Indian cast iron cookware

Not sure if this is the right forum to post this but it's something for residents rather than tourists so here goes:

Does anyone know of a reliable (see below) source, preferably in Delhi for the following two cooking utensils:

- a cast iron kadhai
- a cast iron appam chatti (small pan with concave bottom specifically for making appam.

I can find all kinds of stuff but mainly it's non-stick or anodized aluminum with plastic handles, none of which I want (all my pots and pans are either cast iron or stainless steel). I also don't want any glazing, it has to be massive raw cast iron, don't mind the weight nor the cost.

Also, I'm a bit worried about the quality of the cast iron, meaning it would be great to get a recommendation for a reliable place to buy/ a good brand so that I could be reasonably certain that there would be no heavy metals contaminating the iron and leaching out into the food. Before anyone asks: my cast iron stuff already in the kitchen all comes from a scandinavian manufacturer and back in the time I've gone so far as to send one sample to a lab for destructive testing (qualitative determination of a range of heavy metals). Will do the same here but obviously I'd prefer buying the right stuff from the start.

Second hand would also do, the older it is the better the seasoning and perhaps the quality, will save me some time and effort.

Perhaps a long shot to post this query here but I've been surprised before about the answers one might obtain on IM.

You will get it at almost all the utensil stores across Delhi (Maybe not at a high end place like yours, but will be available close by for sure).

About the quality, check out a few places and you will get the idea about quality yourself. As per my experience, almost 100% utensils are made from first grade iron sheets (mostly from Tata steel).

Hi,
You may check out Deputy(dipti) Ganj in Sadar Bazar.This market is solely for kitchen equipment and utensils,mostly industrial grade.

Thanks Jitu, I'll be off to Kotla market then, wasted a lot of time looking around Khan and INA markets but you're probably right that it's better to go to a 'low tech' place for this. Will keep you posted.

A short followup: I guess I'll be off to Deputy ganj next weekend, went to Khanna market and Kotla and saw more kadhai than you could shake a stick at....but no cast iron ones, all steel. Talked to the (very old) father of one of the shopkeepers -the gentleman spoke perfect english, btw- and he told me that his mother used to cook in cast iron stuff but that now everyone either uses steel ones or aluminum. He had no idea where to get an authentic cast iron kadhai but suggested I look in old Delhi so that's where I'll go. Guess the situation with cast iron cooking in India is bout the same as in Europe (some dinosaurs still use it, all others pray in the temple of non-stick).

BTW, I didn't know the hindi term for cast iron and asked him, he told me it was (phonetically) "kanti loha" iirc. Can anyone confirm this?

I have big doubt that you will get real cast iron Utensils, that is why I said to buy the ones made from steel sheets. They are basically the same, but even if you get a cast iron one, who is to know what impurities are left behind and what sort of scrap has been melted along with the pig iron?

As for the Hindi name, i guess it is called 'Dhalwa loha'.

If you are ok with second hand stuff then you can look at bengali sweet shops. Bengali sweetshops(and traditional caterers) use only cast iron kadhais for frying sweets.

I think getting hold of cast iron stuff will be easier than ensuring no heavy metal contamination- unless you buy two of each and send them off one for testing.

random google http://www.delhifoundryindustries.com/castings.html . If they don't do retail, they may be able to point DC towards good quality stuff.

I doubt they are cast iron, and if they are, and if Dillichaat goes for one of those kadhais, and cooks whatever he plans to cook...all of us at IM will have a wonderful party considering the size of kadhai

Getting it tested will be the easiest part, did the same with my swedish cast iron stuff (I sent off one entire piece then but truth be told they only need a small quantity, some shavings are enough). I'll check the foundry and see if they can point me the right way.

I can already see myself holding a ladle and stirring a gigantic quantity of kheer, wearing my customary suit on the rooftop terrace in may, a gas burner roaring away under the kadhai....hmmm But I don't mind used cast iron, on the contrary, if it's already seasoned it takes a lot of work off my hands and the surface will be virtually non-stick. Will try asking around but am a bit afraid they'll call the guys in the white suits to have me carted off for mental evaluation.

Thanks guys, I'll let you know how it works out!

Jituyadav

As a metallurgy person, I can firmly say that the steel sheets & cast iron are not the same!

I used to have a cast iron tawa.

Cheers

Nattusbs

Of course they are not the same, and hence the discussion. I meant that in case of non availability of cast iron, it is a good substitute.

Dillichaat,
Just wondering if you have any issues with enameled cast iron woks? Something on the lines of Bodum's cast iron wok.

Disclaimer: I don't know Bodum and the only enameled cast iron piece I own is a Le Creuset grill pan that was gifted to me 10 years ago. I like it a lot (use it about 3 times/week) but it has a special high heat-resistant enamel that's different from the other le Creuset products. What I've seen with friends who own enameled cast iron is that the enamel is fragile and tends to discolor over time. Also, you cannot use very high heat on them (such as for searing). They're great for low/medium long steady heat when preparing acidic foods though.

But you need to be certain about the enamel, there have been problems with Chinese-made enameled products that leached lead and cadmium into the food, some of those were counterfeit Le Creuset. Also I've found out that Le Creuset has a nasty habit of shipping goods with small defects (mainly esthetic stuff) to India and offering them for sale here instead of remelting them (either that or those shops were selling chinese fakes). I don't want sloppy seconds. But mainly it's because all my stuff except the grill pan is cast iron from Skeppshult or stainless steel pots/pans from Demeyere and I found out I don't have a need for anything else than bare cast iron and ss cookware + some pyrex glass dishes for the microwave. Even cook pancakes and scrambled eggs in the stuff without sticking, if your technique is good it's doable.

What I'd really advise against (unless you'll do all your cooking yourself) is non-stick that's coated with PTFE. Not going to start an argument about the inherent health risks of that but there's one thing opponents and proponents agree upon: if you heat it to 260 degrees centigrade or more it releases toxic degradation products. I've seen a number of instances here where maids/cooks just put those pans on a burner and let them sit there for minutes before adding oil/food.

Oh dear, more dangers that I never knew existed .

I thought I was ok by just avoiding aluminium pans (are they good or bad these days?) and completely unnecessary teflon coatings .

Now I find that danger lurks, not only in cast iron, but even in enamelled cast iron .

Best for frying, and perfectly non-stick if treated with just a tiny bit of care: mild steel. But ...maybe we had that conversation before?