Many dishes - Many Tawa and Kadai – My kitchen is full
It is very heartening to observe that the world is moving from the unhealthy artificial cookware to natural cookware such as clayware, stoneware, iron cookware and cast iron cookware. While this move is happening , there are confusions around which would be the right cookware for what kind of dish and thus there is trial and error leading to hoarding of cookware in the kitchen.
Masala Dosa and ghee roast – yum yum – needs an iron thick flat tawa that can roast but not burn the dosa with ghee. Weight matters. Heavier the better. Do not take larger than the flames can reach as the sides will remain uncooked
Paratha/Adai/Uthappam/set dosa – Preferably a cast iron that can heat uniformly and absorb the butter. Definitely a heavy one
Joladha roti and Pathri – Makes one feel so much at home. Needs a dry tawa which has never seen oil in its life before. Iron or cast iron but should be kept aside for this purpose
Phulka – A go to dish that needs a light weight iron tawa that we can flip easily. Club this with the other rotis without oil
Theplas, pan cakes and Chillas – staples for some , exotic for some, needs a flat bottom cast iron tawa
The problem of choices just does not stop with Tawas ,they continue to cast iron kadai and iron kadai too . Shallow fry prefers a cast iron kadai, deep fry prefers an iron kadai. Now aren’t we stuck? My kitchen is quite multi cuisine, I can hear you all say. Which one do I choose? Should I pick the cast iron tawa for dosa or the iron tawa for dosa? Should I pick the flat tawa or the concave tawa? Do I deep fry more or shallow fry more? What gives crispier results with lesser oil consumption?
With this many questions, trust me shopping will no more be retail therapy, it will become a laborious task. Here is a quick checklist to choose your cast iron cookware and iron cookware
What do you cook the most, invest more in a product suitable , be ready to get average results In other dishes where the tawa is not appropriate
Choose a tawa which suits most for your regular dishes best
Go for a trustworthy partner who will help you with your questions
Season it yourself so you understand what has to be done with it doesn't give good results. Sometimes even washing an iron cookware with high chemicals can put it on backseat
Keep 2 options of cookware and use them for the right dishes and maintain well.
On a day if your tawa or kadai is troubling you, check if you had made maida or wheat based dishes on them the previous time and not washed well. Check if it was washed with high chemical based cleaners. Check if the iron cookware or cast iron cookware is too dry and no oil is on it. Lastly check the batter or the dish for its right proportion.
Just a little guidance in the first week will leave you trouble free for the rest of your life and the generations will learn a healthy living practice. More than anything you will get tasty and healthy food every day