help - do you use US made blenders for idli batter?

Hi Preethi,

It is definitely worth the effort to bring the wet grinder from India. Especially, when you are used to having idlis/dosas frequently like in my home(where I have to grind the batter atleast once a week).

I bought LG grinder (with built in US adapter) from Chennai (about 8 years back) and it is still going strong (touch wood!!) I brought the drum, stone, body of the grinder..all separately. I wrapped them separately in woollen clothes, old dupattas etc and kept in different suitcases. If you are having less luggage, you can bring it in the same box you bought...if not...it is wise to separate it.

Main advantage I had was, since I had 2 kids with me, I could bring 6 suitcases...and i could bring the grinder without much difficulty!

If you plan to buy the grinder, I kindly suggest you go for 2L capacity..believe me..it is worth the trouble!

You can surely find a corner on the counter..come on preethi...!

Every time I eat fluffy idlis and crispy dosas, i thank myself for bringing the grinder!!

Also, a small tip for fermenting...as soon as you finish making the batter, try keeping something heavy on that...see if that works. One more idea, you can keep the batter close to the cooking area so that it gets some heat. Some people keep it under the oven (which I have not personally tried) but they say it is effective.

BEST OF LUCK!

Cheers
Krithika

Originally Posted by pebblebeach

Hi all,
I have a preethi mixie from India. Till now I use it for idli/dosa batter..its works fine..but somehow I dont like the taste of the idli/dosas that much..it may be because the batter is not fermenting properly because my house is always very cool..
Now the thing is I'm going to India soon and thinking of getting a wet grinder...what do u people suggest...is it worth the cost, carrying from India ( I mean baggage weight) and the space it occupies in our American kitchens ( we all know how much cupboard and counter space we get here). please let me know ur views..

thanks

Hi Preethi,

I would defn recommend u to get one from india, The taste and the qty of idli/dosa what u get out of it is very diffn from that grinded in a mixie.

Regd the space i think u will get used to it, and always u can find ways out once u get it.


Cheers
vaidehi

Hey dont worry about the space.. its not "old generation" grinders anymore. Its so compact and classy.. and it doesnt eat up more than a blender..

Hi there,

My 2 bit of advice - I have a Cusineart blender and it is just beautiful and I love it. It works well fro everything from chutneys to Idlis to Adais. to Vada. I also have an Ultra (stone grinder) and I love that too. So for small amounts I use the Cusineart and when I have to make a big batcch of batter, then I use the Stone (cleaning the Cusineart is much easier).
G'Luck deciding!

Hi All,

Initially I was also wondering how I'd manage without Indian mixy or grinder, since i need to grind for curries, idli, dosa, chutney, vadas etc. Anyway I bought a Osterizer, been using it for 1.5 yrs. now, and touch wood, so far so good! I make dosa idli, chutney, vadas (medhu and Parippu vada) every week, plus use it almost every other day to grind masalas for curries etc, and its running just fine!

The dosas come out nice and crispy, the idlis, as soft as it can be, and all's just fine, so no complaints with my Osterizer! And to boot it, I got my Oster on sale for $19!

I have Hamilton Beaches blender 750W..Works perfectly fine with me for dosa, Idli, adai, pesarattu etc..
I also have a Kitchen art spice grinder for finer grinding.
With these two it s complete. I dont need anything else..

Thanks Krithika, vaidehi and Nandu for your encouragement

I will definetly buy a wet grinder this time when I visit India...I really love the taste and softness of idlis/dosas made from it...

thanks once again,

For faster fermentation, preheat your convection oven in moderate temparature. Turn it off and keep the batter inside the oven. Heat the oven for 3-4 min in LOW temparature in one or two hour intervals. This is just to maintain a warm temparature around the batter container. You will get the batter properly fermented.

hi all,
thanks a lot everyone for the prompt responses and tips...
as my earlier blender stopped working,went and exchanged it for an osterizer...this one has a more powerful motor than my earlier one...and hopefully, with all ur tips, shud work out fine...
i might think of getting an ultra frm india as someone is likely to come in a few months....

rgds,
sowpar

Not just batter.. even for curd.. thats the best option, writeme(nice username ) atleast for those who see winter ;)