Tandoor- Heart of north Indian cuisine

tandoormorni Tandoor

Tandoor is used for the traditional method of cooking assorted breads and other items mainly chicken with use of charcoal burning at the bottom of a hollow cylindrical structure made up from clay. The temperature can reach to an astonishing level of 900o F.

Tandoors for sale available in market:

  • Afghan tandoor
  • Punjabi tandoor
  • Armenian tonir

On the basis of materials and source:

Square tandoor: it is the modern type of tandoor which is common to be found in every modern restaurant kitchen. It is in a shape of a cube which is made from stainless steel and the clay pot is added later, the remaining space is filled with fiber blanket to keep the heat inside.

Even though the source of heat was always charcoal, but because of the irregular supply and a special exhaust for the smoke a lot of restaurants shifted to Gas tandoors. These are replicas of square tandoor but instead of charcoal, Liquid petroleum gas was adopted.

Clay Pot Tandoor: these are traditional handmade clay ovens which are prepared with the finest clay, hay and sheep hair are added to strengthen the structure so that it can withstand the high temperature.

There are some guidelines that need to follow while installing Tandoor:

  • Tandoor should have an exhaust under the regulations of Uniform Mechanical Code, the
  • CCDEH Exhaust Ventilation Guidelines, and the local fire and building codes,
  • A minimum of twelve-inch overhangs should be on canopy hoods serving tandoors.
  • Solid fuel and gas fired Tandoor ovens should meet the airflow requirements for solid fuel burning equipment.
  • There should a fire resistant floor and walls at least 3 feet in diameter around the location of tandoor.
  • A separate storage should be kept for the storing of solid fuel.

Operational guidelines:

  • Cleaning of the tandoor should be done on a regular basis and the procedure should be followed as instructed by the manual.
  • As tandoors generate a lot of smoke and grease, the ducts and exhaust should also be cleaned regularly.
  • Skewers with the tandoor should be washed and oiled as they can corrode and the rust can fall into someone’s food.

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