Own it with Pride. Review on Ultra Pride Table Top Grinder

Having grown up in a traditional South Indian family (Madraasi, for some), most of the mornings I used to wake up to the smell of idlis or dosas being made for breakfast.

Then…

Those were the days when the batter – the paste of pulses used as raw material for idlis and dosas - was prepared using a grinding stone. The grinding stone served two purposes – it used to produce the dough and was also an inexpensive way to get the twenty-minute work out. The grinding stone gave way to the mixie which did produce the batter with less human effort but the process was still time consuming and cumbersome. For all those idli connoisseurs, the stone ground taste was far superior to the metal ground. Both these methods suffered in the cleaning department, which was very awkward.

And now…

The next logical step was a wet grinder, which was initially available only in the industrial strength variety for all those Udipi Hotels like Sri Krisha Cafe’s and Anand Bhavans.

The Table Top wet grinder was the application of technology to the common task in the kitchen. I am sure that most of the housewives were not so impressed with the man landing on the moon – a major breakthrough in science and technology, as with the grinding process which got revolutionized with the invention of the Table Top grinder.

What is it ?

Ultra Pride Plus is a multifunction Table Top wet grinder, which is light in weight and portable. It uses the Fresh Grind technology whereby the heat smell from the grinding is not transmitted to the contents / batter. Hats off to Elgi, the manufacturer who have been in this business for the last 80 years and have brought this technology within the reach of the common man nay housewife. The drum capacity varies from 1.25 liters to the about 8 liters.

The grinding mechanism is very simple – there is a rotating steel drum, and there are two roller stones, which are stationary. The soaked pulses come in contact with the grinding stones and is ground consistently.

And more….

Besides batter from rice and pulses, it comes with two other attachments – one for kneading wheat flour (atta) and the other for scraping coconut. Using the coconut scarper is very cumbersome and is not worth the time and effort – since I buy scraped coconut directly from the grocery store – no more breaking coconuts (though I tend to do that as a bribe to God). The atta maker I have not really tried but I have heard reports that it is effective and easy to use.

Personal Touch

On a recent visit to India, I was able to get a 110 V one for Rs.7000. The regular 220V costs about Rs.5000. The same wet grinder in the US would cost about $ 250, so I was able to save about Rs.3000. The only disadvantage was, I had to carry it along as one piece of luggage and lost out on that – but that is a small price to pay for enjoying fluffy idlis and fresh dosas every day.

I have the 1.25 liters drum, which is pretty convenient, as the batter can be stored directly in the fridge.

The grinder weighs only about 10 kgs (20 lbs) – cannot use this as an excuse to skip out on the regular workouts. Cleaning after operation is a simple task.

One of the main advantages is that the operation can go unattended – put the soaked pulses, switch it on and forget it for 20 minutes. That gives me time to catch up reading reviews on Mouth Shut.

Even if you plan to use it occasionally, the Ultra Pride Plus wet grinder will make you a proud owner and also will blend easily with your other kitchen gadgets.

Go get one as soon as possible.

Happy Idli-ing (not idling) and dosa-ing (not dozing zzzz.)