Tandoori Ovens: Traditional Cooking With a Twist
Commercial tandoori ovens offer a unique method of cooking that is prevalent in many parts of Asia. These cooking equipment used in many restaurants are inspired by the tandoor, an Indian earthenware cooking pot. The results you will get in a tandoori oven cannot be replicated in other cooking equipment like
commercial grills and charbroilers, allowing you to deliver unique dishes to your customers.
Tandoori cooking involves the use of a large clay pot that is heated to high temperatures that can go all the way to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The clay oven has an opening along the walls to allow for ventilation. Fire is created from wood or charcoal at the base of the interior. This is crucial in getting quick cooking results as this exposes the food directly to the fire while also enabling you to cook with radiant heat from the clay pot and the metal skewers where meat is placed for cooking. The jug-like shape of the oven helps concentrate all that heat. The fat and juices that in turn drip to the charcoal or wood fire enhance the flavor of every product that goes through the tandoori.
On top of the unique experience, tandoori ovens facilitate healthy cooking, with each product coming fat-free with its original quality intact. Food cooked in a tandoori oven comes out unique and full of flavor. Flatbreads like naan are cooked in a tandoor by sticking them on the blistering hot walls of the tandoori oven. Meats are placed on skewers that are inserted into the oven or held over the top of the oven.
Despite the contemporary design, modern tandoor ovens take full inspiration from traditional tandoor ovens. They follow the same principles. Tandoor ovens here on CKitchen come from
Beech Ovens. They are available in square, round, and barrel styles with an insulated exterior made of stainless steel exterior or with terracotta enamel. They have a stainless steel exterior that adds to their durability.
The cooking surfaces available are ceramic and mild steel. Both do a good job for tandoori cooking, but ceramic replicates the effects of a clay pot much better and can last longer. Ceramic holds up well to extremely high temperatures for extended periods, making them more durable. Mild steel is a great choice for cooking skewered meats. It heats up rather quickly and is lightweight.
Tandoori oven restaurant can be used with gas, electric, and traditional charcoal. If you want the full flexibility of tandoori cooking with an easy setup, you might go with an electric unit. Gas tandoori ovens are ideal for most kitchens because they are easy to maintain, offer great control over the temperature, and reheat quickly. Charcoal not only introduces unique qualities to the finished product in terms of taste, but it is also very easy to work with and produces even heat through the chamber. If you are not sure which tandoori oven suits your operation best, don’t hesitate to give us a call so one of our trained food service equipment consultants can assist you.
