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Another option is , if you have enough space on the terrace, add another 500L capacity tank at a higher elevation. Do the plumbing such that, the pump feeds to this 500L tank. Join the lower elevation tank to the new 500L tank such that there is a 1 inch pipe coming from the top of the 500L tank to the lower elevation tank. Feed the washing machine from the 500L tank.

Once the 500L tank is full, a 1 inch outlet at the top of the tank will act as overflow outlet and fill the lower elevation tank. This will also ensure that the 500L tank is full most of the time since only once this gets filled up will the water flow into the lower elevation tank. This will solve your problem

Any recos on reliable, no-nonsense cast-iron/non-stick/granite/porcelain pan/tawa/kadais? Something to buy and use for a long time, price is not a constraint. Need to be induction compatible.

We have used this . There is a way to use it so that it functions properly and it is not as non-stick as regular non-stick but functions well once we know how to use it.

Thanks, will look into this material. What is the suggested maintenance/usage process for tri-ply SS vessels? I guess it will not be the same as prescribed for cast-iron utensils - pat dry after wash, apply very thin layer of oil, medium heat for 2..3 minutes.

Indeed, all of this that you mentioned to cook stuff. The only other thing we do or were asked to do is that we wash it by scrubbing with wire cleaner. The first time we used it, the pan became black and we thought it was burnt. But the Vinod guy told us to use wire and everything came off without damaging the surface. Now we clean it everytime with that, the surface is undamaged for last few years.

In terms of oil usage from least to maximum:

Brand new undamaged Non-Stick < Triply < Damaged Non-stick (coating coming off in few months time)

Assuming you are lucky enough to still have a grandmother, I bet she's been using the same one for decades. Once "seasoned" cast-iron and steel cookware is every bit as non-stick as modern surfaces, and does not burn off or need special attention. Well, sometimes it does, but re-seasoning is not a big deal.

We have just thrown out the old, worn, teflon-coated dosa "stone" that had probably been poisoning us for quite a while and reverted to traditional steel. If my wife wants a dosa, she wants a dosa, not a complicated kitchen ritual :). She has no problems at all with the traditional thing.

I don't have the knack of making dosa. But I have no problems at all with my carbon-steel frying pans for frying eggs or even making omelettes.

If one lets these things get in a mess, get dirty, get wet, get rusted, then one has some work to do. But it needn't happen.

Once the batter is ready, making dosa's shouldnt be a problem. Perhaps one of few things that actually work by going around in circles :D

You mean the regular scoth-brite steel scrubber, right?

While I still had a home there, I took Mrs G to London, and we shopped for some Indian essentials (She was astounded in East Ham: "I can shop in Tamil here, and in Malayalam next door!"). Anyway, I had beginner's luck with dosa. Ever since, all I get is horrible sticky mess. I'll stick to eggs and omelettes.

Yes, that's the one. The first photo below looks like the coating is off (Coming from non-stick pans, the first time we saw this, we thought this is spoilt). Used scotch brite once and the result is next.

Off topic:
The trick is to add a little soaked methi (fenugreek seeds) to the rice while grinding it. I'm sure TBHPians in the "chefs" thread can give you better directions on making the perfect dosa. :)

Why not go with the traditional cast iron tava?

Vinod Legacy Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron...
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08HYQ43L7

I suggest you look here for experts on this topic!
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ter-chefs.html

I have had my problems with Idly dough also. I generally make the dough at home, Here are my observations.

1. Stick to normal rice. With parboiled rice I always ended up with very sticky idlis.

2. Add Methi (about 1/4 teaspoon) to 1/2 kg rice. This helps in fermentation.

3. Grind as fine as possible. When we used a normal mixer, it would never be really fine. Now with stone wet grinder, I get beautiful consistency. Long time ago, my father's colleague's wife who came from Coimbatore, gave me this tip. The finer the grind the whiter (and fluffier) the idli. With the wet grinder I get super fluffy chalk white idly every time.

4. A ratio of 1:4 is the best compromise for an idli/dosa batter. For purely idli 1:5 is better while for dosa 1:2 gives you softer dosas.






Dosa will stick if the dough has not fermented sufficiently. My metric is to grind by 4 in the evening and let it ferment overnight. The dough should rise at least to twice the height.

Wow, all that is impressive! I don't need to consult the internet on the cooking, as wife is handy --- but she does not make her own mix, as it is easily available very close to our house. It is absolutely not worth making our own considering the small quantities we'd consume. On this basis, she also refuses to give houseroom to a wet grinder. She is right: far too much of our small house room is already cluttered up with unused gadgets.

About the towa. We had a non-stick one because it came free with a pressure cooker. The teflon wore/burnt off long ago, probably poisoning us as it did. As I said before: just stick with the choice of parents and grandparents: steel or cast iron. We are back to steel now, and are very happy with it.

I agree. Steel is the way to go. Most users do not realise that the street vendors and dosa joints use mild steel "Tawa". Once greased properly the steel cooking surface has a lot of advantages over the non-stick one, especially for Indian style cooking.

. Steel cooking surface is not super slippery, so while making Dosa, the dough adheres to the surface just enough to ease spreading, and once done it comes off easily.

. Steel plates used by commercial cooking is very rugged and does not mind constant changes in temperatures. Just observe the Dosa frying process - High heat for starting, low heat for cooking and then after it is done water to cool the surface so that the fresh dough does not burn.

. Similarly for potato "Tikki", the surface retains heat and the Tikki cooks at a uniform heat.

. Lastly let us not forget the Steel Tawa that we use for Roti's and Paratha. Nonstick pans just burn and deteriorate under these conditions.

Is that black 1" thick wide platform that we see in hotels etc a steel one ?