How to Transform Your Kitchen with Traditional Cookware

Old school items are trendy now, and it’s becoming more and more evident in Indian kitchens. Amateur cooks and professional chefs alike are choosing conventional materials like cast iron, brass, copper, clay, and stone eager to live a healthy lifestyle and also add a touch of retro to their homes. Grandmothers’ kitchens are gaining popularity as these materials are great for dishing out very nutritious food. Plus, they enhance your decor by reflecting your tastes and choices.

Here are some tips from our seasoned interior experts on how to transform your contemporary kitchen with traditional cookware.

Copper and brass

Copper and brass utensils were once a standard feature in the Indian kitchen. According to Ayurveda, copper is associated with the sun, and therefore fire, and is known to regulate heat in the body. Brass, on the other hand, is comparatively cooling and fortifies immunity.

Adding copper and brass to your kitchen elevates the sophistication and highlights a confident and bold personality. Bring some bling into your kitchen with copper dekchis and brass pots to accentuate not just your cooking skills but also your decor.

Items like a brass urli and copper carafes and tumblers add character and distinctive warmth to your kitchen. Pair them up with light tones of cream, grey or white for a traditional and hearty feel.

Make your kitchen completely coordinated by adding brass and copper hints on the rest of the fittings. For instance, cabinet handles, taps, and pot hooks can sport the metals to complement the kitchenware.

Earthenware and terracotta

Terracotta comes from the Italian meaning “baked earth,” and is one of the oldest materials used in kitchens the world over. They are perfect for just about anything, from simmering to frying to baking. Most often, it is used for roasting and baking as the clay sucks in the moisture from the dough, meat, and vegetables giving it perfect texture and crust. 

Terracotta and other earthenware speak of a warm, down-to-earth personality. Adding clay pots, terracotta casseroles, and other earthenware in your kitchen gives it a lived-in and rustic feel. It is also very welcoming and is perfect for those of you who love to organise cosy dinners with friends and family. The orange hue contrasts beautifully with white or beige walls and wood floors.

Line up a few of those small terracotta pots including that Moroccan tagine with earthenware jugs on your display shelves. Complement your cookware by incorporating terracotta tiles or splashback in your kitchen and see the difference!

Stoneware

Stoneware is a great blend of functionality and traditional taste and also reflective of artisanal preferences. Ceramic bowls, soapstone kalchattis, and stone chutney grinding slabs are brilliant statement pieces in your kitchen. Stone retains flavour and nutrients, removes some of the acidic content from dishes, and keeps food hot for a more extended period.

Like the people who love them, stoneware is earthy, humble, and traditional. A little rough around the edges but long-lasting and dependable. With its lack of uniformity, stoneware is synonymous with comfort and homeliness.

Brightly painted ceramic bowls and plates and textured jugs and mugs placed on floating shelves will lend a very countryside cottage-like ambience to your kitchen. Team it up with pleasant-coloured tiling and wooden cabinets to create an inviting and cordial atmosphere.

Cast iron 

Cast iron is highly heat-tolerant and typically used for slow-cooking and dishes that have long preparation times. Cooking in cast iron results in intense flavours and gives food incredible texture. Cast iron is durable and stable and requires time and patience to maintain. But it is undoubtedly a healthy way to cook as cast iron skillets and pans will release iron and charge up the food. 

Cast iron embodies preservation and endurance and reflects loyalty with its lastingness. Including cast iron cookware in your kitchen is a sustainable and ‘green’ way of doing things compared to using Teflon-coated skillets and pans that need to be replaced every few years.

If you like a traditional, industrial look for the kitchen, hang up a few of your cast iron pans and skillets of different sizes in a row and complement them with some exposed brickwork. Place cast iron pots and casseroles along shelves below waist-height along with a few of your best stainless to reflect the gleaming tiles on the floor.

Throw in a few cast iron hooks on the wall or door knockers and handles and your kitchen is sure to be transformed!