Grinding has been a very important part while making Indian food since the olden days. Without grinding the masala you get from spices like cumin, red chilies, turmeric, dry mango, etc., you cannot get the authentic Indian taste in any dish, and as we all know, the real favor lies when we freshly grind the spices.
Hence mixer grinders play a key role in the Indian kitchen. There are many types of grinders out there, and each grinder has its own specific functionality, but the two distinct types of grinders, a wet grinder, and a dry grinder, for the purpose of wet grinding and dry grinding, respectively.
But a question arises during all of this whether you can use the grinders for either purpose, which means, could you use a wet grinder for dry grinding or vice versa.
This article gives you the answers along with a clear justification about why the wet grinder can be or can it be not used for dry grinding.
Can we use a wet grinder for dry grinding?
The answer to this question is generally No. This means a wet grinder cannot be used for dry grinding. This is because the working of each grinder is different from the other, and as each grinder is to be used for a specific purpose to get the best results. In the case of a wet grinder, it is used to grind coconuts, lentils and make the batter of dosa, idlis, and other such dishes. Hence it has a completely different power and method of working.
It is comparatively larger in size as it is meant for grinding and making a paste out of the bulk quantity. Hence even if you try to grind your dry stuff in a wet grinder, it would probably not give you the desired consistency, and you will have to do an excessive amount of work by washing the entire not-so-small grinding jar.
What kind of contents are required for a wet grinder?
Furthermore, wet grinding involves taking the contents in a liquid and slurry form and then grinding them to obtain a perfect grainy paste. Hence the speed, size, and power of the entire machine are completely different from that of a dry grinder. The installation is also a completely different process, so using it for dry grinding is not recommended. The same suggestion goes for vice versa i.e. using a dry grinder for wet grinding.
What is the purpose of a wet grinder?
To be explained briefly, a dry grinder is exclusively used for making chutneys, grinding masalas into a powder, and other such small scale grinding, which does not involve the presence of water or any other kind of liquid in it but requires a high power motor so that the hard substance finally gets ground. Thus, you get a thin powder-like consistency. At the same time, a wet grinder is used to make the batter for dosas which involves grinding the dal soaked in water overnight.
The latter takes more area as the soaked dal is in large quantity, it takes more time to become like a paste, and it also requires a not-so-sharp blade to be ground. In contrast to this, a dry grinder becomes very hot while grinding as it requires more power while grinding the hard masalas or any other hard substance. On the other hand, the heat is not produced in the wet grinder as the power is comparatively less; this also makes a difference in grinding consistency.