What is it?
A saucepan is the straight-sided single-handled pan a kitchen reaches for when the quantity is small, and kalai is the tin skin wiped over the inside of a brass one so milk and chai sit on tin rather than on brass.
Also known as a tapeli, pateli, milk pan, tea pan or peetal sauce pan.
What is in the box?
- 1 brass saucepan
- 1 brass lid
How do I look after it?
- The silver lining inside is kalai — a thin coat of tin, applied by hand over heat by a tinsmith called a kalaiwala. Brass reacts with sour food; the kalai is the barrier between the two.
- Kalai is not permanent. With regular cooking it wears through in roughly 12 to 15 months — sooner on a high flame, later on a vessel used only for storage or ghee. When brass starts showing through the silver, it is time to have it redone. The vessel itself will outlast you; the coating is a service item, like re-soling a shoe.
- Getting it redone: any local kalaiwala can do it, usually for a small charge, usually the same day.
- Cook on a low to medium flame. High heat is what strips kalai fastest.
- Use wooden or silicone tools. Steel spatulas scratch tin.
- Wash by hand with mild soap and a soft sponge, and dry immediately. Never scour the inside.
- Clean the outside brass with lemon and salt or tamarind. Keep abrasives off the tinned inside.
How was it made?
- Tin Lined
