Food tales to soothe your mind and body

Ultra Mixer Grinder buying guide by Divya Chandran

What mixer grinder to buy? This is a question that often comes up among my friends in group chats and discussions. And I have noticed that most home cooks are in search of a better mixer grinder, there is a sense of discontent. They want their next mixer grinder to be better than what they already have.

When I was given an opportunity to test the Elgi Ultra Duramix 750p, I immediately accepted it. I was curious to know whether this mixer grinder could actually do all that the beautiful promo video promises it can do. It is hard not to appreciate the brushed steel finish and the striking colour of the mixer grinder, it looked trendy and at home in my modular kitchen. The design of the body and the jars is simple with clean lines and this in turns helps with easy washing and maintenance. The use of food grade rust-resistant stainless steel for the jars and the blades is also a reassuring fact.

The Slo Grind feature was new for me and I couldn’t wait to try it out. So the first test for the mixer grinder was grinding cooked greens. I had given up on using a mixer grinder for grinding my greens (keerai) as it would always turn out finer than I wanted. But the Sarson ka Saag I made using the Duramix 750p, turned out really well. The puree was not too fine or slimy; it was just the right consistency. The Slo grind feature also comes in handy to make a pulpy tomato puree. And true to what was promised, the seeds of the pomegranate did not get crushed at the Slo grind speed and the taste of the juice was devoid of any bitterness or tartness.

I also liked using the Slo grind feature in combination with the turbo grind. For instance, when I roasted all the ingredients for making idli podi, I realised that the size of the ingredients varied a lot. The red chillies were long and bulky whereas the urad dal and sesame seeds were much smaller. The slow speed of the Slo grind reduced the red chillies to smaller size, similar to the size of the other ingredients. Then I switched to the turbo grind dial to blitz everything to a coarse consistency of my preference.

The 3 speed Turbo Grind in this mixer grinder does feel supercharged with the 750 Watt capacity motor. To achieve a fine powder consistency of roasted coriander seeds it took over two minutes in my older mixie. Whereas in this new one, it took all of 40 seconds to get a fine powder. I am able to note the time taken so exactly, thanks to the built-in Timer. At first, I wondered if I really needed a timer on a mixer grinder but now I realise how useful it is. As I was grinding the coriander seeds in two batches, I knew exactly how many seconds to grind the 2nd batch for.

I did have a setback while making crushed ice using the turbo grind. The ice did not get crushed evenly when I tried grinding it along with milk for a frappe. But then I figured that it helps to crush the ice first and then add the milk before blitzing some more. On its own the ice crushes better without the liquid element.

The Mini Cup that the mixer grinder kit comes with is ingenious. To grind a small quantity of roasted cumin seeds, I covered the smallest jar with the mini cup, locked it in place with lid of the jar and used the turbo grind. It is all about creating the perfect volume for the powerful motor to do its job with the blades and the mini cup helps in achieving that with very small batches to grind. The mini cup with the lid also makes for a quick storage solution.

The Hook-type Power cord is a boon to me. I have always struggled with pulling the plug out of the power sockets. All the misaligned switch plates in my kitchen will vouch for it. The hook-type power cord makes that task so much easier and everything in my kitchen can stay intact now.

Although the lids for the jars have a locking mechanism for hands-free operation, it requires some getting used to. I tussled with it initially but once I got the hang of it, I could comfortably keep my hands off the lid and watch the mixer-grinder do its job, at ease.

Overall, the Elgi Ultra Duramix 750p is a fantastic mixer grinder. I now have the right answer when someone asks me to recommend a good mixer-grinder. This mixer grinder does truly live up to the manufacturer’s tagline – Perfectly made.