It was morning 7a.m. I just kept the ceramic mug filled up with tea inside the micro-wave oven. Ma! have you removed the tea spoon from the coffee mug, asked my daughter? My face went pale hearing this. I asked my daughter in return, what worse would happen if i didn't? Oh! you get sparks & finally the spoon w'ld bend:(.
Before the conversation got over, the micro-wave finished its task & whistled. I peeped inside with a worried look; great, had a glimpse of just steaming tea & no spoon inside! A sigh of relief.
In chennai, I am used to only cooking with stainless steel utensils with gas stove. Here, you cook in kadaais in gas stove; insert the ceramic bowls in micro-wave side by side. So, now no ceramic bowls or mugs in the gas, nor stainless steel utensils in micro-wave & no hot vessels in the kitchen dais since the top layer is made of 'sun mica' & there would be bulging if we keep any utensil very hot. Now, added attraction are few more glassware which needs delicate handling.
Next comes the problem of cooking;, there, in India, the pressure cooker whistles after the dish is cooked. Here, you have to set the timer in the gas stove. Once I kept 10 minutes for dhal & went on adding five minutes only to see it half cooked & became impatient that I boiled it separately in a kadaai with boiling water. Another time I kept the potatoes & set the time for 10 minutes, only to see them still uncooked. Kept for another 10 minutes & what did I see? smashed shapeless potatoes which would become a paste if i fry it with oil :(.
A small rewind; I c'ld not help thinking of the steaming coffee in a stainless steel dabara & tumbler. Freedom to use the utensils on the gas. Freedom of keeping hot or cold dishes on the (black granite) 'cudappaah stone' kitchen dais', the lengthy kitchen medais which can accommodate cooked dishes for minimum fifty at a time.
One day my daughter's ma in law forgot that she had kept 'milk' in the gas stove. I heard a 'hiss' sound & went running to switch off the gas since it was over flowing & was searching for the gas knobs in the front, in vain;, here the gas 'knobs' are at the back of the unit :(.
Now I have started learning slowly to adjust myself to the new kitchenware & the setting of 'timer:). Hope soon I become accustomed to this (American!) style of cooking.
1 comment:
Cooker with 10 minutes for daal! He he ...... my mom did not touch that cooker after the first time.
Thankfully we had an Indian pressure pan with us, very much like the one we have at home. So that ceased to be an issue since then.
But I absolutely know what you are talking about!
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