All About Iron Dosa Tawa: How to Use, Clean, and Love Your Iron Tawa

Despite all the great qualities of an Iron Tawa people stay away. They think there are so many “rules” that you have to follow to keep from ruining your iron Tawa. THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE.

Some best practices will help you use the iron dosa Tawa to the best possible. It can be used to make chapatis, dosa, paratha, eggs, and more.

This blog will deep dive into all you need to know about Iron pans to make you an expert.

If you don’t have time to read the whole article about iron pans, then here are the key points to take away:

Cooking with iron Tawa rocks because you get a chemical–free and non–stick surface on healthy cookware. You can do everything on the iron pan, this includes dosa, chapati, paratha, eggs, shallow frying (potatoes, fish).

Cleaning

Cleaning cast iron cookware takes all of 2 minutes. You need to wash away the food particles. Soap is optional. After washing, dry the pan by placing it on the stove for 1 minute till the water evaporates. Once it is dry and cooled, wipe clean. Apply a thin coat of oil on all sides and you are DONE!

If you let your food burn on the pan and it is severely black and food gets stuck. Do not worry, we have a tip for that too. Add rock salt to the pan; rub all over the pan with a cut lemon. This will remove all of the food stuck on the pan. Clean the Tawa as mentioned in the above point and you are good to go.

By following the above two steps, your iron pan never needs to be “seasoned,” and will last for generations.

Heirloom quality iron Tawa is very affordable too. All Indus Valley Iron Tawas are just 599 ₹ isn’t expensive. All pans sold by The Indus Valley are pre-seasoned with premium rice bran oil. You can start using it from day 1.

The Benefits of Iron Tawa Cooking

1. Even Heating

Iron is an excellent conductor of heat. Many customers worry if the iron pan will consume more heat than their nonstick pan. The answer to that is a resounding NO!

Iron gets hot soon, evenly, and retains heat. This means you can save on GAS BILLS and be HEALTHY all at once.

Have you noticed how the dosa / chapathi is overcooked in the center in a nonstick pan? The heat is more in the center for nonstick pans. However, for iron pans, heat spreads evenly and your dosa will cook evenly without any black scorched spots.

You can use the entire pan to heat your food, this comes especially helpful when you cook food like fish. It gets a nice sear all over and not only in the center.

2. Naturally Nonstick Dosa Tawa

All pans that you buy from The Indus Valley are pre-seasoned. So what does that mean for you?

All pans need to be seasoned before using for cooking to ensure food does not stick on them. When you buy from the US, your pan is READY-TO-USE. We do the seasoning for you. We have tips for cleaning and maintenance that will help you use your Tawa for ages.

It’s the best nonstick coating you’ve ever cooked on without any nasty chemicals. The longer you cook on your iron dosa Tawa, the more nonstick it will get—and the less oil you can use when you cook in it. It performs like any other Non-stick cookware.

3. Iron added to food

Anemia is a common problem for Indians, specifically Indian women. It causes multiple problems like menstural problems, immunity issues among many others.

Cooking regularly with an Iron Tawa is one way that many natural practitioners recommend helping to supplement iron. Studies show that foods cooked in iron cookware show a 16% increase in iron content over those cooked in a non-iron Tawa.

Say goodbye to toxic non-stick pans and welcome a healthy and tasty iron pan.

4. Yummier food

Okay, let’s all admit this before we go ahead – WE LOVE FOOD!

Tasty food, in particular, is something of pursuit, even for the experts among us. We buy good ingredients, follow experts’ recipes and advice, we do it all. But there is always something we can do better.

That is where iron pans come in. Did you know that most restaurants in India use iron pans? Now you know the reason for the mouth-watering crust on that crispy butter masala dosa.

Just Thinking of a crispy paper butter dosa makes our mouth water.

5. Heirloom quality

Some families take pride in passing on their iron pan from one generation to another. Some of our customers, own pans that were passed on to them from their great-grandmother. If you are looking for cookware that lasts, Iron Pans are the best.

How To Season Iron Pan?

All pans bought from The Indus Valley are pre-seasoned. You do not have to season them. However, if you want to do it one more time after few months of use, it is a GOOD IDEA.

Here are the things you need –

Steps

1. Mix Oil with rock salt (optional) and apply this all over the pan. Apply it to the front and back of the pan. Do not forget the handles.
2. Place the pan on the gas stove and heat it for 2-3 minutes. Wait till you can see some smoke come from the pan. Turn off the pan, and wait till it cools down.
3. Remove the excess oil from the pan.
4. Finally use a kitchen tissue or rag to wipe out the excess oil.

Your pan is seasoned and ready to use now!

How To Clean Iron Tawa? (video!)

After hand washing your cookware, simply place it on a gas burner for a few minutes. After the pan is dry, rub in a thin layer of cooking oil to help maintain your hard-earned seasoning. Here is a video with a detailed explanation.

Tips and Tricks 

TIP 1 – As you use your Iron Pan the seasoning improves. Using metal spoons on the Tawa can ruin the lovely seasoning. So, we recommend using wooden spoons.

Here are some options.

TIP 2 – Iron Tawa performs best when heated and cooled gradually, so give it a few minutes to pre-heat before adding your food.

TIP 3 – Iron dosa Tawa retains heat very well, so using a lower heat setting can prevent food from sticking.

TIP 4 – Always dry your Iron pan promptly and thoroughly with a cloth or paper towel.

TIP 5 – Rub with a very light layer of cooking oil or preferably while the cookware is still warm. Hang or store cookware in a dry place.

TIP 6 – Soap isn’t always necessary, but a little mild detergent is fine if you like. Promise. Also, Stay away from dishwashers and metal scouring pads, which can harm the seasoning.