Personally speaking, rolling out and cooking chapatis is second nature to me (I’ve been doing it since I was 10 ). So, a roti maker would be an unnecessary gadget for me. It seems to be working pretty good to roll out the chapati, so if you are new to rolling, it could be a useful thing (and time saving, too). The only feedback from friends and family regarding a roti maker is that it is really useful for making pani puris.

The type of machine I was talking about is illustrated here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukFFvdzn-c
I wonder if it is worth getting, or if it is just as easy to roll it out with a rolling pin and cook it in a skillet. Sometimes appliances are more trouble than they are worth. On the other hand, sometimes they really are timesavers. Since you have no personal experience with these (if I understand your answer right), have you heard opinions from trusted friends who cook Indian food? Thanks.

There are slight differences but sometimes, its just the regional name differences. Chapatis are unleavened bread cooked on a tawa (skillet) without oil. Roti (Rotli) are unleavened bread cooked half on a tawa and finished off on an open flame to puff. Parathas are unleavened bread that is cook on a tawa with oil. Naan is leavened and usually cooked in a tandoor (oven).

We have not used a tortilla press for making chapati/roti because most people don’t have them. If we get our hands on one, maybe we will do a “how to” video using it .