My favorite appliance

Here's my contribution to Sam's Utensibility meme.  Although I admittedly have more than my fair share of appliances (due to registering at Williams-Sonoma a few years back), most of them seem to exist to gather dust and take up storage space.  When I cook, I love getting my hands dirty, feeling the connection with the raw materials.  I prefer earthenware cazuelas, cast iron pans, carbon steel knives, wooden cutting boards, my trusty mortar and pestle.

But there is one exception to my Luddite tendencies:  my Sumeet Multi Grind.  Because my wife is of Indian origin, we cook a lot of her family's specialties, including curries, chutneys and idli sambar.  These recipes require a lot of grinding of wet and dry ingredients, ideally with little added water.  These demands have resulted in the death of several blenders.  Then I discovered this lovely contraption, made in India and imported through Canada.  It reduces ginger, garlic, herbs, soaked grains and legumes to a perfect puree in seconds, with only a splash of additional water.  It's especially invaluable when making my wife's cilantro-mint chutney for tomato, cucumber and chutney tea sandwiches (I'll supply a recipe when juicy heirloom tomatoes come into season).  It also makes great pesto and other herb purees when you don't feel in the mood to pound out your aggressions with a mortar and pestle.

I bought mine at the Berkeley branch of Sur la Table about 5 years ago, but I couldn't find it on their website.  It costs about $90 and should be available through the manufacturer's website linked above.  Highly recommended!

Comments

[Sam]

Hi Brett
Welcoming another San Franciscan to the food blogging community. Thank you for taking part with such a great sounding product.
I love the idea of the multi grind because I love cooking indian food. I am particulalrly looking forward to some of your recipes. We got a really delicious heirloom tomato last week at the Ferry Building farmers market so now you have a perfect excuse for making those delicious-sounding sandwiches. We like the big very dark red, almost purplish ones ourselves.

I hope to get the ound up done by late next week.
Have fun with the blogging mularky!
I am looking forward to reading more of your entries.
Sam

[Barbara]

Well, hello, Brett--you are the only other cook I know who has a Sumeet--I adore mine, and use it for all sorts of cookery tasks--Indian food, of course, Thai curry pastes, Mexican moles--it is fantastic!

Good luck with the blog!

[Brett]

Hi Sam and Barbara!

Sorry for delay in response, but am on the road. Also, as a Mac user, have had a steep learning curve learning to use Windows (in Spanish, which hasn't helped) at internet cafés.

Sam, when I get back, I'll definitely post the chutney sandwich recipe. Bet the tomatoes are juicy now.

Barbara, it's good to see other cooks also love their Sumeet. It's an odd-looking machine, but it works great. I'll have to attempt to use mine on Thai curry pastes!

[sam]

I think there will soon be 3 cooks in the world with a Sumeet

[Shakthi]

OOps! sorry for the typo, I meant to say "DESI" joints.

[Usha Goswami]

I bought the sumeet mixer grinder about (3) years ago. I went to India and never had chance to use all the bowls. the smallest unit works fine but the other (2) larger ones have never worked because they do not close the limit switch keeping it off. \Please advise what to do.
Thank you.
Usha Goswami

[Venkatesh Iyer]

We usually use Sumeet which is a good brand. The cutters are also very good and it makes less sound also.

[pensky]

I am a caterer in the UK. I have a Sumeet 2000 in red. It's fab. Try making masala dosas with it. Love Pensky.