What Is A Wet Grinder? | All You Need To Know

In a plain word, it’s a food gadget that applies abrasive cutting to hard food grains and makes a batter or paste. Water or some fluid is added to the food for better lubrication. This is a common tool in every south Indian household, in contrast to the Western world, where it is almost unheard of. Surprisingly though, it stems from a Western invention first appearing in the chocolate industry.

The official description:
“A wet grinder is a food preparation appliance for the grinding of food grains.“

With a wet grinder you can make popular Indian dishes like:

• Idly
• Dosa
• Appam
• Paniyaram
• Vada

A wet grinder grounds grains and/or lentils to form a batter. Inside the machine there is a granite stone that rolls around the drum and crushes whatever food you throw in there. 

What makes a wet grinder different then a blender?

At first it may seem both serve the same purpose, as the outcome will look similar. Yet wet grinders compress and crush grains in a way that a blender can’t do. Compared to a blender a wet grinder has the following benefits:

• The flavor is better as the wet grinder does not create as much heat.
• The food has better structure and consistency.
• A wet grinder requires less power.
• The granite rock lasts a lot longer than the blades of a blender.

"A blender shears and shreds the ingredients, tearing apart and breaking down vegetables, but not necessarily rupturing all of their cells to release aromatic compounds. 
A wet grinder, on the other hand, does a great job of actually crushing individual cells, producing a paste with much better flavor."

So what about dry grinders?

Those are entirely different products. You would typically use a dry grinder to grind coffee beans, but it is not recommended to put those in a wet grinder. A wet grinder needs the liquid in the grinding process, so don’t try this out.

How do I choose a wet grinder?

Buying a wet grinder for the first time can be pretty confusing. You will find various options- wet stone grinder, titling, tabletop, and even the amount of grinding stones may vary. So let’s dive in the main characteristics to consider when looking for a wet grinder.

The grinding stone

Make sure that you are dealing with actual granite. This is the preferred rock used for these devices. Furthermore, the shape of the grinding stones dictates the grinding quality and efficiency. Regular ones (as in the images below) are just fine, but if you want an even better resulat conical stones would be preferred.

Amount of grinding stones

Three grinding stones will grind slower but offer a finer result than two grinding stones. A wet grinder with three grinding stones is recommended for making certain Indian recipes like idli. 

Tilting versus Tabletop

This is a decision you are going to run into when browsing wet grinders. It boils down to whether or not you want to be able to tilt the wet grinder to get the batter out. While this function definitely has benefits it might not be your best bet when starting out. They are a bit more expensive as they are generally larger and made for regular use. A tabletop would be better if you are starting out. You will need to remove the grinding stones when scooping out the batter though.

Capacity

Consider your basic needs and family members.

Size and weight

Try to find a wet grinder with a weight you would be comfortable with handling. The tabletop grinder is the most compact.

A Tilting Wet Grinder (L) and a Tabletop Wet Grinder (R).

Where to get a wet grinder in the United States

Unfortunately, there aren’t many options at your hand when it comes to finding a good wet grinder in the USA. Here is a list of brands that offer wet grinders.

• Ultra: Also known as Elgi Ultra, providing Kitchen Appliances that are innovative, and aesthetically brilliant. It’s actually an Indian-based brand that is passionate about quality kitchen appliances. 
• Butterfly: Not only wet grinders, but they are also a big supplier of kitchen items.
• Tabakh: They make good quality machines at a reasonable price.
• Ponmani: For premium wet grinders

Want the best models around?
Check out our comprehensive wet grinder buying guide.

Conclusion

A wet grinder is an essential kitchen item for anyone who loves making Indian food. Unlike a blender, it gets you that authentic South Indian flavor. Although it’s not as popular in the West as it deserves to be there are still a few manufacturers who offer them online. Go try them out and let us know what dishes you have made with them. We love hearing from you.