/Raju/Rosa

    Comment by Wet Grinder — December 16, 2014 @ 2:58 am

  31. There is a shop in New Jersey that does ALL Mixie and Wet Grinder REPAIRS
    As well as jar repair services.

    Balaji Electronics (732-321-1333)
    1700 Oak Tree Road
    Edison, NJ 08820

    It in Sugartree Plaza next door to Hot Breads.

    They are very good at what they do. I had my mixie fixed there and it is still strong. I also bought their BalajiUSA brand wet grinder, it is running flawlessly and came with 2 year full warranty.

    Check them out !

    Comment by Rajanmuthu — January 11, 2015 @ 4:31 am

  32. Hi

    I am very interested in purchasing electric wet/stone(angular/conical stones) grinder for 230Volts working voltage. Is it available in Australia?? Please eMail nathapushpa@gmail.com if you can give some info about the price, brand, model number and freight cost to Brisbane-Australia. ManyThanks. Pushpa

    Comment by Pushpa — February 19, 2015 @ 6:33 pm

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