India, June 27 -- There's a sound many Indian kitchens grew up with - the scrape of a silbatta crushing coconut, chillies and spices into a coarse mixture. Modern mixer grinders replaced that ritual long ago, but they also replaced the texture that came with it, turning almost everything into a smooth paste.

Atomberg believes its new Zenova Mixer Grinder can bring some of that texture back. The company claims its Coarse Mode can recreate the consistency of stone-ground chutney while offering the convenience of a modern mixer grinder. That was enough to make me curious and sceptical. I spent time testing the Zenova's performance, Coarse Mode, build quality and day-to-day usability to see whether those claims hold up in a real kitchen.

Th...