Once upon a time Dosa, Idli, Paddus or Vada used to be available only in Udapi hotels and making good quality Idli or Dosa was a dream for most of housewives in India !
Over the time Dosa, Idli and Vada has became national breakfast dish and available at every corner of India! And it is made in mornings at many homes too.
But making Idli or Dosa and making a BEST QUALITY Idli or Dosa remained a secret for years!
Well if you make the batter for Idli and dosa using home mixer grinder then surely you can not get that professional softness and taste. Then what do you do? how to get best tasty and soft Idlies at home ?
Here is the secret of making Light Airy Batter or bread dough:
Main ingredient of Dosa, Vada and Idli is the batter made from soaked rice and dal, mixture of which needs to be perfectly airy and if you really wish to get it light and soft, add some Poha to it.
But beyond using correct proportion of Dal + Rice + Poha, main secret is to grind it in traditional way, using Pata Varvanta (Mortar and pestle made from stones), providing perfect texture to the batter with airy bubble formations. But its impossible for someone in modern kitchen to get on to spend so much time and energy to prepare batter paste manually.
Fortunately to get the same taste you have modern technology to help. Its simple, simply go for Wet Grinders which will give you the same traditional taste with no efforts 🙂 That’s the secret.
So coming down to buying the Wet Grinders, one needs to sort them out based on Price, Quality of output, Ease of operation, drum made of food grade stainless steel, vacuum cup base for firm grip on kitchen table and suffice for a family of 4 persons ( 2 Adults + 2 kids assumed in your family for this review)
Please note that instead of providing long list of India’s top 10 best wet grinders I have prepared only a few doing all research on highest star rating, lowest complaints from customers, best in terms of value for money. (and customer support when needed)
Warning ! Beware of fraud reviews :
Many companies spend money to get paid reviews and eventually you pay for the product which is not worth of it. So it is extremely necessary to select products carefully. Hence at the end of this review I have also given products which are excluded from Best list with reasons too.
Tip :
When you buy any wet grinder, please do a first run with 1 cup of rice and lot of water, this will clean the grinder stones and any fine dust will get alongwith the rice batter. This will also give you an idea on how the grinder is working and any issues like overheating etc.
Best Wet Grinders in India 2021
Company | Model | Capacity | Motor wattage |
Bajaj | WX 3 | 2 L | 150-Watt |
Maharaja Whiteline | Chef Pro | 2 L | 150-Watt |
Panasonic | MK-SW200BLK | 2L | 240-watt |
Premier | Wonder | 1.5 L | 95-watt |
Vidiem | Jewel ST | 2 L | 95-watt |
1) Bajaj WX 3 150-Watt Wet Grinder without Arm
Why I recommend Bajaj WX3 wet grinder?
Bajaj is well known established brand in India specially in electrical household appliances. It sells quality products and has support centers too. One of the product I am recommending is this Bajaj Wet Grinder for your home use. Bajaj wet grinder reviews on various websites and forums has shown good 4 & 5 Star reviews and least complaints so far.
Features –
- Budget friendly wet grinder
- Powerful 150-watt motor.
- Grinder capacity 2 L
- Durable grinding stones
- Spatula like attachment helps mix the batter thoroughly.
- Stainless steel drum
- Motor overload protector : Protects the motor and enhance its life
- Accessories : for kneading atta and scraping coconut given.
2) Maharaja Whiteline Chef Pro
Why I recommend Maharaja Whiteline Chef Pro wet grinder?
Maharaja Whiteline is well known kitchen appliance brand in India, selling various range of products over years.
Here I am discussing one of the best wet grinder from Maharaja Whiteline which consist of a high grade stainless steel drum, supported by anti-slip feet which sets unit on kitchen top easily.
Powered by an efficient 150 watts motor, this small 2 liters capacity wet grinder delivers batter in matter of minutes, very easily and speedily.
- Made from high grade, stainless steel drum which is best for kneading Atta
- Supported by anti-slip feet which will keep the appliance stable during grinding operation.
- Available in a 2-liters capacity sufficient for a family upto 6-8, for making batter and chutney.
- Uses a small but efficient 150 Watt motor, consuming low power yet delivering what is needed for a home kitchen.
- Provides comprehensive 1-year manufacturer’s warranty on the product [Customer Service Number: 18601804111]
Best Buy Maharaja Whiteline Chef Pro on Amazon
3) Panasonic MK-SW200BLK Wet Grinder
Why we recommend Panasonic wet grinder?
Panasonic sells various consumer products in India as well as all over the world. Specially in India it is known for their budget value for money offers on home and kitchen appliances. They offer wide variety of range in terms of quality and price.
We have studied the Panasonic wet grinder reviews on various websites and forums, where we found that it has got good 4-5 star review ratings and least complaints so far. Also the product has top class features for safety and timer.
The Panasonic wet grinder looks really strong in Black colour. The food grade stainless steel drum with a transparent cover gives confidence of quality. Further 240-watt powerful motor assures quick grinding processing more batter quantity at a time resulting into quick quality output.
Features –
- Design and accessories that enhance its user-friendliness.
- Timer : can be set for up to 45 minutes. No supervision needed.
- Lid has opening to add water or rice or dal through the opening without having to open the lid.
- Safety : The grinder switches itself off when you open the lid
- Attachments for dough kneading and coconut scraping are not sold by Panasonic.
- Zero single star reviews
Best Buy Panasonic Wet grinder on Amazon
4) Premier Wonder – Table Top Wet Grinder 1.5 Litres 230 V
Why I recommend Premier Wonder wet grinder?
First and foremost thing on Premier Wonder tabletop wet grinder is that its COMPACT.
It has only 95 watts motor running at 1440 RPM (revolutions per minute) delivering fast output.
Again like Panasonice, Premier also features stainless steel container with good quality grinding stones.
Most liked thing for this wet grinder is the vertical space saver design with extra long 2 meters power cord, perfectly useful to locate it anywhere in your kitchen.
We recommend it due to simplicity of use and value for money offers.
Features –
- Space saver portable design, important in modern kitchen where space is main important
- Compact package with motor underneath the drum
- Features 95W motor and two grinding stones
- Grinds the batter for 3-4 members in just about 20 minutes.
- Accessories : Atta kneader and coconut scraper available as combo package
Best Buy Premier Wonder on Amazon
5) Vidiem Jewel ST 2 Ltrs Grinder
Why I recommend Vidiem Jewel wet grinder?
- Compact and contemporary design for modern kitchen
- High quality stainless steel drum with stone rollers ensuring even grinding
- Covered with a 2-years warranty on the product and 5-years on the motor
- Only 90 Watts for optimized energy consumption
Best Buy Vidiem Jewel on Amazon
Best Wet Grinder in India 2021
Best Wet Grinders in India | Bajaj | Panasonic | Premier Wonder |
Grinder Capacity | 2 liters | 2 liters | 1.5 liters |
Motor capacity | 150 watts | 240 watts | 95 watts |
Suitable for family of | Family of 4 to 6 persons | Family of 4 to 6 persons | Family of 3 to 4 persons |
Type of grinding stones | conical stones | Stone roller | high quality stones |
Optional attachments | Accessories : for kneading atta and scraping coconut given | dough kneading and coconut scraping [not sold by Panasonic] | coconut scraper and atta kneader attachment sold differently |
Dimensions | 49.4 x 31.8 x 31 cm | 49 x 30.2 x 33 cm | |
Weight | 15.4 Kg | 14.1 Kg | 25 Kg |
Warranty | 2 years | 5 years on heater, 2 years on product | 1 year |
Excluded from this top wet grinders list products are as follows –
Reasons for exclusion are
- Negative user reviews
- User reviews below 50 numbers
- Rating below 4 Stars
Singer Maxigrind, 150 Watts 2 Ltr Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Singer)
Elgi Ultra Dura+ 1.25-Litre Wet Grinder, Purple (Check reviews of Elgi)
- Broke while running
- Batter quality not good
- Motor overheating (reported by many people)
- It is very very small, not able to grind at least a cup of urad dal also.
Elgi Ultra Grind+ Gold 2-Litre Table Top Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Elgi)
- Takes high time for grinding
- Motor overheating
- Lid broke
- Product received in broken condition lid (many complaints)
Butterfly Rhino 2-Litre Table Top Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Butterfly)
- Grinder motor becomes too hot just in 30 minutes
- Takes long long time to grind – 2 hours to grind just 1 1/2 kg rice
- Makes lot of noise
Elgi Ultra Bigg + 2.5-Litre Table Top Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Elgi Ultra)
- Very difficult to clean after use
- Heating & Vbrations
Premier Tilting Grinder – Table Top Wet Grinder 2 Litres 230 V (Check reviews of Premier Tilting)
- Poor quality plastic
- Very few reviews for this product
- Tilting is too much
Prestige Wet Grinder PWG 02 (200 watts) with Cocunut scraper and Atta kneader attachment (Check reviews of Prestige)
- Very few product reviews
- Overheating
- Takes more time to grind
Preethi Iconic WG 908 2 Liter Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Preethi)
- Very few product reviews
- Plastic broken within a week
- Started leaking
- Faulty buttons
Sowbaghya 2 Lit DIVA Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Sowbaghya)
- only 2.5 star rating
- Motor mount broken
- Grinder not working within first 6 months of purchase
- Get heated up during grinding
Ponmani Power Plus Plastic Table Top Wet Grinder (Check reviews of Ponmani)
- Almost 50% reviews are single star
- Poor quality of plastic that does not sustain transportation
- Broken product delivered
- There are no comments from the company on replacement of product.
Wet Grinders – Buyer’s Guide
Till now my wife was using standard mixer grinder to prepare batter for Idli and dosa, but as I came to know that there are small table top models of wet grinders available for home use I started my research.
As I did extensive research before buying my first Wet grinder, I though to put a comprehensive buying guide for you. If you like it please do comment and let me know.
And today wet grinder has became inherent and essential appliance of my home kitchen
You have many options in market for the wet grinders from various top brands like Elgi Ultra, Premier, Butterfly, Prestige, Preethi etc. and selection of the best wet grinder becomes a task for you.
Advantages Of Table Top Wet Grinders
May be in Western world you need not have a wet grinder (I don’t know really, maybe only Indians there will need it) but if you are in India, then wet grinding become a must, for some or the other reasons all over India, every kitchen needs to prepare pastes from lentils and grams, used in many dishes for breakfast to meals. Especially in South Indian cuisine, it is extensively used for making of idlis and dosas. Or even some traditional soups.
If you want to make the batter in traditional way, it takes lot of time and in today’s world no-one can afford to spend that only for preparation of batter.
- Quick and Easy:
As against traditional way of making batter in stone crushers aka Pata-Varvanta which takes lot of time. Electric wet grinder makes in little time. Its quick and easy to make very smooth batter for idly and dosa.
It gives a crushed batter which a standard mixer grinder can’t give, also the batter from normal mixer remains rough even if you grind at highest speeds. Its due to the fact that mixer grinder blades are not designed for that. Like the Urad dal in mixer grinder will cut to small pieces and no grinding action happens. - Do it in one go:
Normal mixer grinder can’t accommodate a kg of batter, however the wet grinder can accommodate complete batter in a single go, so you need not keep playing around 2 – 3 times to get complete 1 kg batter. - Traditional grinder taste:
You get high quality traditional taste for the idlies and dosas from wet grinders.
If you prepare batter in a normal electric mixer, the flavor of the batter gets affected by the heat, whereas in wet grinders the process is crushing with water (wet) and hence generates less heat giving you the traditional taste. - More life & durable:
If you compare it to normal mixer which has the metal blades, the wet grinder has stones which are durable to last for years.
Selecting Table Top Wet Grinders
Its not a rocket science to select best wet grinder, I suggest to simply look for the following factors while choosing it.
Types of Wet Grinder
There are 3 types of wet grinders available in market, which are as follows –
Regular Wet Grinders: Commercial use
Regular wet grinders are bigger in size and intended for commercial use like hotels. They can grind large quantity of batter in a single go.
Very few families need such grinders, but mostly the hotels or shop owners buy them.
Such type of wet grinder are designed with a single stone, which is held by a steel rod with the help of an iron belt.
It consumes lot of space as well as difficult to install as well as maintain.
So if you are family of below 8 persons at home, this type is not for you.Table Top Wet Grinders: Home use
These are most commonly used in homes with family size less than 8 people.
Table top wet grinders are one of the highest sold online kitchen appliance today.It consists of 2-3 cylindrical or conical shaped stones and a drum to hold these stones.
Compared to the Regular wet grinders these table top grinders are smaller, lighter and requires no special installation efforts.They are easy to move from one place to other or even takes less space on counter-top.
Table top wet grinders are perfect for small sized family say below 8 persons.
Tilting Wet Grinders: Home use – consumes less space
Now this is modified form of table top wet grinders.
These takes less space on counter-top, as well as easy to operate in small space.
Specialty of tiltable wet grinders is easy and quick removal of batter possible by tilting the grinder drum, this also makes the cleaning process easy.
So if you have slightly higher budget I suggest you to go for tiltable type of wet grinder.
Tilting Wet Grinder vs Non-Tilting Wet Grinder
When you use the wet grinder to make batter, next task is removal of batter from drum and then cleaning the stones + drum.
Here the advantage of tilting vs non-tilting wet grinders becomes evident.
The tilting type gives clear advantage of pouring batter in one go as against removal of batter using big spoon for number of times, so tilting type saves time and less cumbersome.
Secondly cleaning of drum and stones, tilting type is very easy to clean since you need not tilt the complete unit for cleaning which becomes heavier as the model capacity increases like 5-10 liters
So in my view tilting type of wet grinder is clear winner over non-tilting type for ease of use and less time to clean.
Now lets go further deep with what specifications of wet grinders are to be looked before buying?
Capacity – in Liters
Capacity of a wet grinder is defined in Liters.
Obviously you need to select capacity as per the size of members in family or the quantity of batter you wish to grind in a single go.
In market you can get wet grinders of capacity ranging from 2 liters to 15 liters.
So depending upon the family size you can select appropriate capacity wet grinder.
Drum material – Stainless steel is a must
Most of the wet grinders in market today use a high quality stainless steel material for the drum having good quality of stone rollers that ensures even grinding for long period (over years)
If at all you come across cheap quality of wet grinder which is using drum material other than stainless steel, simply reject it.
Number of Grinding Stones – 3 Stone Wet Grinders vs 2 Stone Wet Grinders
Thumb rule is, more the number of stones is better to prepare batter fast and fine quality.
If you select cheap wet grinders, you will get 2 stones at the most, but best quality of wet grinders are 3 stones, which are faster and delivers really fine quality batter.
So my suggest, go for 3 stone wet grinder.
Stone Shape – Cylindrical or Conical?
Mainly you will see two types of grinding stone shapes, one is cylindrical shaped and others are conical shaped stones.
As per me cylindrical shaped stones will leave less space for the batter to climb over during rotary movement, as compared to the conical one, which allows climbing of batter over the rotating stone, hence the conical shaped stones perform better in terms of quality and time.
Motor capacity
Motor capacity has two different aspects,
One is that higher capacity of motor can grind more quantity of batter in a single go, that too in lesser time.
But the second aspect is that it will consume more power as well as possibility is that batter gets hot during the grinding or you can say crushing process.
So one has to strike a balance between the motor power, size of drum and stones. This is the reason that you must read actual reviews of grinders and not simply select them based on high power motor or large sized stones. Result is more important.
It has to be designed such that, motor power is utilized in efficient way to grind the batter at correct speed and pressure, giving a smooth texture to the batter like a traditional hand crushed batter.
Overload protection:
In case you put in less amount of water, there are chances that the grinding stones gets stucked, hence overloading the motor. Result can be burning of motor due to overheating or it can also result into drawing high current thus burning the wiring itself causing a fire incident.
So best quality wet grinders are provided with motor overload protection circuit, which automatically cuts-off the motor power in case of any overload, due to any reasons.
Once the motor gets tripped, the overload indicator will glow and you can reset it after removal of the cause, such as stucked stone due to less water or any other reason.
This avoids accidental burning as well as increase life of motor and grinder itself.
Energy Efficiency – How much you pay per kg of batter?
It is important to see the energy rating of wet grinder, which shows how much electricity it will consume to prepare 1 kg of batter.
Mostly it depends upon the quality of induction motor winding’s (copper or aluminium), design of motor itself and quality of bearings used inside the grinder shafts.
Again best way is to look into the wet grinder specifications before buying.
Design & Aesthetics
Now I have kept the design and aesthetics as a last selection point!
As per me main is the function in this case and secondary is the aesthetics!! What is use of a good looking wet grinder which does not give you good quality of batter?
So once you are sure upon all above factors, then you can go for looks and feel. There are many more attractive colors and designs to suit the modern kitchen. You may select them based on personal taste and space available on the counter-top.
Durability and maintenance
Every equipment will go wear and tear after use and hence it becomes an important aspect for selection.
In this case you should look for the stones replacement and availability of support centers in your area, say a top seller in Tamil Nadu may not provide service in Maharashtra and so on.
So look for service centers available near your house or at least in your city.
Warranty
Finally you should look for warranty and coverage. Just reading 2 years warranty do not mean anything if it does not include the motor or the stones!
So read in details what sort of warranty the manufacturer is providing and what are the things covered. Mainly look for replacement warranty for the motor, since that is the costliest part, compared to the stones.
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