SHARE ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
FacebookTwitterOkGoogle+PinterestVk
The tandoor is a multifunctional oven in which you can cook any dish of oriental cuisine, using a minimum amount of fuel. The structure can be stationary or portable, made of clay or brick. Hardwood is used as fuel for the tandoor. Such a stove can be purchased ready-made or you can make a tandoor with your own hands, following certain stages of the technological process.
Tandoor is a multifunctional oven used in traditional oriental cuisine
Types of tandoors
Tandoors differ from a conventional oven in their special configuration, thanks to which you can forget about undercooked meat and vegetables. They also prepare aromatic oriental flatbreads - right on the walls. Externally, a classic tandoor resembles a clay jug in which firewood is placed, and then skewers are hung.
Uzbek tandoor
To create Uzbek tandoors, sand and camel hair were added to fireclay clay. A volumetric dome with a wall thickness of about 5 cm was sculpted from it, dried for 3 weeks and used as a top for the hearth. It is very difficult to make such a blank without experience, but now ready-made forms are even sold.
Photo: apriltime.ru
Armenian tandoor
The tandoor in Armenia is called “tonir” and it is also used to heat houses. Armenian tandoors were made from fireclay bricks, because local clay is not so pliable and durable. Essentially, it is a brick cylinder with clay joints and a plastered inner surface.
Photo: zen.yandex.ru
Earth tandoor
An earthen tandoor is made in a hole about 1-1.25 m deep with an air duct hole. The walls and bottom are lined with fireclay bricks and clay mortar. Or you can immerse a ready-made clay piece into the pit and compact it well. Such stoves retain heat best of all, but they cannot be dug in every soil.
Photo: sdelai-lestnicu.ru
Ground tandoor
As is obvious from the name, the ground tandoor is completely above the ground and is more reminiscent of a classic Russian oven. Firewood is placed in the roasting pan, and the draft is provided by a hole at the bottom. Fuel is loaded from above or from the side, and when it is completely burned out, you can lower the food.
Photo: icepohod.rf
Mobile tandoor
Compact portable tandoors are great for the garden and can be taken with you. They are made in the form of a barrel or jug from durable fireproof clay with a lid and handles. Larger models can be reinforced with steel strips.
Photo: nyctandyr.com
Wood-burning tandoor
This is a classic tandoor that uses firewood or coals. There is always a hole at the bottom for air flow and ash removal, so that the lid can be tightly closed during cooking. Only hardwood firewood is used due to the specific resins in the pine needles.
Photo: ventkam.ru
Gas tandoor
This is a modern variation of tandoors for professional kitchens and bakeries. There is also a clay pot inside, but the main body is made of steel. Gas is used instead of firewood, so using such a tandoor is no more difficult than using a home stove.
Photo: ru.m.wikipedia.org
Electric tandoor
Another modern variation, in which heating elements - tubular electric heaters - are placed on the bottom instead of fuel. They do not burn or smoke, so the device can be used even indoors. But keep in mind that the taste of cooked products will not be the same as when cooked over wood.
Photo: frutisad.ru
Furnace design and operating principle
The tandoor is a large clay vessel, narrowed at the top.
The unit has a hole where fuel and food for cooking are placed. To provide the necessary draft, a blower is made in the lower part of the tandoor, which is closed with a damper. To enhance the thermal insulation of the stove, it is lined with bricks on the outside. To maintain heat, salt, sand or clay are poured between the walls of the structure. When burned, the fuel heats the clay located between the side elements of the device to a temperature of 250-400 degrees. Such indicators are maintained inside the structure for up to 4 hours due to the good properties of the rock to retain heat.
Cooking occurs as follows. Mounted skewers or grates are installed inside the oven. Products such as meat, fish, and vegetables are placed on them.
And if you don’t know how to bake flatbreads in a tandoor, we will recommend one cooking method. After the clay walls heat up, it is necessary to wipe them from possible dust or combustion products. Then you need to sprinkle the side elements with water and attach the dough products to them. Baking occurs due to the heat accumulated in the walls. You can remove bread from the oven using a long-handled hook or a special ladle.
In this unique oven, food is cooked through the heat of the clay walls, which accumulates during the combustion of fuel. Thanks to this, food is cooked evenly on all sides and retains its juiciness. Cooking dishes on skewers does not require turning, since these elements are located vertically. The process of cooking food in a tandoor is much faster than in other traditional grills or barbecues.
Tandoor dimensions
To decide what size tandoor you need, consider how many foods you want to cook in it. For one or two simple mobile stoves are enough, but for company trips or family gatherings you need a larger option. Tandoors can be roughly divided into small ones up to 40 kg, medium ones up to 80 kg, large ones up to 100 kg and very large ones heavier than 100 kg.
Photo: cyprus-oven.ru
Specifics of using the fryer
This type of oven has Asian roots, so it allows you to cook, first of all, the delights of oriental cuisine. The dishes turn out juicy and acquire a special smoky aroma, this applies to both meat and flour products.
Adherents of a healthy lifestyle should definitely install a country Georgian tandoor - it allows you to cook food with a minimum oil content, you don’t have to put a lot of spices in your food, since the cooking technology helps preserve the food’s own moisture and gives a very bright taste to each ingredient.
If you equip a tandoor built above the ground with a special horizontal grate, the height of which is adjustable, the structure can be used as a traditional Russian oven, which significantly expands the range of dishes. It is also important that food is cooked faster in a fryer; for example, baking samsa with beef will take no more than half an hour.
DIY brick tandoor
Most often, modern tandoors are made from brick, because it has optimal fire resistance and thermal insulation properties. In addition to this, you will need cement, a sand-gravel mixture and a ready-made fire-resistant masonry mixture. And also mesh, asbestos fiber, paint, fittings and wire.
Foundation preparation
A brick tandoor is quite heavy, so a reliable foundation is required. On heavy soil, a simple columnar one is enough, but on light sandy soil you will need a monolithic concrete slab. The optimal size is about a meter per meter with a slab thickness of 10 cm, but first remove the soil layer 15 cm deep and make recesses in the corners for the verticals.
For reinforcement, use fiberglass reinforcement, and fill the bottom of the pit with sand. It is most convenient to make formwork from roofing boards and reinforcing mesh. For pouring, use a concrete mixture with the consistency of thick sour cream: sand with gravel in a ratio of 3:1 and cement grade 400 or higher.
Photo: drive2.ru
Photo: dizlandshafta.ru
Laying the base
Lay out the base of the tandoor from the same fireclay bricks from which you will make the walls. Keep in mind that regular red is not suitable for this purpose because it will not survive such temperatures. Fireclay has higher fire resistance and frost resistance, and is also denser and better able to withstand the pressure of the structure.
Before laying the brick base, the concrete foundation was covered with waterproofing roofing felt. For masonry, use a special oven mixture. To make the tandoor round, use a regular cutting wheel for cutting.
Photo: yaplakal.com
Tandoor body
The tandoor body is called the “rule” and according to the standard its height is equal to the width of the base. The diameter of the neck is one third of the diameter of the bottom substrate. For convenience, use a wooden pole and guides in increments of 25 cm.
Lay the bricks strictly vertically and do not skimp on the mortar for better adhesion. Each row must be tied together with wire according to the principle of rings on a barrel. Connect the inner edges as tightly as possible, and fill the distance between the outer edges with mortar.
Photo: fanerus.ru Photo: mkdou19.ru
Photo: bani-nsk.ru
Tandoor coating
When the brickwork is dry, it needs to be plastered with a special oven mixture. Apply it in a layer of 1 cm and round the top edge so that it resembles a roller. While the plaster is drying, cover the structure with film to protect it from moisture and sun. After this, cover the tandoor with fireproof acrylic paint.
Photo: landscapedizajn.ru
Subtleties of making a brick structure
Experts who know how to make a tandoor from brick recommend preparing the following materials in advance:
- fireclay clay;
- cement;
- steel grate;
- sand;
- fire brick;
- water;
- natural stone.
The amount of materials is determined based on the dimensions of the planned fryer. Work algorithm:
- Formation of the base. To build a brick tandoor, you must first dig a hole of the appropriate diameter, the height of which will coincide with the parameters of the future foundation. The optimal area would be a site with rocky or sandy soil, preferably away from walls and plantings; For pouring, a grate and high-quality concrete are used, which can withstand significant loads from the furnace. You can use a ready-made foundation mixture consisting of red clay, sand and plasticizers.
- Creation of masonry. The foundation will dry for 2 weeks, then you can begin to form the tandoor brickwork. The first step is to assemble the pattern without using mortar, and if the pattern matches, you can mix the cement mortar. The bricks are laid vertically, the level serves as a guide. At the very beginning, it is necessary to leave a blower - a gap through which air draft will flow.
- Applying a clay layer. When the masonry takes on a barrel-shaped or square shape, it is coated with a mixture of clay (fireclay) and water, and sometimes chopped sheep wool is added. Both internal and external surfaces are treated.
- Burning. A small amount of firewood is placed into the almost finished product and set on fire.
- Cladding with natural stone. This stage is necessary not only for decoration, but also to improve the operational properties of the brazier; if there is no stone, you need to make double brickwork (expanded clay is poured into the resulting gap).
- Creating the main cover and door for the blower.
How to make a tandoor from a barrel
You can make a very simple tandoor with your own hands from a 200-liter metal barrel and brick. You'll also need sheet metal, stove grates, an old tire, and door hinges. And little things, like wire, fasteners and working tools.
For the foundation, dig the tire halfway into the ground and fill it with concrete. While it's drying, cut out a small rectangle in the barrel, make a frame out of sheet metal and screw it to it. When you fill the barrel with bricks, leave a path to this hole for blowing and cleaning.
Lay out the second layer of the bottom and place a metal grate instead of a brick above the hole. Fill the barrel up to the top with bricks and fill all the voids with mortar. Make a lid out of sheet metal, screw the door onto the frame, and place the barrel on the foundation.
Photo: drive2.ru
Photo: les-tish.ru
Photo: blog.sputniksadovoda.ru
Photo: drive2.ru
Site for the unit
If you are planning to build a tandoor stove at your summer cottage, then first of all you need to decide on the location of its installation.
Whatever the device, traditional Central Asian or modern portable, the best location is considered to be the eastern part of the summer cottage. Outbuildings, cottages, fruit trees and shrubs must be at least 10 m from the selected site. It is advisable that the area be extremely flat, since it requires the construction of a clay foundation for the stove.
If necessary, the foundation for the platform can be deepened into the ground.
For the safety of the structure and those around it, the tandoor is located away from gas pipes and electrical wiring. The area around the unit must be cleared of leaves and rags.
As a rule, a tandoor is installed outdoors, but it can also be placed under a roof or in a summer kitchen, providing the structure with a chimney.
DIY clay tandoor
Choose heat-resistant yellow or gray clay for kiln work with the expectation of the highest possible temperature. On a production scale, reinforcing components are added to the clay, strips are rolled out and a tandoor is sculpted from them. But this technique cannot be repeated with your own hands without experience and the necessary materials.
At home, cut thick cardboard into strips 30 cm wide and wrap around the diameter of the fireplace. Fill the container with sand inside and wrap the outside with special mortar tape. Then gradually add clay to even out the width and increase the height.
Photo: zen.yandex.ru
Photo: jamaster.ru
Photo: tan-door.net
Uzbek model: economical and practical construction
The version of the stove invented by the Uzbeks is suitable for particularly zealous owners. A single addition of fuel will allow the cooking process to take place within 3 hours. Creating a design takes time, but does not require significant expenses. Thanks to this technology, it will be possible to create a stationary or mobile tandoor.
The Uzbek stove model can vary significantly depending on the wealth of the owner and the region in which it is used. The main material for making the structure is clay. There are special fittings inside (inserts made of kaolin or refractory bricks).
A pitcher-shaped clay tandoor is the most economical choice. It allows you to be as careful as possible with fuel consumption.
To create the base, they use not only a special type of clay (“live”, with a high content of kaolin), but also animal wool (camel or sheep). Both materials are mixed, the resulting composition is aged for about a week. Time allows the solution to “mature”. At the same time, daily intervention in this process is inevitable: the composition needs to be “stirred”.
The finished material, aged for a week, is used to sculpt the base of the furnace. There are plenty of technologies for this. We will consider the most common and affordable way to make a tandoor oven yourself below.
DIY pit tandoor
To make a pit tandoor, dig a pit of the required size, adding 20-30 cm around the perimeter. Fill the bottom with a 15 cm thick layer of crushed stone and compact it well. Saturate it with hot mastic or lay heat-resistant waterproofing on top.
It is recommended to do the masonry around the perimeter in two layers, and lay thermal insulation material between them. Don't forget to move the chimney pipe to the side. You can coat the walls of the tandoor with special fireclay clay or leave them brick.
Photo: putivodi.ru
Photo: sdelai-lestnicu.ru
Photo: na-dache.pro
Second row
The second row is laid out using the same technology. To increase the strength of the structure, the bricks of the second row should be placed in relation to the bricks with ligation and an offset of approximately half the width of the vertically standing brick. A blower is installed in the second row.
We recommend reading:
A hedge on a property: TOP-best ideas on what to use to make a beautiful hedge on a plot. Photo, diagram, instructions, tips from the gardenerDo-it-yourself rock garden: step-by-step instructions on how to create a beautiful rock garden (145 photos and videos)
DIY stone flowerbed - 140 photos of stylish and beautiful ideas on how to build a stone flowerbed
How to cook in tandoor?
First, put coal in the tandoor and wait until it burns out completely. For the convenience of loading products, special skewers, hooks, grates and other useful accessories are sold. In a properly made tandoor, one load of fuel is enough for 5-6 hours of cooking.
Traditional oriental cakes are glued directly to the clay walls. To do this, you need to wash them well in advance from the old soot and wait until the new ash burns out completely. In order for the dough to stick to the surface better, it must first be well moistened with water.
Photo: doorsindom86.rf
Only natural fuel!
It’s not for nothing that a wood-fired tandoor is a classic design – only wood can create an optimal temperature regime, which will not only have a positive effect on the taste and texture of food, but will also protect the roasting pan from destruction. Charcoal will not work - with its burning intensity, eastern stoves burst (and cannot be repaired). Coal is also excluded, since the walls of the brazier absorb coke gases, and it can also no longer be used. Therefore, if you don’t want to bother with firewood, it’s easier to put up a grill, but the list of dishes will be limited.
Video description
How to make an earthen tandoor in the country is shown in this video:
Important! To make working with the tandoor easier, it is recommended to design its lid 15-30 cm above ground level.
The bottom is cemented with concrete, after which a continuous layer of refractory brick is laid out. When laying the first row of bricks, a ventilation hole is created that will act as a blower. A metal pipe is inserted into it, the upper edge of which should be just below the tandoor lid for reliable air circulation. After the oven is completely laid out, it is coated on both sides with a layer of clay and sheep wool and left for 2-3 weeks to dry.
Only after this time can you begin to fire the tandoor until a characteristic sound appears when tapped. The voids between the furnace and the ground are filled with sand or fine gravel. Cleaning such a stove is done manually by scraping out the coals.
Rule for styling
Before you start laying the walls, you need to calculate what the height of the tandoor and the size of the base will be.
With a base length of 30 centimeters, the height of a proper tandoor should be no less than 1 meter. If the base is larger, then the height of the tandoor will be much greater, but usually what was described is quite sufficient.
The rule for masonry is made from a pole, which is installed on the timber so that together they form a right angle. It is necessary to attach strips to the pole, each of which will correspond to the width of one or another part of the stove.
Along the outer edge, all the planks are combined with a plywood plate so that a tandoor shape is formed.
The planks are made from unnecessary beams, and the pole can be represented by absolutely any type of material.
Plywood is most often taken from old beds; there are slats that are placed under the mattress. They have good flexibility, so it is easy to make a wall of any shape from them.
A large tandoor is more suitable for large production purposes, but for a summer house or home, the one described above is sufficient.
Historical reference
A tandoor is an Asian oven-broiler that has a cone shape and is intended for cooking.
A tandoor is a jug-shaped or spherical roasting pan. Distributed among the peoples of Asia. The specific shape and material ensures the highest heat capacity of the furnace. The tandoor allows you to get by with a minimum amount of fuel, which is important for areas where there has never been an abundance of wood.
This type of brazier has been known for more than 5 thousand years. It is believed that it first appeared in Mesopotamia and then spread throughout the eastern region. It was heated with brushwood, firewood, and dung. For a long time, only stationary models were built, but as blacksmithing developed, portable ones began to appear.
The tandoor is for cooking, not heating. In East Asia, baked goods come in the form of flatbreads, so baking trays or racks are not needed. Pieces of dough are molded onto rounded walls, where they are quickly heated and baked.
Operating rules
Do not use flammable liquids to ignite the tandoor.
Safety precautions are very simple:
- Children and pets are not allowed on the site during cooking;
- You cannot place a portable tandoor next to wooden objects;
- during cooking, you cannot touch the walls of the brick model - they are hot;
- You can only remove finished products using canvas gloves and special hooks;
- When igniting, do not bend low.
It is strictly forbidden to use flammable liquids such as alcohol, gasoline, kerosene for ignition.
