Roti could very well be the most consumed flatbread on the planet.

But making these discs of deliciousness is not easy, One has to master this skill for years before you get it right.

In theory, roti shouldn’t be so hard to make, the recipe is quite straightforward. Just add some water and if needed, oil to wheat flour and knead it into a dough. Make flat discs with the dough and cook them. But getting the dough right is key, a good roti will be thin but will also have multiple layers.

So even though rotis look quite simple on the table, getting them right is quite complex and requires quite a bit of practice.

In addition to this, every household usually has a different preference on how the members like their roti.

Now, imagine a machine that could make the perfect roti for you every time.

From kneading the dough to rolling it out into perfectly round thin discs to cooking them perfectly.

The popular Rotimatic is that machine.

Brainchild of Pranoti Nagarkar and Rishi Israni, co-founders of Zimplistic, Rotimatic is the world’s first fully-integrated, one-touch smart flatbread making robot.

Rotimatic was launched in 2016 and is currently enjoyed by more than 65,000+ homes across 20 countries. The Rotimatic Community has made more than 70 Million rotis already. Not yet launched in India, Rotimatic is available in USA, Middle East, Australia, Europe and Canada.

Touted as every NRI’s favourite gadget and labelled as the world’s most popular food robot, we cannot wait for Rotimatic to launch in India.

When contacted, the company representatives mentioned that their India plans are in full swing and we should expect Rotimatic to enter India in 2020.

They also mentioned that demand and number of enquiries from India are huge, in fact there are over 500 homes in India that have brought in Rotimatic from overseas and are connected and only use it for the sole purpose of making rotis, bajra rotis, puris or pizza bases. 

We have reviewed the Rotimatic to see if it delivers what it promises.

The Rotimatic is designed to do everything for you, from kneading the dough to dispensing perfectly cooked Rotis.

You just need to add the flour (atta), oil and water in their designated containers and press the power button.

The machine will knead the flour into dough by mixing proportionate quantities of water and oil, the dough will then be rolled out into flat, round Rotis.

It takes about 7 minutes for the machine to produce the first Roti from the time you provide the command. The initial 5-6 minutes are required for Rotimatic to warm up. Post the warm up every roti takes about 90 – 100 seconds. A microcontroller within Rotimatic actuates 300 parts, 15 sensors, and 10 motors to create the perfect Rotis every time you press the button. 

Rotimatic is fully wifi enabled, so when you buy the machine you will be able to connect it to your wifi.

You should also download the Rotimatic app onto your smartphone, this will send various diagnostics back to Rotimatic so that they can remotely keep a check on your machine and make sure everything is running as it is supposed to.

When you power on Rotimatic it takes about 6 minutes to heat up the two hot plate that will cook your rotis.

Once these plates are at the right temperature the machine will begin making the rotis. The machine will test out the consistency of the dough and the cooking time required on the first roti, so this one might not be the best, but the subsequent rotis the machine churns out are delicious.

Through the course of this review, we noticed that the Rotimatic can produce around 15 rotis with one fill. However, there is an option of selecting upto 20 rotis at once.

Rotimatic also prompts you with messages of it being a learning machine and that the machine will get better over a period of time. 

Pros

Fully Integrated System

Rotimatic is one of the most advanced pieces of smart kitchen gadgets in the market today. The best part about Rotimatic is that it is fully integrated and almost 100% hands-off. You just need to add the three raw ingredients and provide the command for it to start churning out hot puffed and delicious rotis. Rotimatic also makes puri and pizza bases. The puri discs need to be fried and the pizza bases need to be baked. 

Uses Minimal Oil

Rotimatic gives you two options for oil, 1 drop or 2 drops, that’s it. This makes sure that your oil intake is kept in check and your rotis are delicious and healthy. The oil is a requirement for gluten bonds to form and lubricate.

Economies of Scale

Rotimatic precisely calculates the amount of flour, oil and water to be used to make the perfect roti and has zero wastage. These precisely dispensed amounts of ingredients and reduced wastage can save you big bucks over the long run. 

Taste

Rotimatic ensures every roti puffs just like the rotis made by hand are made to puff on the gas stove or pans. The taste of rotis are quite good. What we found interesting was that every roti had the same consistency in taste. Rotis were even, well cooked and tasted well. 

Healthy

Rotimatic is a welcome change in the day of food delivery apps, takeaways and eating out. Let us all admit to ourselves that the practice of food delivery from fast food joints and restaurants is not the healthiest. Rotimatic gives one the opportunity to make rotis, puris, pizzas or bajra roti at home without the hassle and with a single click. Infact, one can add enriching supplements in proportion to the flour and enjoy nutritious rotis.

Convenience

What a brilliant idea and innovation? Why was it not thought of before? 

Rotimatic makes not only rotis, but has the options of puri discs and pizza bases as well. If Rotimatic can liberate thousands of women from a tedious chore and be an anchor for all of us including men not being dependent on women of the household to make rotis, why not? Inventions like Rotimatic are what we need in today’s age. 

Cons

Noticeable Sound

Since the Rotimatic is not just cooking the rotis for you, but also kneading the dough, rolling out the rotis, and pressing the rotis it does produce a decent amount of noise during the process. It isn’t the quietest kitchen appliance.

Heavy

Rotimatic is not the lightest of machines and will occupy a significant space in your kitchen shelves or dining area. Rotimatic weighs about 20 Kgs. However, just as done with ovens or washing machine having a designated area for it would work well as it isn’t easy to lift the machine and move it around regularly.

Requires Cleaning

The three containers used to feed the raw ingredients into the machine need to be kept clean regularly or else it may impact the machine performance.

Requires refilling at regular intervals

Since the Rotimatic can churn out only 15 rotis in a single go, it’s the perfect appliance for family dinners. While it may come in really handy for parties and get-togethers, you will still have to keep on refilling the flour, water and oil containers at regular intervals.

Conclusion

Look, Rotimatic claims to be a smart robot. Robots are supposed to make lives easier and Rotimatic stands true to its claim of simplifying lives.

Smart robots who can cook you flatbreads don’t come reasonably priced. You’ll have to shell out 999 USD for a Rotimatic.

However, depending on your lifestyle and consumption of rotis, if rotis are a staple and you eat them often, then go for it!

Through the course of this review, we have come to appreciate the invention and the convenience it provides. This smart machine takes all the effort out of making the perfect rotis and gives you the time to focus on other things. It does have its quirks but we think that it is the perfect addition to any kitchen.

In households where women of the house still make rotis daily, they would admit roti-making is a painstaking and time-consuming ordeal.

However, one may argue that the handmade rotis are better in taste than Rotimatic made and are thinner in comparison.

Remember, we have all grown up eating handmade rotis and it may take us some time to accept it in any other way. While romanticising cooking in the kitchen is something we all do well, the fact is it takes time and effort.

So if Rotimatic can provide for thousands of women to be liberated from this chore and be an anchor towards making each of us independent, i.e. men can now also make their rotis, we would love it.