Best Cookware for Indian Curries: Starting in the kitchen doesn’t require much, especially if you adopt a simpler and smarter approach to cooking. This involves spending less time in the kitchen while still being creative and perfecting flavors. To achieve this, you need the right tools, pots, pans, and appliances. Investing in high-quality cookware will significantly improve your cooking experience and make your life easier. Besides Best Cookware for Indian Curries, keep visiting our website Kicheneous for more reviews and products.
As we spend more time in the kitchen, our collection of kitchenware tends to evolve to suit our cooking needs. After thorough research, we have compiled a list of “Essential Pots & Pans for Every Kitchen” that will improve your cooking experience. You can find all of these pots and pans at your nearest Home Centre store. Alternatively, we have also provided links to the best non-stick cookware for Indian cooking on Amazon, which have been personally tested by us.
Best Cookware for Indian Curries
There are several types of cookware available to make curries, but we have compiled a list of the top pots and pans preferred in Indian kitchens for making traditional curries with a delicious taste.
1. Stir Fry Pans with Lid (Cook & Serve)
If you are searching for the best cookware for Indian curries, stir-fry pans should be your first choice. Look for pans with a heavy-gauge aluminum body and a water-based double-layer non-stick eco-friendly ceramic coating. These pans have soft-touch handles and do not heat up while on the stove. The heavy-gauge press aluminum construction ensures even heating and superior heat retention, resulting in cooking efficiency. These ceramic-coated pans are exceptionally durable with a double-layer non-stick coating that is eco-friendly, making them ideal for healthy cooking. However, if you are cooking for more than two people, make sure to use a kadai as a fry pan cannot handle large quantities.
This pan is perfect for making crepes/pancakes, cheese or half-boiled eggs, omelets, and shallow-fried cutlets. Additionally, this tawa would also be helpful in making stir-fry sabzis. Ceramic pans are an excellent medium for cooking as they preserve heat evenly, resulting in well-cooked dishes that require less oil.
2. Saucepan with Lid (Cook & Serve)
A saucepan with a lid is an incredibly useful piece of cookware when cooking one-pot dishes such as biryani and curries. It is also great for steaming rice, vegetables, or legumes. Additionally, it comes in handy when cooking pasta dishes like penne or spaghetti for dinner. This ceramic-coated saucepan is made with heavy-gauge aluminum, which promotes even heating and superior heat retention, ensuring cooking efficiency. The double-layer non-stick coating is exceptionally durable and eco-friendly, making it ideal for healthy cooking with less oil.
Recipes Made: Pastas, Biryani, Pulao and Curries
3. Kadai / Wok
A Kadai is an essential tool for any Indian kitchen as it is used to prepare curries and subzis (vegetables). This versatile wok is perfect for stir-frying sabzis, noodles, and more due to its wide shape and large volume. The word “Kadai” is commonly used in India, while it is known as “Karahi” in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
When it comes to buying a non-stick Kadai, look for one with Teflon Classic Double Nonstick coating and a body made of 99.99% pure virgin Aluminium. The best quality standards in terms of product thickness, weight, quality of non-stick coating, and handles ensure that the cookware lasts long and provides a great cooking experience. It is important to choose an extra thick cookware, which ensures even heating all over the cooking surface, helping to cook better and save essential nutrients. Once a thick pan is sufficiently heated, the flame can be lowered, and precious fuel can be saved.
Recipes Made: Noodles, Aloo Bhajia, Kadai Paneer and more.
4. Handi Pot
The Handi pot is a versatile cooking utensil that can be used to prepare not only Biryani but also stews, curries, soups, and other dishes that require cooking in larger quantities in a single pot. The wide shape and large volume of the Handi make it easy to accommodate plenty of food and serve biryani directly in the pot.
Recipes Made: Noodles, Aloo Bhajia, Kadai Paneer and more.
5 . Tava (Skillet) For Dosas, Rotis & Parathas
In an Indian kitchen, a Roti tawa or flat skillet is an essential item. Roti is a staple bread in Indian households, where the phulkas or roti are first cooked on a tawa and then placed directly on the flame to rise and puff. This tawa is handy for making soft rotis and dosas.
However, it’s important to have separate tawas for rotis and dosas. When purchasing a non-stick tawa, look for one that is extra thick, ensuring even heating over the cooking surface and better preservation of essential nutrients. Once the thick pan is heated sufficiently, the flame can be lowered, saving precious fuel.
Recipes Made: Phulkas/Roti, Dosa and Parathas
6. Kuzhi Paniyaram Pan
A paniyaram pan is a handy kitchen tool with multiple small cavities that make it easy to pan fry small portions of muffins, frittatas, paniyarams, pakoras, and vadas. The number of cavities varies depending on the size of the pan. Cast iron pans require more oil to fry, while non-stick pans require less oil. This versatile pan can also be used to prepare low-fat vada, bonda, pakoda, and more.
Recipes Made: Dahi Vada, Medu Vada, Broccoli Pakora, Paniyaram and many more.
7. Grill Pan
Grill pans can be a great alternative to outdoor charcoal grilling, allowing you to achieve similar results indoors. With a grill pan, you can easily prepare tikkas, sandwiches, and grilled vegetables. These heavy-duty cast aluminum grill pans are non-stick, making them easy to use and clean. Investing in a high-quality grill pan is a wise decision, as it can last you a lifetime and even be passed down to future generations.
Recipes you can try: Paneer Tikka, Kebabs, Sandwiches and more.
8. Three Compartment Grill Pan
This uniquely designed pan features three compartments that allow you to cook everything you need on a single surface. It also comes with a detachable handle for use in an OTG. The three compartments are perfect for preparing your morning breakfast, whether you’re making eggs, vegetables, frying potatoes, or even grilling chicken. This pan is a must-have in every kitchen.
9. Tadka Pan
This pan is a staple in every Indian kitchen for its traditional use. It is commonly used for making a tadka or seasoning, a technique in Indian cooking that brings out the flavors of spices and aromas of onion and garlic in the dish. The small size of this pan allows for the use of less oil, making it a healthy cooking option.
Recipes Made: Burani Raita, Tadka Dal, Dhokla and many more.
Final Thoughts on the Best Cookware for Indian Curries
Starting out with Indian cooking may seem daunting at first, with long ingredient lists and an abundance of spices in every recipe. However, at the core, Indian cooking relies on fairly simple techniques that can be learned with the right equipment. You can start with simple recipes and later move on to more complex techniques like marinating and baking at high temperatures.
Additionally, you don’t need a high tolerance for spicy foods to enjoy Indian cuisine. The spices are meant to add flavor, not heat. Many curries and spice mixes have low-heat options, and you can always adjust the amount of chili flakes to your personal preference.
With the right cookware and a little knowledge about the spices, you can easily cook and enjoy delicious Indian food. So go ahead and try out a fantastic Indian recipe, and happy cooking!