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Where have all the jaadis gone?

Old urulis and porcelain jars have given way to modern, easy-to-clean vessels. But, old is still gold in some homes

PHOTO: K. ANANTHAN

THEN AND NOW The newage kitchen

In the age of 10-minute pasta and two-minute noodles, elaborate meals have become a rarity.

And, with them have disappeared some of the charming utensils that added grace to mealtimes.

There was an age when brass urulis, porcelain pickle jars and gleaming coffee filters ruled.

It was also a time when people were relatively healthier and quite immune to many of the diseases that plague this generation.

Old-timers maintain that the vessels used for cooking made all the difference.

"Vessels used in olden days were made of copper, clay, cast iron, porcelain, aluminium, brass, bronze and the like. And, food cooked in them took on the beneficial properties of the vessels," says Vasumathi, a grandmother of five.

But, good things never last. Disadvantages like an elaborate maintenance and cleaning ritual and fragility went against these vessels and they soon gave way to new-age vessels that promise faster heating, better cooking and more heat retention.

So, what are the hearth-throbs in kitchens these days? Is the old still in, albeit in a small way?

Says Adka Sreesh of Ideal Stores, which deals in new-age kitchen equipment: "Customers prefer products that serve many purposes at the same time." So, frying pans, which facilitate anything from sautéeing to deep-frying to pressure cooking, are in.

With time coming at a premium, women don't get to spend too much time in the kitchen. Keeping this in mind, many cookware companies have come up user-friendly versions of cookware that are less noisy and more inconspicuous.

Gone are the days when the pressure cooker attracted one's attention through a loud whistle.

Now, a mere hiss does the work. Likewise, the diet-conscious have taken in a big way to non-stick cookware.

Despite all this, people still flip for jaadis to hold homemade pickles and porcelain bowls to set curd. Probably because they still believe there is an inherent goodness associated with them.

JANANI RAJESWARI S

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