The Rotimatic looks almost exactly like a medium to large-sized consumer printer. Kind of acts like one, too. But instead of pumping out quarterly reports, it pumps out delicious, perfectly round roti at an almost alarmingly quick rate.
After debuting in Singapore and the U.S. in 2016, the Rotimatic is now available in Canada.
Zimplistic — the company behind the Rotimatic — notes in the device’s marketing materials that it’s not aiming to “replace Mum” with its ability to churn out the fresh flatbread, but “our users says that Rotimatic rotis come really close.”
To cook a roti, you fill up three detachable compartments up top with water and oil, as well as a flour and spice mixture of your own creation.
The Rotimatic plugs into the wall and takes a few minutes to heat up, Easy Bake Oven-style. In the meantime, you can change the settings on the printer’s display for your desired level of roti thickness and roast. You also have the option of indicating whether you’ve added in thick or thin oil.
When it’s ready, the machine releases a carefully measured portion of each ingredient into the same container and begins kneading it — which you can witness through a little plastic window. Once it’s formed a perfect little ball of dough (which doesn’t take long), it shunts over to the oven side of the machine, where it’s pressed down and baked.
The whole process is completed within mere minutes and then it’s pushed out onto its little printer tray, ready to eat.
It worked perfectly during my experience, except for one time when the flour tunnel got clogged due to some earlier water spillage — you have to make sure to keep the machine as dry as you can. Fixing the clog didn’t take long once the Rotimatic alerted us of the problem on its display and we were back on track without another interruption.
An accompanying app goes through setup and cleaning instructions, connects the Rotimatic to the internet and provides chat support, among other things — though the machine can be used independently, as well.
Right now, the Rotimatic can only reliably make perfect roti and dough for puri — a fried bread — but the company says it’s working on making pizza and tortilla, among other things.
It costs $999 USD (about $1,200 CAD), not including shipping and taxes.
Verdict: Sticky (if I could afford it).
If I could afford to, I would probably get a Rotimatic for every location where I regularly spend time.
From my brief test, it seems to be a machine that makes delicious roti with very minimal need for human input. What’s not to like?
Only the price tag. It takes the Rotimatic from a fun kitchen appliance to a serious investment.
Still, I could see the Rotimatic working well for larger families that can afford it, especially if they’re spending a lot of time making roti or other carbs on a regular basis.
I could also see it working well for a small restaurant, or as a roti-selling side-hustle for a young entrepreneur.
Business cases aside, I can confirm that nearly the entire MobileSyrup team gave the Rotimatic’s rotis a thumbs-up. It just won’t be replacing our mums anytime soon.
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