Peek into the Kitchen
The only coordinated 'set' in my kitchen are the dishes; almost everything else is an haphazard collection assembled over the years. And this casserole is undoubtedly one of my favorites. It is 32 years old, and has traveled across 8 cities and two countries.
It occupied the pride of place in my mother's kitchen and it does now in mine. Curries and biryanis, soups and gratins, noisy dinners, celebrations, formal meals, clumsy guests... this pot has seen everything and stood the test of time. Best of all, like women it only looks better with age.
It occupied the pride of place in my mother's kitchen and it does now in mine. Curries and biryanis, soups and gratins, noisy dinners, celebrations, formal meals, clumsy guests... this pot has seen everything and stood the test of time. Best of all, like women it only looks better with age.
Posted By Ashwini | Permalink |
24 Comments:
That's a gorgeous pot! Precious. How about some details about where it is from and other origins.
"Best of all, like women it only looks better with age" - ofcourse it is a beauty
great pot!! waiting for your recipe
Would its ceramic skin bear a 'Domit' tattoo? I think I recognise that oldster pattern, though they seem sadly out of favour these days and don't seem to make the more unusual shapes --- like this one!
wow that is an awesome pot...I have some passed down crockery aswell..only that I stock them away incase I break them..
What a pot! I recently inherited an orange juicer which belonged to my grandmother. If only such objects could talk :)
These things are so precious, aren't they.
More valuable than what we stow away in bank lockers.
I bet this elegant beauty has so many stories to tell too :)
lovely looking!
Beauty!! Yes, like mature women, they get seasoned!:D
Ashwini
Its such a coincidence i just posted a new post with a peek into my kitchen too ... check it out.
such a lovely piece , i love things that are handed down for generations very rare to find and such a treasure they are...
It is beautiful and timeless. I love treasured cookware like these.
That's a beautiful pot!
-Poonam
Like 'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever', this pot so unique and a beauty for ever.
You lucky girl! Priceless!!
Thats a very good luking pot! and a family heirloom to boot!
Ash thats casserole is defintely a treasured one!! I know few things are so close to heart that if want to cook n use it all the time.
Can't wait to see the recipe now!!
Nice pot! I often look at my collection of pots and think there's something endearing about having a mis-matched collection. It shows you keep pots which serve a purpose, as opposed to having many that just sit on the shelf because 'they're part of a collection'.
What a beautiful pot. These kind of pieces and hard to come by. And great memories are attached to it too.
Shankari, Deepa, MM, Asha, Cynthia, Poonam, Sailu, DK, Padmaja, Vimmi -
Thanks all, the casserole is positively basking in the glory of your compliments :-)
ET - My mother bought it in Calcutta when we lived there (in the 70s). We'd have a constant stream of guests on their way to Darjeeling. After dhaka saress, shantiniketan bags and mishti doi my mom used to take the women to this shop. A family run business (last I heard it had closed), they made serveware which were oven proof at that time!
Rodosee - This is made in India. Not sure about the line you are talking about.
Rachel - I did that until recently too. But there is just no better time to use them than now.
Cooker - I'd love to see that! Pls put up a post if possible.
Reshma - yep if only it could talk :-)
Mahek - I agree. Though my kitchen has its share of the convenient stuff, pots and pans like these mean a lot and also add a personal touch to dinners
Mythreyee - nicely put!
Phantomchef - I am positively averse to a having a collection for everything.
@Ashwini
If it's from Cal, it was probably (going by your description of the family business) from a shop on the corner of Park Street and Free School Street, called Rajniklal's. Which means, yes, it is this homegrown brand called Domit! (I have quite a few of those, several fairly recent --- bought a year or two ago)
Yes, alas, the shop's closed and has given way to a tea room. However, the brand is still available at a few places, notably the various West Bengal state emporia. They only do a limited line these days *sigh*...
However, I guess there's a silver lining: now that they supply to the emporia, it's fortuitous for shoppers in other parts of India (at least wherever the state emporia have an outlet).
Sorry about the double post, but you got me thinking... and searching!
Here's what I found (and thought you'd like to see too):
http://www.rajaniklal.com/ovenware.htm
Rodosee - you are a *sweetheart*. It is indeed Rajniklal in Calcutta. Just the name gives me goosebumps. When you said 'Domit' it got me thinking of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings :-) Didnt know the line had this name.
I have two more from my mom. They are pretty unusual (we used to call one amoeba!) so it's sad to see they have predictable patterns now.
Thank you so so much for telling me about the state emporia. I will lookout for it on my next trip.
PS: I am a Taurean too
ET - you can buy one in India if you want.
That is gorgeous! You hardly get to see such things these days! I should nag my mom to get me soemthing like this, maybe of my nani :)
That's awesome! amazing how cooking pieces become imbued with so much history and memories; when they are touched they almost speak!
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