How to choose a cauldron for pilaf

All those people who prefer to dine with oriental dishes are beginning to think about how to choose a cauldron for pilaf. The buying question is really difficult. But such dishes are important if you want to regale loved ones with classic lagman, pilaf or shurpa. This is a great option for those who practice outdoor cooking, i.e. when using a fire. Such dishes have their own unique taste.

Only beginners in oriental cooking have a guess that there is nothing difficult in buying a cauldron. It seems that you can go to a tableware store and choose the option that suits the external data and cost. In fact, everything turns out to be much more complicated. Products that are ideal in terms of softness, which are impregnated with spices and broths, can only be obtained in a cauldron. It should be as similar as possible to the dishes used by people from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and other states.

List of cauldron manufacturers: how to choose a cast-iron cauldron for pilaf correctly

Today, quite a lot of manufacturing companies sell only those dishes that are of high quality and will serve the owner for many years. Various types of cauldrons, which are made on the basis of different types of materials, will also be available. They will differ in shape. Those. you can cook food in a cauldron in different ways.

Analyzing the assortment of the domestic market, it should be noted that today we have products of both famous brands and lesser known brands. We would like to note that when thinking about which cauldron to choose for pilaf, it is better to pay attention to the parameters, and not to the price or the popularity of the manufacturer's brand.

Very often, production is carried out in the states of Central Asia. On the territory of the Russian Federation, we have the opportunity to buy a quality product at an affordable price. Tableware manufacturers can be both Tatar brands and North Caucasian companies.

If we highlight the best, these are: Forester, Kamskaya utensils, TundraGrill, Mayer & Boch, Kukmara. There are options in the implementation that are produced in China. But keep in mind that it is better not to buy them, since, according to numerous reviews, the quality is not the best. Many important requirements must be observed in the production of a cauldron, which cannot be said about these types of dishes. For this reason, this utensil will be more appropriate for cooking food from other customs and countries.

The principle of operation and design of the cauldron

Before telling in more detail how to choose a cauldron for the house, you need to indicate what kind of design it is. So, the utensil is a large pot made of metal. It will have a sloping bottom. By tradition, a cauldron is used for cooking Central Asian dishes. The installation of the cauldron is equipped on the area of ​​special tripods or in the oven. Cooking ovens with a chimney can be either portable or stationary.

The cauldron must be equipped with a lid. It should fit as tightly as possible so that there are no gaps for steam to escape. It is made on the basis of the same material as the cauldron itself.There is also an option for using wooden boards. Sometimes, the product can be equipped with a solid handle. At its expense, you can hang dishes over the fire for cooking delicious treats.

A hemispherical shape can be used. This idea has an explanation. The thing is that the dishes have a wide diameter from above, and taper towards the bottom. When the dishes are lowered into the hearth, they will be heated by the flame, but not only the bottom cavity, but also the sides with a rounded shape.

Foods that are inside and receive more heat will remain hot for a long time. This will allow the fuel to be better saved. But due to the abundant formation of steam, the contents will not fry, but only languish. For this reason, food will become soft, flavorful and crumbly.

During the entire cooking time, the spices will saturate the food. This is the peculiarity of the standard cauldron. It will be important to note those parameters that you should pay attention to before buying utensils. If you are in doubt, do not be afraid to ask the sales assistant questions in the store. And yet - it is better to deal with the official points of sale of the brand's products.

Criteria for the correct purchase of a good cauldron

The form

Pay attention to the shape. It can be a hemisphere or with a flat bottom. In the first case, this is the traditional solution. Due to this, the boiler will evenly heat up in the area of ​​the bottom as well as the walls. This makes it possible to warm up food. Models are used on an open fire, special tripods or stoves are used.

There are also flat bottom options. Hemispherical cauldrons cannot be installed on the stove, as there are specimens with a straightened bottom. Such products are simply installed on the burner for the home stove. But there are models in the shape of a pan, which have a hemispherical shape and a slight seal.

Volume

An equally important parameter. Typically, it varies from 2 to 20 liters. It is indicated on all products. But keep in mind that this means the maximum value, and not the useful one, and therefore you are unlikely to be able to fill the cauldron to the brim. In order to navigate and calculate how much volume is needed in your case, you need to rely on the number of people who need to be fed.

If it is 2-3 people, buy a cauldron for 5 liters, but for 5-6 people - 15-20 liters.

Walls: thickness

Ideally, this indicator should be at least 3-5 mm, but there are options for more or less. Please note that the thicker the material in the area of ​​the walls, the better the cauldron will be able to accumulate and retain heat. At the right time, giving out a portion of the products that are in it.

The uniformity of heating will depend on the wall thickness as well. When choosing, you should pay attention to the surface of the walls inside. It is necessary that there are no chips, no irregularities, depressions or sagging.

Varieties of cauldrons

Steel with teflon or enamel coating

Such dishes have similar properties to those of cast iron. But enamel and Teflon are not able to withstand strong heat. Subsequently, the dishes will simply peel off or crack. In fact, it will spoil the food, and even negatively affect your health. If the coating turns out to be in food, then the human body is not able to digest them without a trace.

Frequent stirring of the dish can damage the dishes. But after all, almost all oriental treats provide for such manipulations when cooking. Nations in Europe often choose something like a cauldron. Quite often, dishes are made with insufficiently thick walls, and therefore the heat will not last as long as needed.

The advantages include: non-stick properties. But the disadvantages are that the dishes are heavy, the coating is short-lived, rust appears in the area of ​​damaged areas. We also note that due to the good thermal conductivity of the material, steam will not form.

Aluminum

This dish is popular with those who go hiking. This fact is due to the fact that it is small in weight. Those. carrying from one place to another is easier.We advise you to buy not just aluminum dishes, but with additives. For example, iron, copper, manganese. Everything is explained simply. By itself, the metal aluminum is brittle. It is easily damaged and can bend. This will not make it possible to maintain the desired shape, which will negatively affect the cooking process. The contents of the cookware are heated very quickly. However, like the cooling process. But this is not suitable for oriental dishes. To achieve languor, both in cast iron and in this case, is not possible.

Experts do not recommend storing food inside an aluminum cauldron. It is better to transfer it to another container so that the oxidation process does not start. In fact, the dishes are demanding to care for, because the protective film can be damaged when cleaned with coarse brushes or a brush.

In the event that you decide to purchase a model made of aluminum, then choose the dishes where the wall thickness will be at least 1 cm. The following advantages should be indicated: light weight, low cost. But it was not without drawbacks - the walls can bend during operation, the dishes quickly heat up and cool down, and products can oxidize in it.

Cast iron

Cast iron cauldrons are a popular type of cookware that meets all the requirements. This metal is gradually prone to heating, distributing heat evenly. He is able to hold it for a long time, even if the dishes need to be removed from the heat. The heat will remain even without heating, which prevents food from losing its taste.

What is the reason for this fact? Heat is retained due to the thick walls of the container and a reliable lid. She will not let the steam come out. In such a dish, food will languish, and not, as in other types, it will be fried.

As for cast iron models, their cooking time will be much higher. But this has its own plus. The recipe for preparing a lot of traditional dishes involves a really lengthy process.

They say that food will be tastier in an old cauldron. This confirms the fact that a thin, indelible film is formed on the surface. It appears over time, when even the smallest pores of cast iron will already be filled with fat.

Due to this condition, food will not stick to the surface. Of course, you shouldn't worry about the non-stick coating. It is natural and not prone to damage.

Let's designate the pluses, which can be attributed: the fact of slow cooling, the strength indicator and the long service life of the dishes.

But the disadvantages are that the cauldron is heavy, it can subsequently rust, and unlike other types, cast-iron dishes do not differ in their attractive appearance.

Copper

In recent years, such cauldrons have rarely been found in modern kitchens. It is a material with toxic properties, and is prone to corrosive process. Such dishes need to be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis. It is quite difficult and time-consuming.

Cauldrons differ in a reddish tint. It is inherent in this material. Over time, you will realize that the dishes are cooling very quickly, but the heating is also maximum. But she does not manage to keep warmth for as long as cast iron dishes.

The copper cauldron has thin walls, but the bottom will already be somewhat denser. The food will warm up to the top. You need to prototype the content in the model, which is not always possible. Let there be drawbacks, but in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, copper dishes are really in demand to this day, and in these countries they know a lot about how to cook delicious pilaf.

Among the advantages, we include the light weight of the dishes, as well as warming up the food inside, right up to the top.

As for the cons, it is important to indicate that the material is prone to corrosion, it is important to constantly clean it. The walls are thin, and keeping warm is not easy.

Price question: how much does a cauldron cost?

Copper cauldrons will be expensive models. For a medium-sized model, prepare to pay about 5-7 thousand rubles. If your choice fell on aluminum cookware, then it is cheaper. The cost varies in the region of 1500-3000 rubles.

Speaking of cast iron cauldrons, note that these are inexpensive types of cookware. They cost about 2-4 thousand rubles. But large models have a special outer coating. They reach 10,000 rubles.

In the region of 1,500 - 6,000 rubles, there are cauldrons made of steel, both with ceramics and Teflon coating. The cost will depend on the brand, configuration or volume.

Expert advice: choosing a cauldron

If you need to cook a traditional oriental dish, pay attention to the cast iron dishes. In particular, this applies to those cases when cooking is carried out on an open fire.

If you cook on the stove at home, then buy a cauldron made of copper, aluminum, so that there is a non-stick coating. But for tourists and travelers, aluminum cauldrons are recommended. This is due to their light weight. But keep in mind that for any cauldron, the wall thickness should not be less than 1 cm.