Now that we have a well designed kitchen, we need to staff it. I mean not with the Cook, but with proper equipment so that the process of cooking becomes easier. Where do we begin?

Let me start with what I mean by equipment. For me an equipment is something that helps with the cooking process, the ultimate aim of which is to make great dishes. With gadgetisation [see one of my predictions here] being the new mantra, this is a natural thing to do. My equipment list would have two elements – ones which can be plugged in, or to put in other words, something that requires electricity to operate and one which are useful for preparation of food [Eg: a kitchen scale]. We will first focus on the stuff that works on electricity (and even piezo electricity) first.

I lived my school years in a home where there was electricity, but no electrical devices other than lights and fans. Believe me the kitchen had zero equipments that ran on electricity. In our so called modern home kitchen, there was a fire place, a chimney to spew out the waste gases, an ammikkallu and an aattukkallu. So in one sense, I have seen the evolution of the kitchen from a manual enterprise to a modern day factory! Please see this article if you are a modern age reader and are wondering what these ****kallus are.

Yes, we had a coil heater for emergencies, and that was the only equipment for a very long time. Then a few items got added, the principal one’s being a mixie (Sumeet!) and a smallish oven for baking cakes and Nankhatai. The bigger revolution came with the arrival of the gas burner stove (Sunflame) , the refrigerator (Kelvinator, the coolest one) and then the wet grinder (ELGI).

Based on my experience over the last forty odd years of seeing the kitchen gadgetry evolve, what follows is a list of things which in the present day and age make up for a complete kitchen. I have classified them as Essential, Good to have and Avoid.

One note of caution before your proceed. I am not going to dwell too much on technicalities unless I feel these are important. Most of what you would see is how to use the gadget efficiently.

Essential

1] Refrigerator : I call this the worst enemy of fresh food! In a modern day kitchen, it serves two purposes. First, is to store raw material (fruits, vegetables, proteins etc.) anything that has a limited shelf life. The second and the more dangerous trend is to store finished produce for consumption later, and later could mean over the week or month (!). If you have your own garden then there is no need for a fridge. Since most of us do not have that luxury and most of us do not have the time to cook three meals in a day, the fridge has become a necessity in the modern day kitchen.

The third way a fridge is used is if you are a real connoisseur of food and drinks. You need a place to store some of these which are non native as an ingredient for the food that you produce and as accompaniment. Examples would be cheese, fine wine and even virgin coconut oil. Since just in time production has not yet entered the kitchen, the fridge has become a great marketing tool to appeal to the new home makers.

From a technical standpoint, there is very little to differentiate between the top brands. So make you decision based on Capacity, Single or double door, top freezer or bottom etc. The best designed refrigerators for the Indian kitchen have both depth and breadth. I would pick one with a capacity of 500 to 600 litres.

2] Hob and Chimney : I was till recently under the mistaken impression that a gas based hob is the best in business, till I got to use a modern induction hob. Seriously, there is no difference. Why induction hobs are not popular in India is probably because we have unreliable electricity and has nothing to do with the technology. Since we would be in this sorry state of affairs for some more time, the oil companies and gas hob manufacturers would continue to make hay.

The quality of the gas burner is important for a great cooking experience. “Sabaf” is probably the best in business. The rest of the functionalities are elementary.

A good chimney is essential to ensure that the fragrance of the kitchen does not interrupt noble thoughts in the rest of the household. The good ones (Eg: Faber) have good filters and are very easy to clean.

Most important tip: remember to turn on the chimney while cooking!

3] Microwave Oven : I call this as the first cousin of the refrigerator. If you think about it, you will come to a logical conclusion that if you had no need to reheat stored finished food, there would have been no place for the microwave. And a whole industry has grown on the back of a microwave, essentially centred around microwavable plastic and glassware. I have not done any research on the health hazards of the effect of microwave on food. But here is a link to an article in Harvard Health which may be useful. Also, it is important to ensure that the equipment is maintained well (doors fit well, no broken parts etc) in order to ensure that the microwaves do not leak out while in use.

In terms of recommendation, if your kitchen design allows it, go for an inbuilt microwave since it frees up counter space! As a buying guide, I found this article very useful. As a purist, I do not like to bake in the convection setting of the microwave oven, two gadgets should not double up as one. So it is the “Convection” Oven that we turn to next.

4] Baking Oven : If you love to bake, or have developed a new found love for baking due to the effect of lock down, this is a must have gadget. But, invest in one only if you are a serious baker. A good oven is useful for baking cakes, bread, pizzas, puddings, roasting protein and vegetables. I can tell you that the taste that roasting produces (known as Maillard effect or the browning effect) can be perfected with a good oven. A good size to have is around 40 litres or more. Once again as with microwave ovens, consider a built in option to save counter space.

Most ovens are based on the convection principle ie they blow around hot air with the help of a fan. There are electrical coils both at the top and bottom. But, technology is evolving to bring the steam oven to our kitchen. In a steam oven, you have the option to use both steam and or convection depending upon the target food. Steam cooking tends to retain more nutrients and moisture in the finished product. They are still a tad expensive though!

5] Mixer Grinder : From Sumeet to Preeti and to the modern day mixer grinder, we have seen this gadget evolve into an asset in any kitchen. I remember the initial mixie came with three options for speed (low, high and pulsating) and two jars (wet and dry). The modern marvel has interchangeable blades, various speed settings and multiple jars which are designed for purpose.

There is always a question about mixer grinder vs the food processor. The food processor is a western concept, a device used for prep work like slicing / dicing vegetables as well as kneading. (No more need to master the knife skills!). A food processor in general is not efficient to handle anything liquid. For the Indian kitchen, from making chutneys to grinding our masala’s the mixer grinder is the one to go for. The more powerful ones are 750 or 1000 W with multiple attachments.

There is also bound to be confusion between a Blender and a Food Processor. A blender like Vitamix with its powerful motor is great for anything liquid, but a food processor like Philips or KitchenAid is like I said before, more of a food prep aid. My preference is to support the mixer grinder with a hand blender, which has grown in versatility.

6] Hand Blender : Hand blenders are ideal for making a smoothie or a purée. And, if you are making home made butter, then this one comes in very handy. Technically a food processor can also do this job, but the cleaning of the containers is a lot messier and the food processor is not as effective with smaller quantities.

Modern day hand blenders have perfected the use of micro motors and come with a range of attachments, including a whisker and sometimes a chopper option.

My favourite brand is Braun (check this one out), which I consider the ultimate when it comes to hand blender technology.

7] Electric Kettle : The electric kettle is a must have in my kitchen for a variety of reasons. The most important cooking reason is as an efficient production system for making hot water. When cooking many recipes, eg: a Risotto, it is important to ensure that the cooking temperature does not drop when water is added, typically the case when room temp water is added. The next important reason is while making beverages such as tea or coffee (the filter variety!). And the last is for drinking hot water as a beverage with a dash of turmeric. Having got used to this convenience there is no getting away from it.

Suggest use of a 1.5 litre capacity with a good stainless steel body (not the plastic one), a wide mouth, auto shut off and of course cordless. My favourite brand is Black & Decker.

8] Toaster : Very few households can do without toast for breakfast. The browning effect on bread, combined with a nice spread (hummus, jam, butter or garlic sour cream) along with an omelette or cereals can be heavenly. The alternative would be to toast on a tawa or on the Oven, but the sheer convenience of a toaster makes this a must have. If you are a dude, who does not believe in bread for breakfast, then of course this would be termed as a luxury.

A simple two slice toaster with variable settings and auto pop up would serve the purpose. Talking of technology for auto shut off, note that the mechanism can be based on time (timer), temperature (thermostat) or brownness (optical). Assuming that all dials work based on time can ruin your toast!

9] Water purifier : Water is an essential ingredient for cooking. Yes, this is an understatement. But good quality water is essential for health as well. Considering the condition of tap water in our country, different households have different approaches to solving this problem. The most basic is a candle filter which removes suspended particles without killing the pathogen, while the RO purifier removes pathogens as well as hardness. What you deploy is a personal choice.

Having grown up drinking tap water all my life, this is one gadget that I am recommending with a heavy heart. I am yet to find the perfect product which balances the twin task of eliminating pathogens while maintaining hardness in the region of 250 ppm. RO filters take down the hardness to as low as 50 ppm, which is not good for health plus the water conversion efficiency is about 30% (For every one litre of good water two litres is wasted). Candle filters on the other hand do not filter the pathogen and also cannot reduce hardness (typical hardness in most metros are above 500 ppm and hence not acceptable). Yes, still trying to figure out the perfect product. Do let me know if you find one.

10] Dishwasher : Agree that this is a maid’s job in most Indian households. However, once you get used to one (not the maid but the dishwasher), it saves a lot of trouble. Water consumption goes down, no more dishes in the sink and it does not require supervision. The recent pandemic has resulted in a seismic shift in this habit of getting vessels cleaned. For the first time in the country there was a waiting list for these gadgets and consumables.

The best machines are German made (either Bosch or Siemens) with typically three racks. There are a range of wash options and temperature settings (similar to the washing machines). The machines works by spraying hot water on to the dishes by way of rotating handles.

The consumables required are Dishwasher Soap (no explanation required), Rinse Aid (a surfactant to prevent water sticking on to the dishes, so that they come our dry) and Dishwasher Salt (pure Sodium Chloride) a food for the ion exchange resin, which is used to trap Calcium and Magnesium ions in the water thereby reducing hardness.

Having a built in dishwasher is essential if you need a clean kitchen. Period.

Good to have

11] Panini Grill : A bread sandwich maker of the the older times was a diagonal shaped device with a long handle. You load it with two slices of bread with some filling snapped in between and show it over the gas flame to make a grilled sandwich. The modern day electric avatar is the Panini grill. This one works on electricity, has capacity for at least two sandwiches and can also double up as grill for vegetables. And you get nice grill marks on the sandwich and vegetables, which makes guests go wow!

If you are a fan of the saying “Eating starts with the Eyes” do invest in one. These are not expensive and can be stored away in the cupboard while not in use.

12] Rice Cooker or InstaPot: The rice cooker by Panasonic was always on the flight from Dubai as a gift by the returning Malayalee, once upon a time. The convenience of keeping the rice warm after cooking appealed to a lot of housewives. There was an added advantage while cooking basmati rice. The grains flowered nicely without sticking, making the pulav taste a lot better.

Globally, people have migrated to the InstaPot which is a hybrid of the Pressure Cooker and the Rice Cooker, meaning it can do the job of both and a lot more with its programmable settings. Again, invest in one if you believe a lot in one pot meals and want to multitask at the same time.

13] Juicer : Health fad has taken over Indian city folks big time. The burning question was (a) retain the nutrients in a fruit or vegetable (b) Avoid exercise to the teeth (c) Be hygienic (d) Make your own recipe. If your challenge is how to master all of the above with one solution, the Juicer is one for you. Not any ordinary Juicer, but a cold press one.

The best brands that I know of are Kuving or Hurom, both from South Korea. They attempt to give you the essence with the fibre intact. Once you have made the investment, they will provide you the versatility that you need to manage body mass without the mass!

14] Coffee Maker : We are now talking beyond the traditional filter or the French press used to convert powder coffee into decoction. A coffee maker achieves the above using steam and hot water and is an obsession in all western kitchens. If you are a coffee addict, this product would definitely serve your morning Cuppa!

15] Hand Mixer : A hand mixer is a good aid for the baker in you. This gadget helps with mixing dough, butter, sugar and egg into a consistent end product, which can then be kneaded to the required consistency. Man and machine make a good bread, cake or biscuit. A must have for the serious home baker.

Avoid

16] Wet Grinder : The wet grinder became a fad in all south Indian homes whose standard staple for breakfast was Idli or Dosa. The challenge that I find with these is the space that it occupies. We have one in our kitchen and has been a workhorse for over 20 years now. Modern convenience of packaged food has overtaken the wet grinder. For a price, you can get great batter off the shelf. And a number of local shops also sell batter. Suddenly, the investment in the wet grinder does not make sense to me anymore. Yes, the pandemic might have extended the product appeal a bit longer. But, not a necessity in the long term.

So we come to the end of the equipment list for the kitchen. In part 2 of the story, I will turn my attention to non electrical kitchen equipments.