It is
definitely easy to dream of a perfect kitchen but very difficult to keep it
maintained and “dreamy” as you imagined it to be! Once you have surpassed the purchase phase;
when you picked up the best fit utensils and kitchen ware for your kitchen. The
following phase includes; Proper use of utensils and kitchenware – if you use
them properly nothing can ever go wrong in your dream kitchen! Proper use of
the Karahi/Kadai, Sauce Pan and the Frying Pan that are regularly used in an
Indian Kitchen is as mandatory as use of onions and garlic in Indian recipe!
Let’s start,
Proper use of Kadai
If your
utensil is new and has not been used before, I recommend “curing procedure”
before, to do so clean the utensil with dish washing powder, in case there is
rust on your cast iron kadai use a steel scrubber. Remember never to use lemon
or any such acidic substance to clean. Following that apply some vegetable oil
and heat it until it dries. Your kadai (iron) is ready for cooking.
While
cooking certain things should be kept in mind: low flame cooking is suggested
while using a big size burners, kadai’s are best used in frying and making
spicy food items, even though an iron kadai does not add to the flavor of the
food, it definitely changes a bit of the color. So remember to transfer food
immediately after cooking to avoid discoloring. (I somehow, like to leave it
in, especially after cooking mutton-masala!) Post cooking, wash off the oil
with water followed by dishwashing powder. To maintain your Kadai, apply
vegetable oil, place a napkin over and store till next use.
Proper use of Saucepan:
A Saucepan
is a two-quartered utensil used to prepare sauces, soups and even rice. The
best saucepan is of cooper material, which helps you cook faster and clean
easier. For all those bakers out there, a copper saucepan is the best way to
melt your sugar or chocolate, as it reacts to temperature changes rapidly. It
is advisable to buy set of three saucepans available in the market that
includes milk pan for sauces, medium for reheating and boiling and large ones
for rice or curry for whole family.
Stainless Steel sauce pans are easily available in the market at
reasonable prices. Remember to cook at low flames while using a stainless steel
utensil as it might result in burning the utensil which later becomes difficult
to clean.
Proper use of Frying Pan:
A Frying pan
is the “it” thing in the modern kitchen today. Health conscious eaters and
chefs are able to cook with minimal fat or oil and less ingredient too, making
food a bit healthier than it normally can be. It is a skillet with higher
sides, used as all purpose pans. The best pans are metal like stainless steel,
copper or aluminum. Non-stick pan are recommended. (My personal favorite would
be Soyer – www.soyerappliances.com). Use moderate or low heat as high
heat damages the non-stick coating that prevents food being heated equally
resulting in partially cooked food. Remember never to use steel scrubber. Use
only sponge with dishwashing powder to maintain coating of the Frying pan.
The main
thing to remember is not to use these three different pans to substitute each
other. The Kadai, Saucepan and Frying pan have different functions and cook in
different manner. Take care to keep your pans exclusive. Clean immediately with
water to prevent oil from settling down and wash with dish washing powder after
they cool off.
Stay Smart
Cook Healthy!
