A wet grinder can refer either to a tool for abrasive cutting of hard materials or to a

food preparation Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ing ...

appliance used especially in

Indian cuisine Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, he ...

for grinding

food grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes ...

s to produce a paste or batter. A wet grinder for abrasive cutting uses fluid for lubrication or cooling; for food preparation, a wet grinder combines water to grain as it is ground to produce a batter.

Abrasive cutting wet grinders

Some

angle grinder An angle grinder, also known as a side grinder or disc grinder, is a handheld power tool used for grinding (abrasive cutting) and polishing. Although developed originally as tools for rigid abrasive discs, the availability of an interchangeable ...

s, most tile saws, and some grinders for

sharpening Sharpening is the process of creating or refining the edge joining two non-coplanar faces into a converging apex, thereby creating an edge of appropriate shape on a tool or implement designed for cutting. Sharpening is done by removing material ...

blades used in woodworking are wet grinders. The fluid helps with lubrication of the cutting process and with cooling to avoid cracking or damaging the cutting tool or the workpiece.

Food preparation wet grinders

Wet grinding is rare in

western cuisine European cuisine comprises the cuisines of Europe "European Cuisine." Wet grinders are used to make pastes from grains and lentils and is used extensively in

South Indian cuisine South Indian cuisine includes the cuisines of the five southern states of India—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana—and the union territories of Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Th ...

for preparation of popular dishes such as dosa,

idly Idli or idly () is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from the South India,popular as breakfast foods in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and rice ...

, vada,

appam Appam is a type of thin pancake originating from South India. It is made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, traditionally cooked in an ''appachatti'', a deep pan similar in shape to a wok. It is common in the cusine of Kerala and Tam ...

and

paniyaram Paniyaram ( ml, പനിയാരം) is an Indian dish made by steaming batter using a mould. It is named variously paddu, guliyappa, yeriyappa, gundponglu ( kn, ಪಡ್ಡು, ಗುಳಿಯಪ್ಪ, ಎರಿಯಪ್ಪ), kuzhi paniya ...

. It consists of a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

stones which rotate inside a metal drum with the help of an

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate for ...

and the food grains get crushed between the stone and drum. Wet grinders have two advantages over

electric mixer A mixer, depending on the type, also called a hand mixer or stand mixer, is a kitchen device that uses a gear-driven mechanism to rotate a set of "beaters" in a bowl containing the food or liquids to be prepared by mixing them. Mixers help a ...

s or

blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

s. First, the stone grinder generates less heat than a mixer; heat affects the flavor of the food. Second, the stones remain sharp for a greater time than do metal blades.

Types of wet grinders

Originally stones manually operated, modern wet grinders are available for both home usage and larger-scale commercial production. A wet grinder consists of

stones rotating inside a metal drum with the help of an

. Food grains are crushed between stones in the drum. Modern wet grinders may use grinding stones that are circular or conical. Wet grinders have some advantages over

s or

s. A stone grinder generates less heat than a mixer, and heat can affect the flavor of the food. Unlike mixers, which cut food into smaller pieces, a wet grinder crushes the food, resulting in different consistency. Dosa and ghee

Geographical indication

In 2005, the

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, l ...

applied for

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

for Coimbatore wet grinder. Wet grinders are largely manufactured in Coimbatore because granite is easily available in this region. Beginning in March 2006, the label " Coimbatore Wet Grinder" is a registered

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

for

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

References

{{reflist Food preparation appliances Cooking appliances