Looking for the basic list of must-have appliances for the Indian kitchen? Indian cooking demands some simple yet essential tools and gadgets. Indian kitchen has been considered as most occupied space in a house across the globe. Vegetables and flat breads (chapatti) are cooked in almost every kitchen on this sphere, but deep-fried items (including fritters), chutney, pickles and papadum (papad) makes Indian cuisine sumptuous and sui generis. Rich aroma of various spices makes Indian cuisine exotic and exclusive. Apart from basic utensils, cooker, pots, pans, woks, refrigerator and storage containers; following are the basic yet modern Indian kitchen appliances.
Cooktop
A kitchen is incomplete without a cooktop. Choosing a good cooktop is the foremost prerequisite of an ideal kitchen. Most of the Indian kitchens are now replacing their traditional gas cooktops with latest technology gas hobs or built-in induction hobs. These hobs provide a seamless and elegant look to kitchen countertop. You can choose between glass, ceramic and stainless steel tops.
Special tip– Though these built-in gas hobs and induction hobs have the advantage of latest technology and modish appearance, they have certain demerits as well. Check out the pros and cons of built-in hobs.
Food Processor / Mixer-grinder
A mixer-grinder performs all the basic tasks of mixing food ingredients, making a purée and grinding dry items. Food processor is expensive than a mixer grinder. Apart from mixing and grinding, it also helps in chopping, grating, shredding and slicing of different edibles. Be it a mixer- grinder or a food processor, it is an unavoidable appliance for an Indian kitchen. You need it to prepare various dishes of Indian cuisine – be it a tomato purée, mint chutney, grinding dry whole spices for pickles or making a milkshake for your kids. Almost every dish calls the need of this appliance.
750W, 4 Jars
Special tip: Sujata and Preethi are the best mixer-grinder brands in Indian market. No other brand can beat them. Bosch and Inalsa are the best food processor brands in India for preparing Indian cuisine.
Chopper
A manual chopper or an electric shopper is another must-have Indian kitchen appliance. This small appliance is of great use as it is compact in size, handy and time-saving. You needn’t chop vegetables by hand anymore. Though a food processor also performs the task of chopping, but you won’t like to use it for chopping just two onions. A chopper consists of only 2-3 small parts and is easy to wash and assemble. It is a must buy Indian kitchen small appliance and makes your culinary life easier.
Special tip: Wonderchef is recommended brand for manual chopper while Inalsa electric chopper has a strong and long-lasting motor. You can buy these branded choppers with closed eyes.
Sandwich Maker & Griller
A sandwich maker assists you in preparing yummy sandwiches to please your guests and to make your Sunday mornings easier. Nowadays, sandwich maker comes with an additional plate that can convert it into a griller. If you don’t want to buy an additional toaster, this kitchen cooking appliance will serve you with the job of a toaster as well. Its multi functional property makes it an essential Indian kitchen small appliance. It fills a perpetual pleasure into every bread slice.
Grill Sandwich Maker
Special tip: It is suggested to buy the appliance with detachable plates. It has dual benefits. First, you will get the benefits of many appliances in a single product- sandwich maker, griller, waffle maker and toaster. Second, detachable plates are easy to clean leaving no space for stains, grease and bacteria. Many of the appliances come with dishwasher-friendly detachable plates.
Microwave/ OTG
Another essential appliance for a modern Indian kitchen is a microwave oven. It is now a common kitchen appliance and widely used for daily residential chores in Indian kitchens. If you are into baking (either by profession or by hobby), then a traditional oven (popularly known as OTG which is the abbreviation for Oven Toaster Griller) is the best buy option for home bakers. Convection oven is also a good replacement for OTG but only if you bake occasionally. If you are completely a no-bake person, then you can go for solo microwave oven or grill microwave oven. Solo microwave oven is best if you need the appliance for simple cooking and reheating food.
Special tip: A microwave oven up to the capacity of 15-20 litres is sufficient for a small family of 2-3 members. A middle-size family of 4-5 members needs a microwave oven between 23 and 30 litres whereas a large joint family should buy a microwave oven of not less than 32 litres.
Chimney
Kitchen chimneys have been an inseparable part of an Indian kitchen since ancient times. As the modular kitchens came into trend in the country, chimneys replaced exhaust fans and turned into an essential kitchen appliance for Indian kitchens. Indian cuisine includes huge variety of deep fried foods which release high fumes. Fumes released to bring out the rich aroma of spices are also disturbing while sautéing them. Thus a chimney with good suction power is mandatory for a modern Indian kitchen. You may think that exhaust fans can be installed to get rid of the smoke, but they can’t beat a chimney to keep your kitchen odour-free and smoke-free.
Special tip: Invest in the best auto-clean chimney with baffle filters. They are most suitable for Indian cooking. Select a chimney with a hose as they have higher suction power. Silent chimneys will be a boon for your kitchen and chef de cuisine.
Small Kitchen Appliance for Health-Conscious People
Juicer
Juicer or juicer extractor is one of the favorite small appliances of every person who wants to stay active and in good shape. Slow juicers or cold-pressed juicers or masticating juicers are a big hit amongst new generation. Cold-pressed juicers operate at a slow speed, thus producing low heat which helps in securing the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. They are higher in price as compared to fast juicers or centrifugal juicers. However, at the same time, they also extract more juice than many other models of fast juicers. Masticating juicers retain maximum amount of vitamins, enzymes and minerals, and can easily be used to extract juice from green leafy vegetables, wheatgrass, etc. Moreover, juice extracted from cold-pressed juicers has a shelf- life of up to 21 days when stored in a refrigerator.
Special tip: While purchasing a juicer, don’t forget to consider the motor power of the appliance. Ideal motor power of a juicer is 400 watts. Check the pulp ejection facility of the appliance. An external pulp collecting container is better and enables easy cleaning.
Air Fryer
This is the most popular appliance across the globe for weight- watchers. It provides almost same taste and texture as deep-fried food while using minimal amount of oil. Indians have a huge addiction towards deep-fried foods, as a result air fryer has been emerged as a favorite small appliance for foodie-cum-health conscious population. From frozen foods to roasted vegetables, from crispy chickpeas to quick doughnuts, from whole chickens to brownies & cookies; you can bake, roast or air fry almost anything in this appliance without worrying about getting plump.
Special tip: If you are already having an oven griller, then you don’t have any requirement of an air fryer. OTG performs almost 80% of tasks as performed by an air fryer. In fact, air fryer is not much suitable for a large family. But if you don’t have an OTG and want to prepare small batches of non-fried fritters or other pakoras, then air-fryer is a good buy.
Kitchen Appliances to Make Life Easier
Apart from the essential small kitchen appliances as listed above, here are some other kitchen appliances to make your life easier.
- Coconut scrapper – to scrap fresh coconut and to add relish to your dishes.
- Rice cooker – to cook rice, quinoa, boiled eggs, cinnamon apples, upside-down cake, etc.
- Hand blender – to blend and make purée in small quantity.
- Dough kneader – most suitable for large families and home bakers.
- Dishwasher – to get clean, sparkling and bacteria-free dishes effortlessly.
