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A kitchen needs cooking utensils – Pots and pans, ladles, spoons and spatulas, plates, bowls, and a stove to cook your food on. The variety of appliances, kitchen gadgets and cookware that you get in the market today is absolutely mind boggling and is sure to send a cooking goddess into a tizzy

A food processor to chop, slice, grind and mince; a state-of-the-art microwave that can heat, cook, grill and bake; a chic fridge; hand mixers and blenders to create interesting concoctions. Even our cookware is chosen with absolute care – the latest non-stick pans to cook without any hassle, wooden spatulas and stainless steel ladles, colorful ceramic tableware, bright coffee mugs and elegant tea cups.

Cooking utensils were not so sophisticated many years ago in India; though the food that came out of those traditional kitchens was as delicious, aromatic and flavorful, or maybe more. Traditional kitchens had a distinctive but simple range of kitchenware. Many of these utensils are still an integral part of Indian kitchens, such as the Kadhai (wok). The round Kadhai is used for sautéing, stir-frying and cooking curries with plenty of gravy.

The Degchi, another essential utensil, is a round, deep, broad-rimmed pan used for cooking daals (lentils), kheer (rice pudding) and other dishes with a liquid base. Then there is the Haandi, a round-bottomed vessel with a broad-rimmed mouth that was traditionally used to cook pilafs and meats under pressure (dum phukt). In this method of cooking, the mouth of the haandi is covered with a plate and the edges sealed with a thick layer of dough.

The Ghara and Kalash – round-bottomed broad vessels were used for storing water and grains. The Lota is a miniature kalash was used as a tumbler for drinking as well as washing hands.

The Karchi, a ladle with a long handle is still used for doling out lentils, curries and gravies, while the Palta or Khunti, a metal spatula with a square or triangular headpiece and a long handle, comes in handy for stir-frying or turning pieces of meat, fish and vegetables being fried in an open pan.

The Bonti, a sharp-edged, crescent shaped blade, screwed onto a solid, rectangular piece of wood, is a common kitchen tool in the coastal areas as well as the eastern part of the country. It is used for peeling, chopping and slicing vegetables, making fillets, and deveining prawns.

Thalis or large platters along with an array of Katoris (bowls) were used to serve food. The plates and bowls were made of silver for the rich, while the common people used brass and clay for their thalis and katoris. Leaves of the banana plant and Saal trees also served as hygienic, disposable, bio-degradable plates, used till date for community meals. Cooking utensils were generally made from earthenware and metals like iron and alloys like bronze and brass.

• Good set of non-stick pans - metallic base, heavy-duty handle, lid with steam outlet.

  • 2 x small pans

  • 2 x large flat pans

  • 2 x deep pans

• 1 x Non-stick frying pan with thin base

• 1 x Karhai (Kadai) for frying (semi-spherical cast iron bowl. Approx. 8" diameter should be fine. AVOID handles on your karhai)

• 3 x knives (1 x chef's knife, 1 x utility knife ,1x paring knife)

• 1 x Herb Knife (Mezzaluna)

• 1 x Meat Cleaver

• I x Potato Peeler

• 1 x Chopping Board

• 1 x Colander

• 1 x Sieve (Chalni/Charni)

• 1 x Grater (hand held)

• 2 x Spatulas (1 x wide head, 1 x narrow head)

• 1 x Rolling Pin (Velan/Belan) -find one which is thin with tapered ends as traditional pastry rolling pins do not offer the small level of control.

• 1 x Adni (Chakla/ Bread board) - find one in an Indian Shop, wood is best.

• 1 x Sansi (cast iron or stainless steel)

• 1 x Chipyo (Chimta/Flat-headed long tongs) - cast iron. DO NOT use ice cube tongs as these have sharp edges.

• 1 x Jaro/Skimmer (this is should have holes to allow oil to seep back through to the karhai)

• 1 x Tabetho. This ubiquitous utensil defies explanation. You'll just find it useful. Wooden ones are very popular to help preserve your non-stock base, cast iron ones last longer and stainless steel ones are easy to clean.

• 1 x Turner (stainless or heavy-duty plastic)

• 1 x Stirrer (wood or stainless steel)

• 1 x Stainless steel ladle (Karchhi). For stirring and serving dhals, curries etc.

• 1 x Eggbeater/Whisk (Mathani)

• 2 x Wooden Spoons

• 1 x Measuring jug (pints/millilitres)

• 1 x Small Coffee bean grinder

• 1 x Small chopper

• 1 x Food processor (with blender)

• 1 x Electric Kettle

• 1 x Weighing scale (Taarazu)

• 1x Pressure Cooker with steamer

• 1 x large Ring (1" - 2" thick)

• 1 x small Ring (0.5" thick)

• 1 x Can opener (choose a good one)

• 1 x non-stick square baking tray (chose on that is at least 2.5" thick)

• 1 x Electric Kettle

• 2 x Stainless Pots without handles (Patila) - small & medium, +2 x stainless loose lids to fit.

• 1 x Mixing bowl (glass or stainless steel as plastic ones do not survive the kneading of dough).

• 1 x Medium Stainless Steel Platter (Thali/Thalli) - high-lipped. This can be used for serving food too.

• 1 x wire mesh with handle

• 1 x Heat Spreader

• 1 x grill/griddle for fish, grilled chops etc.

• 1 x Spice Box (circular stainless steel box with 6-7 small containers inside). This is useful for storing less pungent masala, but it is better to store Garam Masala and Hing (asafoetida) in tightly lidded jars. Similarly ground cloves, aniseed and cardamom are best stored in jars. Typical contents for a spice Box would include Rai (Mustard) seeds, Jeera (Cumin Seeds), Methi (Fenugreek) seeds, Ajmo (Ajwain) seeds, Dhana/Jeeru (Ground Coriander & Cumin seeds mixed), Chilli Powder and Hardar/Haldi (Turmeric).

• 1 x Flour Container. This is useful when making roti (rotli) and for storing small quantities of flour.

• 6-7 Spoons. (Chamach). You can use a normal teaspoon or invest in a couple of small headed 'spice' spoons that fit neatly into the spice box.

• 2 x Small Stainless Steel Storage containers with lids (1 for ghee, 1 for oil)

• 1 x small 'vaghar' bowl. This is a specialist item, normally with a copper base, best bought in an Indian shop. Alternatively you can use a Foley measuring cup. You can use a small dessert bowl (katori/vadki) as a measure, but this is not recommended for 'vagar' which involves heating oil and spices for garnishing dishes.