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Cooking for Parties/Questions about clay ovens?

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Expert: - 6/19/2008


Question
Hi:

I live in Diamond Bar, a city in Southern California.

I am looking for a tandoor clay oven that can be fueled by bituminous coals. I've looked at many shops on and off the net. I've not been able to find one that I'm sure is safe to use bituminous coals on. Some use charcoal but I don't know if its safe to use bituminous coals on these oven.

I feel gas and charcoal are too bland. They don't give the flavor I like. To my nose and taste buds, nothing is more pleasant than garlic naan [Indian garlic bread] cooked in a clay oven fueled by bituminous coals. The earthy aroma of the clay combined with that of the bituminous coal really gets my appetite going.

Also, what type of heat is mostly used in clay oven to cook food -- radiant, conductive, or convective?


Thanks,

Green

Answer
What you are looking for will possibly have to come from India.  The way to find one would be to go to your local Indian restaurant and tell them you want to buy a Tandoori oven and ask where theirs came from.  Be prepared to part with 4-6 thousand dollars for one of these ovens, they aren't cheap!  I wanted one too until I found out how much they cost.  The bread dough is stuck directly on to the wall of the oven to cook and peeled off when ready so the heat is conductive. You cook Tandoori chicken on a steel rod that goes through the bird and is then placed in the clay oven. I hope this was helpful!

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