Stirring the old with the new: How Indian cookware is evolving without losing its soul

In home chef Rhea Dalalrsquos kitchen the age of her cookware ranges from one to 60 years At one end are heavyduty castiron pots and a 5kg urli used for slowcooked mutton curries and payesh On the other hand lightweight modern pieces such as a carbon steel wok from Japan or a Meyer stainless steel kadhai are her goto for everyday cookingSubodh Guptarsquos Sadhu Fakir at Nature Morte Mumbai 2024ldquoI canrsquot do without eitherrdquo says Dalal ldquoSome of my mostused cookware is inherited mdash like a small cast iron kadhai with one handle missing but an interior smooth as silk My grandmother used it then my mother Every time I fry a Bengali luchi those memories come backrdquoShe also relies on her motherinlawrsquos 30yearold Futura pressure cooker and a set of traditional copper vessels ldquoFreshly tinned they work better than most nonstick cookware today I use them for milk reductions and biryanisrdquo she adds Her only gripe ldquoTheyrsquore just too heavy mdash but worth the effortrdquoUmesh Gupta MD Bergner India at the showroom with their cookware rangeThe Indian kitchen revolves around the kadhai and the tawa mdash those roundbottomed versatile workhorses that change in size shape and style as they travel across regions and recipes In Gujarat it is called a tasla without any handles and in petite sizes mdash for dry sabzis simmering dal and sauteacuteing greens Up north it deepens and widens for gravies and largescale cooking In UP the kadhais are shallow Go south and its usage fades as the handi makes room for sambhar and stewsldquoThe kadhai is integral to Indian cookingrdquo says Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who launched WonderChef 15 years ago ldquoIts round shape has always been efficient mdash food doesnrsquot get stuck in corners and it could be shaped without machinery even centuries ago One vessel lets you fry simmer gravies or make khichdirdquoRhea Dalal with her inherited cookware in her home and cooking in a castiron pan at KhargharOver time the kadhai has evolved to suit modern needs ldquoThe base flattened to sit better on gas burners improving stability It reflects how we function mdash we value tradition but crave subtle upgrades Like life we look for something new without letting go of the oldrdquo says Kapoor who believes the next revolution in cookware will come through specialised products where form material and ergonomics are tailored for specific functions ldquoConvenience is keyrdquo he adds ldquoThink dishwashingfriendly surfaces and innovations in nonelectric cookware The future lies in merging Indian tradition with smart sustainable design mdash not importing trends but refining our ownrdquoAruni Mishra CEO Tramontina India believes that while the Indian kitchen has embraced modernisation its heart still beats in tradition ldquoVery few Western shapes have found their way into our homes mdash maybe the Dutch oven or casserole which we adapted for biryani and pulaordquo he says ldquoWe havenrsquot taken to Instant Pots or electric pressure cookers Our traditional pressure cooker reignsrdquoRhea DalalInstead of changing forms brands are innovating within them ldquoRather than reinvent the kadhai or pressure cooker wersquove enhanced them with technology mdash natural ceramic coatings bonded with silica gel for instance These are nontoxic donrsquot crack under high heat and prevent sticking even with minimal oilrdquo says Mishra ldquoItrsquos about refining what we already trust not replacing itrdquoUrban living however is shaping new preferences ldquoLimited time and space are altering how we cook mdash and what we cook withrdquo he adds Therersquos also growing awareness around health and sustainability ldquoPeople are rethinking materials Wersquore seeing a shift away from synthetic nonstick surfaces and a return to stainless steel and cast iron Todayrsquos home cook is looking for cookware thatrsquos safe efficient and built to lastrdquo Tramontinarsquos bestselling Fusao range an advance step to triply cookware that is coated with ceramic mdash it reflects a blend of tradition and modern functionAruni Mishra CEO Tramontina IndiaBergner the Indian cookware brand headquartered in Zaragoza Spain was among the first to introduce triply cookware to the Indian market in 2007 ldquoEuropean cooking is straightforward mdash fish in seven minutes steak in five Therersquos no kheer or halwa simmering for hoursrdquo says Umesh Gupta CEO of Bergner Their aluminium cookware with nonstick coating works for that lifestyleBut in India it simply doesnrsquot hold uprdquo Gupta a strong advocate for healthier cookware warns of the risks of aluminiumbased utensils ldquoOil burns faster on aluminium releasing harmful compounds that raise cholesterol and fat levels In India we end up using more oil not out of habit but because our cookware isnrsquot built for dishes like poha upma or rice which tend to stick After a dozen uses most aluminium nonstick loses effectiveness so we keep adding oilrdquoSubodh Guptarsquos Rural Urban 2022 at a France galleryTo address this Bergner developed cookware explicitly designed for Indian kitchens and regional cuisines Their lighter pure iron line suits daily use while the Essentials range and Argent Samsara range caters to local traditions a triply biryani pot for Hyderabad paniyaram pans and coffee warmers for Chennai and Bangalore and taslas and tadka kadhais for Gujarat ldquoEach size is designed with intent mdash from small sabzi kadhais to largebase pots for marinating or slowcooking meatsrdquo Gupta explains And when the traditional kadhai isnrsquot enough ldquoThatrsquos where the casserole comes inrdquo he adds ldquoIts wide base prevents food from clumping encourages even cooking and when used open actually improves flavourrdquoWhen Dhruv Agarwal Director at Autopress India Pvt Ltd returned to India from Germany in 2003 he made space in his 20kg luggage for four pieces of cookware hersquod been using as a student one of which remains in use with a friend to this day ldquoThatrsquos the kind of loyalty great cookware earnsrdquo he saysIn 2013 Agarwal launched Stahl Kitchens building on his familyrsquos legacy mdash his father Rajiv Agarwal had been manufacturing cookware for global brands like Tefal Philips and Zwilling With the inhouse brand the focus shifted to quality and process ldquoWe brought in lean manufacturing experts to streamline production and introduce rigorous testing protocolsrdquo says Agarwal Today each pressure cooker goes through 18 checks and cookware is evaluated across 15 parameters Agarwal views the kitchen as a system with four key phases prep cooking serving and storage ldquoLike any efficient workflow the right tools at each stage make a huge differencerdquoTheir biggest innovationTriply construction an inner layer of foodgrade stainless steel SS304 an aluminium core for even heat distribution and a magnetic stainlesssteel exterior SS430 thatrsquos compatible with both induction and gas When Stahl launched its triply line in 2015 the segment was barely established with sales of just 800 units per month Most stainless steel kadhais cost Rs 800ndash900 Stahl priced theirs at Rs 3000Dhruv Agarwal Director Autopress India Pvt Ltd Stahl KitchensldquoToday the triply market is upwards of 11ndash12 lakh pieces a month Thatrsquos a dramatic shiftrdquo says Agarwal While nonstick ruled Indian kitchens in the rsquo90s triply is steadily gaining ground for its durability heat efficiency and cleancooking surface ldquoIt doesnrsquot replace nonstick entirely mdash especially for eggs fish or dosa mdash but itrsquos become a staple of the modern Indian kitchenrdquoAn artist reflects on the everydayFor contemporary artist Subodh Gupta utensils are more than functional objects mdash they are vessels of memory and meaning ldquoThey remind me of home of stories at the table of taste and timerdquo he says ldquoEvery scratch holds a moment Everyone sees them differently based on their own journeyrdquoSubodh GuptaTo Gupta utensils are a shared language across cultures classes and continents ldquoThey come in every form metal ceramic leaf plastic mdash each shaped by its users and their times They reflect life itself sometimes abundant sometimes harshrdquoReimagining these objects in his art invites a range of reactions mdash nostalgia humour even discomfort ldquoWhen you take a common object and place it on a pedestal it becomes something else It forces people to look again mdash to question memory function and familiarityrdquo