Cooking over the heat of hot coals has long been a tradition among summer residents. For this, a variety of braziers are used: barbecues, barbecues, grills. In addition to them, in the courtyards of connoisseurs of oriental cuisine you can find a device that is more unusual to our eyes and understanding - a tandoor oven. The peoples of Asia prepare almost all national dishes there, from fluffy flatbreads to juicy kebab or chicken. The taste of food from an exotic oven is unforgettable! You can easily verify this if you decide to make a tandoor with your own hands.

Tandoor - oven-broiler for preparing oriental dishes: shashlik, samsa, tandoori-nan flatbreads

A tandoor is a hollow clay vessel that tapers towards the top. In the upper part there is a hole (as in any vessel), through which fuel and cooked dishes are placed into the oven. In the lower part there is a blower with a damper to provide traction. To enhance the thermal insulation characteristics of the stove, the clay base is covered with brick. Heat-accumulating materials are poured between brick and clay walls: sand, salt, clay.

Tandoor design with clay base and brick casing

During the combustion of fuel, the walls of the tandoor accumulate heat and heat up to temperatures of 250-400°C. Clay has excellent thermal insulation properties, so the operating temperature in the stove is maintained for 3-4 hours! And all this time inside the ceramic vessel you can bake, fry and cook. Cooking occurs due to powerful heat transfer, but not outward, but into the inside of the tandoor. Thanks to the even, high temperature inside the oven, the meat is fried evenly, the pilaf is crumbly, and the bread is unusually aromatic.

Method of making clay tandoor

In accordance with classical ancient technology, real tandoor masters do not build, but sculpt. Made from kaolin clay, mainly of Akhangaran origin, which is famous for its thermal insulation qualities. To prevent the clay oven from cracking when its “inside” is filled with high temperatures, camel or sheep wool is mixed with kaolin. Making a classic tandoor is quite difficult, due to the fact that the exact composition of the kaolin mixture is not disclosed by Asian craftsmen. You will have to do everything by eye, experimenting and correcting your own mistakes.

The classic tandoor is made from environmentally friendly refractory clay with the addition of sheep wool.

The average technology looks like this:

1. Kaolin is mixed with wool (cut into 10-15 mm fibers). The mixture should be viscous, similar to thick sour cream.
2. The clay composition is left for a week so that it dries and reaches its condition. All this time the mixture is stirred for uniform drying. If water accumulates on top of the mixture, it is advisable to drain it immediately rather than mix it into the composition. Remember that the less water there is in the clay, the less chance that the tandoor will crack during drying and firing. At the end of the preparation period, the composition should become similar to dense plasticine, from which you can sculpt anything you want.
3. Oblong flat sheets with a thickness of at least 5 cm are molded from clay “plasticine”. From them, moving in a circle, a tandoor is formed. Classic dimensions: height - 1-1.5 m, diameter before narrowing - 1 m, neck diameter - 0.5-0.6 m. A hole is left in the lower part on the side for air injection.
4. Leave the finished tandoor to dry in the shade for about 1 month.
5. Clay walls are lined with fireclay bricks, using kaolin clay or a special oven composition of clay, quartz sand and plasticizers as a solution. Sand, salt or clay are gradually poured between the clay and brick walls, tamping each laid layer.
6. The inside of the clay oven is coated with cotton oil.
7. They begin firing the tandoor, bringing the clay to the state of ceramics. The temperature is increased slowly, gradually. Firing can last up to 24 hours. This slowness is associated with the appearance of cracks when the raw clay is suddenly heated.

Interesting facts about the classic tandoor and its manufacturing technology can be found out by watching the video:

Simplified classic tandoor with a barrel at the base

Home craftsmen, having tried their hand at making a tandoor at the dacha with their own hands, often note that it is quite difficult to form it without experience. It turns out askew and crooked, and when it dries, it cracks. Therefore, a simpler “recipe” for making an Asian oven was developed, based on the formation of clay walls around a wooden barrel.

Using a wooden barrel as a template greatly simplifies the manufacture of a tandoor

Consumables:

• kaolin;
• fireclay sand – fraction up to 0.5 mm;
• sheep (camel) wool;
• wooden barrel with metal hoops;
• vegetable oil.

The order of work is as follows. The barrel is filled with water and left for a day to soak the wood and allow it to swell. Clay is mixed with sand and wool in a ratio of 1:2:0.05, left for several days to dry and gain plasticity. Then drain the water from the barrel and wait for it to dry. A layer of vegetable oil is applied to the inner surface of the barrel and left to soak overnight. The finished clay solution is applied to the inner walls of the barrel in a layer of 4-5 cm. With wet hands, level the surface, trying to achieve even walls. The clay layer is gradually increased upward to obtain a narrowed tandoor neck. A small hole is left in the lower part to allow air to blow in during the combustion process.

The tandoor should dry in a dry, ventilated place, in the shade. This usually lasts 3 weeks to a month. Gradually, the wooden staves of the barrel will begin to lag behind the clay sides of the tandoor. When the drying process is completed, the metal hoops are removed and the tandoor is freed from the barrel.

The tandoor is placed on a thick sand bed and fired, that is, the first heating is carried out. To do this, light a low fire inside the stove, which is maintained with new portions of fuel for about 6 hours. After which the tandoor is covered with a lid and the fire is ignited more, gradually bringing it to the maximum. The oven should cool slowly.

We can say that the tandoor is ready. However, to increase thermal insulation, it is advisable to further insulate it: build brick walls around it with a clay, sand, felt or cotton layer.

A modern version of the tandoor - made of brick

As stated earlier, a classic tandoor made entirely of clay at home often cracks during the drying and firing process. You have to be lucky not to make a mistake in calculating the clay composition and temperature conditions of the processing process the first time. Making a clay tandoor is not as easy as it seems! For many craftsmen, it simply falls apart into fragments already in the first week of drying. In order not to take unnecessary risks, we suggest that you make a tandoor with your own hands from refractory bricks - this option guarantees an excellent result, despite the fact that in appearance it will differ from a classic Asian oven.

For a brick tandoor you will need:

• fireclay (fireproof, stove) brick;
• stove mixture - for masonry;
• fireclay clay (kaolin);
• sand, reinforcing mesh, concrete - for the foundation;
• wooden frame template.

Now let's outline the manufacturing stages.

Stage #1 - completing the foundation

A round hole is dug on a flat area, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the base of the future tandoor. A sand cushion about 10 cm thick is placed at the bottom of the pit.

The foundation pit is dug to a depth of at least 40-50 cm

A metal mesh woven from thick wire or reinforcement is laid out on top of the pillow.

Reinforcing mesh enhances the strength and reliability of the concrete slab

Concrete is poured into the pit, leveling it with a metal rule and controlling the horizontality with a building level. Subsequent work is carried out at least a week later, when the concrete has set and gained its initial strength.

The concrete foundation must be perfectly smooth and level

Stage #2 - formation of brick walls

The bricks are laid in a circle of a pre-designated diameter. Usually this is 1 m. The bricks are placed on the end, and, adhering to the wooden frame template, they form a circle. Laying is done using a mortar made from a stove (fireproof) mixture. It contains: fireclay clay, quartz sand, plasticizers. Thanks to carefully selected components, the solution does not crack during firing, is plastic, and sets quickly.

Using a wooden template frame allows you to form a brick circle with a given diameter

A hole for the blower is left in the lower part of the brick tandoor. Its role can be played by a chimney or an ordinary window with a metal shutter.

For a tandoor with a height of 1-1.2 m, it will be enough to vertically lay the bricks in 4 rows. The last row will form a tapering neck, so the bricks at this stage are laid with a slight inward slope.

A vent from a chimney pipe is installed at the bottom of the tandoor wall

Do-it-yourself brick tandoor must be completely dry after making it, only after that you can fire it

Stage #3 - Coating with clay and finishing with stone

On the outer and inner sides, the tandoor is coated with a thick layer of fireclay clay, 5 cm thick. Also, at this stage, the tandoor was finished with natural stone - for a presentable appearance of the product.

A tandoor lined with natural stone can become an interesting element of the landscape design of the site

Stage #4 - first firing of the product

This is done in the same way as in the case of a classic clay tandoor. Light a fire inside, gradually heat the walls of the stove to high temperatures (up to 400°C), then allow it to cool slowly.

How to make a tandoor from brick with your own hands is clearly demonstrated in the following video:

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How to make a tandoor from oven bricks

Today I’ll tell you how I realized my old idea of ​​​​making a tandoor.

The tandoor was initially sculpted from special clay, which was mined in one single place, mixed with lamb wool, and then a huge jug (let's call it that) was sculpted from this mixture. They cooked not only flatbreads and samsa in them, they fried meat in it, which in the end had an excellent taste, as for me, barbecue is no longer comparable.

I didn’t delve so deeply into the original sources and decided to make it out of brick. Because the main task of the “jug” is to retain heat, the brick copes with this perfectly. Closer to the topic...

Design

Like many things on my site, I designed the tandoor in a computer program.

The result should be the following

As you can see, the product is not of a simple shape and to build it you need to work with the shape of the brick.

It consists of:

1. Base(foundation)
2. platform with channels
3. 3 “rings” refractory bricks
4. lid with thermometer
5. suspension

In order to bring the project to life, it was necessary to bring the bricks into shape with the required angles and dimensions, and this is exactly what the program helped me with.

In it I calculated these parameters.

It was not difficult with the lower two rings; they had to cut off 2 faces so that they would join each other precisely with planes, and not with corners. But with the top ring it was more difficult. It was necessary to create a truncated cone, again for joining the bricks with planes. The figure below indicates in red what needs to be cut off.

Base for tandoor (foundation)

I didn’t plan to make it a grandiose structure, everything was simple...

I made a circular hole in the ground with a diameter of 2 meters and a depth of 25 cm.

Waterproofed around the circumference. I poured about 10 cm of crushed stone, then about 5-7 cm of sand, moistened it with water from a watering can and compacted it. I laid the mesh for the bundle. Next, I mixed the concrete and poured it.

The next day I ironed the surface to give it a perfectly flat surface and strengthen the top layer of concrete.

Brick processing

This is the most painstaking process and quite dusty. The edges were cut dry using a grinder with a concrete disc. The photo shows the bricks for the top ring.

All the corners of the brick were treated in the same way, so it looks more aesthetically pleasing.

Bricklaying

A fireproof mixture based on fireclay clay was used for masonry. It is diluted with water, mixed to a certain state and infused. The peculiarity is that after infusion you cannot add water (according to the instructions), so you need to be careful with the amount of water.

2 rows of bricks were laid - a platform with channels, a blower.

Next, using a template for laying bricks in a circle, 2 “jug” rings were laid out. The template is made in the shape of an inverted letter “G” with a hole that fits onto the pin in the center of the platform and then it determines the radius of the rings.

At the end of the laying, all three rings were tightened. The lower rings are die-cut, the upper rings are made with aluminum wire.

According to the instructions for the fireproof mixture, you need to wait 2 weeks and do not heat it.

Lid

The lid was made of wood. Thermometer is built in. The photo shows the temperature for bookmarking.

Tandoor is a roasting oven for cooking food in the shape of a ball, dome or jug ​​among the peoples of Asia. Distributed very widely - from the Balkan countries to China and Latin America. This is explained by the fact that the simple structure of the tandoor has been verified over centuries and worked out by many generations.

Collapse

Modern tandoor

In its modern design, the stove is made of kaolin clay (inner layer) and brick (cladding). The gap between them is filled with salt, clay or expanded clay. A hole is left in the lower part of the structure - a blower. Accumulated ash is also removed through it.

Tandoor device

Operating principle of the fryer:

1. Firewood from hardwood is loaded up to 1/5-1/4 of the stove volume. Coniferous trees are not recommended due to their high resin content.
2. After the fuel burns out (usually an hour and a half), the inner surface of the tandoor cleans itself of soot and carbon deposits on its own and becomes light.
3. You can start cooking. Skewers are lowered vertically and fixed at the mouth of the oven, flat cakes and other dough products are stuck directly onto the clay surface. Pilaf in a cauldron is placed at the neck of the structure. The tandoor is covered with a lid.
4. After 15-40 minutes, the dishes are ready. A ladle or hook is used to remove baked goods.

The shape of the tandoor in the form of a round cavity with a narrowed neck ensures the accumulation of heat from the combustion of wood, and a thick layer of fireclay clay or brick maintains the temperature for a very long time. Conditions are created for the fastest cooking of food from the radiation of smoldering coals and heated walls. The food in the oven is evenly baked, remaining juicy. The heat produced in a tandoor allows you to cook several servings of food in one heating session. Often, braziers are placed in the ground, so the heat is retained for a very long time. A small amount of firewood or other fuel is consumed. In Central Asia, which is not rich in forest reserves, cotton, camel thorn, and saxaul are used.

Classic roasting ovens have a round shape, but rectangular and square tandoors are also available.

Uzbek

Tandir- this is the name of a traditional stove in Uzbekistan. Uzbek flatbreads - tandir-non, puff pastries with meat - samsa are baked in it, vegetables and meat are cooked.

Construction of an Uzbek tandoor

The classic Uzbek tandoor was built from high-quality fireclay clay with the addition of chopped sheep or camel wool and sand, and consisted of a pommel installed on a stone hearth. First, an internal mold with a thickness of 40-50 mm was prepared and dried in the sun for 2-3 weeks. The outside was then covered with regular gray or white clay for additional thermal insulation.

When fired, the wool burned out, and tiny pores formed in the clay layer. This gave additional heat-protective properties to the furnace.

Sometimes the tandoor was additionally lined with fireclay bricks. A small armful of desert bushes was enough to prepare flat cakes and boil a kumgan of water.

The disadvantage of the Uzbek tandoor is that it is quite difficult for a person without pottery skills to make a clay structure. You can use a ready-made form sold in stores.

Uzbek tandoor

Armenian

In Armenia the oven is called tint In addition to cooking, in ancient times it was used for heating homes, for medicinal and ritual purposes. Often one tandoor was installed on a village street for several houses. Men were not allowed to bake bread, and women, bending over the oven, bowed to the Sun. The Armenian people hold a tonir festival every year - Tonraton.

Armenian clay is not as plastic as Uzbek clay. It is difficult to obtain a round container of large diameter from it. Therefore, the tandoor was made from fireclay bricks.

It is quite possible to lay out the oven in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of 1 m independently according to the scheme:

1. Dig a pit 30-40 cm deep for the foundation.
2. Pour in liquid clay solution.
3. After the mixture has hardened (after 12-14 days), lay out the first row of bricks on clay mortar, leaving a hole for the blower.
4. Complete the next rows of masonry to the required height, shifting the bricks relative to each other for dressing.
5. Coat the outside with clay mortar, filling the gaps between the bricks.
6. If you plan to cook baked goods, after 2-3 weeks, line the inner surface of the oven with clay mortar.
7. Decorate the outside with tiles or natural stone if desired.

All that remains is to carry out preliminary firing. And the Armenian tandoor is ready!

Armenian toner

The disadvantage of the Armenian tandoor is its lower heat capacity compared to the Uzbek one. This is explained by the simplified form of the design, because It is much more convenient to fashion a narrowed vessel from clay than to lay it out of brick. Some of the heat is lost, but this does not affect the taste of the finished dishes.

The advantage of toner is that it has a large internal surface area. This is convenient for baking tortillas and bread.

By installation type

Zemlyanoy

A pit oven is a stone or brick “bag” in the ground. Kindling is carried out through the top hole. Products for cooking are also loaded through it. The draft is supported by a pipe buried in the ground at an angle of 45°.

There are two ways to build an earthen tandoor:

1. Dig a hole 1.25 m deep, line the bottom and walls with fireclay bricks, leaving a hole for the air duct pipe. Insert the bottom into this opening, and bring the top to the surface of the earth. Equip with a damper. Treat the inside of the pit oven with clay mortar. After drying, burn.
2. Place the finished clay mold in a pre-dug pit. Fill the sinuses with earth and compact them. The exhaust device is similar to the first method.

Lay tiles around the opening of the pit oven and close with a lid.

Tandoor in the ground

Earthen tandoor - the oldest oven

Earth stoves accumulate heat well. They were used in ancient times to heat homes. The disadvantages include the fact that they cannot be built at high groundwater levels, because... the structure is saturated with moisture. It is impossible to cook anything in such a tandoor.

Ground (stationary)

With all the variety of shapes and designs of braziers, we can highlight the general characteristic properties of ground-based tandoors:

• The “body” of the furnace is located vertically or horizontally above the ground.
• The heat source is located inside the fryer.
• The draft occurs through the blower hole in the lower part of the structure.
• Loading of fuel and products is carried out through the top opening of the tandoor if it is vertical or through the side opening if the structure is horizontal.
• Cooking begins after the wood and soot on the inner surface of the stove have completely burned out. It should become light.

The juice and fat draining from meat dishes are collected in a special bowl placed under the meat. Before baking the flatbreads, their surface is moistened with water for better adhesion of the products to the walls of the oven.

Improved rectangular tandoor

Portable (mobile)

As an alternative to capital stationary ovens, lightweight portable tandoors made of fireproof fireclay clay in the form of a jug or barrel are used. Equipped with carrying handles and two-level lids.

Usually equipped with cooking utensils: skewers, hooks, grates and attachments. In portable stoves you can cook several dishes at once.

The walls of the vessel are quite thick - up to 70 mm and durable. But for greater reliability they are reinforced with steel strips.

For large companies or cafes, portable ovens with large capacity are produced. In such roasters, 8 kg of meat will be well baked in just 15 minutes.

Clay portable tandoors need protection from moisture during storage, because... clay is a hygroscopic material. Therefore, such stoves are usually equipped with covers when sold.

Mobile tandoor

By fuel type

Gas

Gas fryers are used in cafes, restaurants and bakeries where there is an established and officially registered supply of “blue” fuel. It is possible to install a tandoor in a home kitchen, but with mandatory exhaust air exhaust.

A clay pot is placed inside the metal body of the oven. The voids are filled with thermal insulation material to retain heat for a long time.

Made from baked white clay. Manufacturers sometimes add sheep wool to the raw material to achieve greater similarity with proper “natural” tandoors.

Gas tandoor stoves are easy to use, economical, and do not emit harmful substances. But the dishes lack that smoky smell for which Asian dishes are so loved.

Gas tandoor

Gas burner for tandoor

Electric tandoors

The heat sources in such stoves are heating elements located inside along the perimeter. Electrical appliances are convenient and compact, they can be used in city apartments. They do not require firewood and do not emit smoke or soot.

Electric tandoor

The design of electric fryers is very diverse, with a distinctly oriental style. The body is made of metal with a ceramic coating on the inside.

Ease of use is accompanied by a small drawback - dishes are inferior in taste to those cooked in a real tandoor.

Modern electric tandoors are equipped with minicomputers to monitor the cooking process, regulate temperature and humidity. There are models where you can use natural firewood along with electricity.

Wood and coal

Charcoal or wood-fired braziers are closest to their ancestor - the classic tandoor. They are a thick-walled pot made of refractory clay with a lid, richly decorated with ornate oriental patterns. At the bottom there is a hole for air flow and ash removal.

Wood-burning tandoor

The tandoor is equipped with metal handles for carrying; sometimes legs are built in for secure installation on the ground.

Firewood or coals are loaded into the oven. After complete burning, start cooking. The kit often includes skewers, hooks, and ash shovels. Additionally, you can buy shelves, fish racks, and cast iron pots. Only charcoal or firewood from deciduous trees is used as fuel.

Size gradation

Capital structures can be small, but usually the diameter is about 1 m and the height is 1-1.2 m. These are the optimal dimensions that allow you to use the fryer most effectively.

Portable tandoor stoves are divided into 4 types:

• small ones weighing up to 50 kg,
• average 50...79 kg,
• large 80...100 kg,
• very large from 100 kg and above.

Knowing what a tandoor is needed for, you can choose it correctly:

• for family use;
• for going out into nature;
• for a large company;
• for business.

To cook a small amount of food, you need to purchase a small stove. There is even a desktop version. To cook several dishes at the same time, you should choose a larger oven.

Large tandoors can be loaded with a lot of firewood. This will provide more heat and the ability to cook an impressive amount of food.

Small braziers are cleared of coals after they have burned out before cooking begins. The larger ones don't need as much cleaning.

Conclusion

The tandoor is a unique oven in its simplicity and efficiency, capable of cooking a lot of food with a minimum amount of fuel. The dishes have an appetizing smell and unique taste. You can build the structure with your own hands or purchase it in a store. Modern fryers offered by various manufacturers will satisfy the requirements of the most demanding customers.

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Staying in the country is a unity with nature. I want to cook food over a fire, sit by the fire, listening to the twilight rustles. A grill or barbecue is most often used to cook food over a fire, but we suggest you make a tandoor with your own hands. What it is? This is an oriental oven-broiler, which allows you to prepare a lot of delicious dishes that are simply impossible to prepare otherwise. Samsa, lavash, oriental meat - all this can be made in the tandoor. Moreover, the meat turns out very tasty because it is suspended in a horizontal position, as a result the fat does not drip onto the coals, but flows down over the pieces of meat, making it juicy and soft.

Shish kebab in a tandoor turns out much tastier due to the vertically positioned skewers. On the grill, the meat needs to be poured with marinade or sprinkled with water, but here it turns out tender and juicy

It is very interesting, in the opinion of a European, that flatbreads and samsa are prepared in the tandoor - they are attached directly to the walls of the oven and baked in this way.

Oriental flatbreads and samsa are baked in the tandoor, stuck to the walls of the oven. This bread has a special taste. Having made your own tandoor, you can bake samsa, pita bread and delicious flatbreads

The traditional shape of such a stove is round. It can be located both above the ground and underground. Today, many summer residents build a brick tandoor; it is not that difficult to make, but oriental cuisine will bring a lot of pleasure to both family members and guests.

In the East, a tandoor can also be located in a house; it is installed in the center of the room to warm the air in the room during the cold season.

A small tandoor can be made on a platform with wheels; you can transport it to any place in the garden.

You can buy a tandoor if funds allow. This ready-made tandoor with a platform on wheels can be installed anywhere in the garden or in the house

If the stove is stationary, it is better to place it on rocky or sandy soil, away from buildings and green spaces. The ground under the tandoor should be dry.

How to make a tandoor? Stone blocks, ceramic clay bricks or white fire bricks can be used for construction. First, the base is laid out. A brick tandoor is quite heavy, so the base must be strong. The base of the furnace is like a foundation, in which an opening is made where the fuel is placed.

You can build a tandoor directly on the ground, in this case, under the base you need to dig a hole in the shape of a circle, with a diameter of 120-130 cm. We fill the bottom with sand (a layer of 15-20 cm), and begin to lay out a brick well.

The base for the tandoor - a sand cushion is made at the bottom of the base, the area around it is also covered with sand. At the bottom it is convenient to place a grill for coals

You can use a ready-made stove mixture as a mortar for masonry. It consists of plasticizer, red clay and quartz sand. The masonry can be either horizontal or vertical; in the first case, the stove will retain heat longer, the second is more economical - much less bricks will be needed.

Tandoor, lined with vertical masonry with a pipe for exhaust gases. Less material is consumed for the manufacture of such a furnace.

A brick tandoor lined with horizontal masonry - the wall thickness is greater, so it retains the heat inside longer. Any tandoor should have a hole at the bottom to remove flue gases.

To clearly see the dimensions of the future furnace, you can first make an order - masonry without mortar. We work with brick using a grinder with a diamond cutting wheel for ceramics.

The ordering is done to visualize what your tandoor will look like. After this layout, you can start working with the solution. The tandoor can be built on the ground or on a brick foundation

Making round masonry is not easy; a life-size drawing made with a protractor and a compass will help you; the ability to handle an angle grinder is also important.

The diagram clearly demonstrates the structure of a brick tandoor. The manufacturing features of the stove may differ, but the basic principle of construction is always the same - a base with a hole for fuel and a body that curves upward

A pattern of bricks is the basis for forming a circle. Do not skimp on the mortar when laying, and use a level to check the horizontal position.

Eastern craftsmen used a similar template to make a tandoor. By laying out the bricks according to the template, the oven will gradually acquire a rounded shape tapering upward

The tandoor is narrowed at the top - this is done to keep the heat inside. In order to achieve this effect, the bottom layer of brick must be cut off; when laid, the shape will resemble a vault. After the masonry is ready, the interior of the oven should be cleaned of traces of mortar. We use dry clay to fill the seams from the outside. The inner surface is also coated with clay, which is mixed with finely chopped grass.

When the kiln is dry, it is first heated with paper, and then the firing temperature is increased. This is the easiest way to make a tandoor, and if you want to refine it, the structure can be coated with clay. In the east, stoves are decorated with mosaic tiles, sandstone, and ceramics.

The video demonstrates how to make a brick tandoor using the template:

Option #2 – tandoor from a wooden barrel

Of course, a brick tandoor is the most durable and practical, but if you wish, you can use other methods, which we will now talk about. This requires skill in working with clay.

You need to find a small barrel with poorly fitting hoops. The inside of the barrel is impregnated with refined sunflower oil; for impregnation, we leave it overnight.

Then we prepare a solution - sheep wool for reinforcement (length up to 15 cm), fireclay clay, fireclay sand. The ratio, respectively, is 0.05 - 1 - 2. We make a thick solution and sculpt the furnace body along the inner surface of the barrel (thickness - 20-30 cm). The solution is smoothed and dried for a week using incandescent lamps. Then the hoops can be removed and the barrel can be disassembled. After this, the product is subjected to secondary firing.

Option #3 – roaster using a plastic barrel

You will need a plastic barrel of a classic shape. We fill it with water, after filling the barrel slightly increases in size, its outer surface is coated with fireclay mortar, it is compacted and smoothed until the outline of the furnace is formed. The product is also dried for a week, and then the water must be drained. The barrel will become smaller and can be removed from the new tandoor.

You can also place a cauldron on top of the stove for cooking pilaf and other dishes, but to do this you need to adjust the crown to the volume of the cauldron, the crown is coated with clay.

Building the stove is the main point, but you will also need to make metal mounts for the shapmur. For example, here are three staples with a metal hoop in the center. The easiest option is to use a strong rod, lay it along the crown, and attach a skewer to it

If you have pottery skills, the tandoor can also be used as a decoration on your property. For example, create a “house” like this for preparing delicious oriental dishes

We looked at several simple ways to make a tandoor in the country. These are the simplest answers to the question of how you can make a tandoor with your own hands. More complex options suggest making a structure reminiscent of a Russian oven, but this is a bulky structure and building it is quite troublesome and difficult, while a simple tandoor is quite suitable for a summer house and the dishes in it turn out very tasty, try it and you will see for yourself.

The history of the appearance of tandoor goes far into the past. Its appearance solved the main problem in cooking - saving firewood and coal.

Modern tandoors can be stationary, portable, electric or gas.

If you study its manufacturing technology well, then you can build it yourself on your summer cottage or on the territory of your own home, using various materials. You can make a high-quality, durable tandoor from brick, and a simple, portable one from a metal or plastic barrel.

In this article I will consider in detail what types of tandoors are currently used and how they differ from each other.

Nature itself helped solve the problem of cooking in Central Asia: firstly, a very dry continental, one might say, “sunny” climate, and secondly, an abundance of natural material - loess (this is stone dust, literally crushed to a powder), which has a number of unique properties:

• It is heat-resistant, breathable and durable material.
• Loess has high heat capacity and heat transfer, which means it heats up quickly and gives off heat for a long time.
• Loess is relatively easy to process, and when moistened it can be sculpted almost like plasticine.

It was from this wonderful material that the first tandoors began to be made. And the dry and hot climate contributed to the simplification of the manufacturing technology of these stoves.

The first, simplest tandoors were earthen - they dug a hole in the loess soil with a diameter of half a meter and a depth of about 35 cm, and an air duct was installed on the side. Then they began to dig holes in the shape of a jug, which gave even more significant fuel savings - with this shape, heat is concentrated in the center of the furnace chamber.

In Central Asia, stoves made of fireclay or kaolin clay, whose properties are similar to loess, have become widespread. Sand and chopped wool were added to the clay, resulting in a very thick solution. The workpiece made from this solution was exposed to the sun for two weeks. Intense heat and very dry air actually created conditions for low-temperature firing - this is how the famous Uzbek tandoors were created.

Tandoor has become widespread throughout the eastern region, because... allowed to significantly save firewood, and was also easy to manufacture.

In those distant times, 3 types of tandoor appeared.

1. The first is Asian, it is a large stationary one, which was made from clay mixed with wool.

   It was shaped like a barrel; the outside of such a tandoor was lined with stone, and it stood on some kind of stone slab; less often, it was lowered halfway into the ground and also lined with stone.

   This type had a number of advantages and disadvantages, along with the fact that such a tandoor retained heat for a long time, the disadvantage was its low resistance to temperature, because it was made from ordinary clay, which, as is known, when heated to 600 degrees simply melts and cracks, but he coped with his task.

   Another significant inconvenience was that if the old tandoor broke, the masonry had to be first disassembled and reassembled after installing the new tandoor.

1. The second type is Caucasian; it was distinguished from the first by the fact that it had the shape of a bell with the top cut off; it was simply buried in the ground.

   This design of the tandoor made it easy to replace it in case of breakage; in addition, wool was not required to bind the clay, which ultimately did not give off an unpleasant odor as it burned out.

The third type was the portable tandoor, which became widespread in Greece and Japan.

It was shaped like an amphora or a cut egg. It was made from fireclay clay, apparently this is why it did not become as widespread as the classic types of tandoors, because fireclay clay is not available everywhere.

It differs from ordinary clay in the presence of additives, which makes it resistant to high temperatures, but like ordinary clay, it also cracks under the influence of temperature.

That is why such portable tandoors were necessarily bound with strips of metal, which prevented the clay from cracking further. Such a tandoor was convenient because it was not tied to a place; it was still made quite massive for better heat retention, but it could always be moved to another place.

What is tandoor and how to use it

A tandoor is a roasting oven with a special jug-shaped shape, which is intended for cooking.

Similar ovens appeared in Asia. Tandoors are most widespread in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Japan and Tajikistan.

According to their functional purpose, they are divided into devices intended for baking vegetables, meat and baking bread. The tandoor can be stationary - dug in the ground or folded in the shape of a barrel of refractory clay, or small, portable, used at home.

Up to forty different types of dishes can be prepared in the tandoor. You can bake fish, chicken, vegetables, meat, and fruits in it. It can also easily cope with cooking goose, shank or ham.

In India they make “chickentanduri”: using a special technology, the chicken is cut into pieces, then generously sprinkled with salt and chili pepper, marinated for several hours in sauce and various spices and yogurt, and then cooked in a tandoor over high heat.

The modern tandoor is a universal stove that looks like a huge, outlandish oriental jug, which has a top lid and a hole at the bottom intended for kindling.

Its cost is not high, so anyone can buy an oriental stove for a country house or cottage.

Cooking in a tandoor is not difficult; first you need to place coal or firewood in the oven for kindling. This can be done through a special hole or by placing firewood through the top. After lighting the wood, you should wait until the oven warms up to maximum temperature, and you can start cooking. Skewers with pieces of meat strung are suspended vertically in the tandoor, so they are fried evenly and quickly.

You can cook in it in any weather conditions. The picnic will not be spoiled even by rain, because the fire burns directly in the jug.

After the first ignition, it is necessary to gradually raise the temperature. Cooking in a tandoor occurs not so much due to the coals themselves, but due to the heat transfer from the walls of the jug.

This is the only way to ensure complete roasting and preserve the juiciness and aroma of the dishes. Due to the fact that the skewers in the tandoor are located vertically, there is no need to turn them. So you can communicate with guests, and not sit near the barbecue.

The principle of operation of the tandoor is that the clay from which they are made is well heated within an hour to an hour and a half with the employer of firewood, which we burn in the middle of the oven.

The fire in a tadyr can reach up to half a meter, so it is advisable not to place it close to flammable materials.

After the wood has burned, we use the ash pan to collect the coal and the remains of the burned wood.

Having prepared the oven for cooking, we can check the readiness of the tandoor for use by throwing a small amount of flour on the side walls of the oven; if it burns, then the oven is too hot and the food may burn; if not, then we can safely bake meat, fish and flour dishes .

Having placed the dish in the middle of the oven, close it tightly with a lid and watch the cooking, just like you would on a barbecue or barbecue.

If it cools down over time, we can again place the ash pan with hot coal under the tandoor, which will help increase the temperature inside the oven.

Why is tandoor better than barbecue:

• The meat does not dry out and turns out juicy.
• There is no need to make sure that the kebab does not burn.
• You will receive the finished dish in 10 minutes.

Traditionally, a tandoor oven has the shape of a barrel or vase without a significant narrowing at the neck. The main material is ceramics and clay, the ceramic walls must retain heat, the cracks are covered with clay and the ceramic base is coated.

The foundation for a stationary tandoor is an earthen embankment, or more often a brick one.

In some cases, anyone can build a tandoor with their own hands from brick, provided that the quality of the clay from which the brick is made is high, otherwise it will quickly crack and the stove will fall apart.

In addition, a tandoor made with your own hands is unlikely to have the same qualities as one made in compliance with all technologies and the selection of clay of the required quality.

Tandoors differ in shape and purpose. There are some for baking bread, some for frying meat and vegetables, and some for baking delicious flatbreads and samsa.

The tandoor is shaped like a large thick-walled clay vase with a side hole and forged iron handles.

For greater strength and beauty, it is bound with metal hoops. It is installed on a special platform, also made of clay or brick, and the structure is decorated with stucco, forging and national ornaments.

There are stationary tandoors, and there are also portable ones. They can be moved from place to place; for example, take it with you into nature.

Depending on the choice of fuel, modern tandoors are divided into those traditionally heated with wood, gas or electricity. The chamber should be as hot as possible.

The tandoor is heated using a blower with coal or wood, and to keep it warm, the hole is closed with a special lid. After heating, the soot is removed from the inside of the tandoor. The walls are moistened with water and salt so that the food does not stick, and after that the dish to be cooked is laid out.

The flatbreads are placed directly on the wall, and the meat is placed in the lid, vertically, on skewers.

The walls of the tandoor have a very fast heat transfer, so 10-15 minutes is enough to prepare vegetable dishes; chicken will take half an hour. And to prepare golden brown cakes, 4-5 minutes is enough.

The tandoor does not need to be fanned and sprayed in order to avoid burning, like on a barbecue. You don’t have to watch it at all, but go about your business, knowing that it won’t overheat.

Caring for the tandoor is very simple with the help of a scoop and poker. A grate will also come in handy to improve traction.

It is advisable to store it in a closed place, and if the tandoor is located in a summer cottage, then it is protected from possible precipitation. Dampness and wet use can cause clay to crack.

Depending on the time of year, the stove is heated differently.

• In winter, it needs to be warmed up gradually. First, they burn wood chips, and after some time, when the walls warm up, the rest of the firewood is laid.
• In the summer, you can light the stove with all the wood at once. Birch, hornbeam or oak are most suitable for kindling because they have a higher heat transfer coefficient.

You should not use fruit trees, as they have a specific smell when burned.

The duration of lighting a tandoor varies depending on the size and temperature of the environment. The larger the device itself, the longer it will take to warm up. The lower the air temperature, the longer it will take.

Tandoor has several advantages:

• economical consumption of firewood and coal;
• optimal temperature inside;
• ease of use and care.

Disadvantages of tandoor:

• lack of chimney;
• the need to use fire-resistant gloves to avoid burns; soot deposits on the walls after igniting wood;
• heavy weight, which makes transportation difficult; one opening for firewood and food.

Important! It is prohibited to light a tandoor in enclosed spaces.

The height of the flame above the tandoor when it is ignited can reach one and a half meters or more. You cannot pour water on a hot tandoor. The tandoor can crack due to a large difference and then develop irreparable cracks.

Do not allow children to approach the hot tandoor. The temperature inside the tandoor during its heating can reach 480 °C, which causes strong heating of its outer walls.

Types of tandoors

There are three types of stoves:

• ground;
• pit;
• portable.

If we talk in general about such a stove, then in appearance it is a ceramic hemisphere with a round hole. It is located on the upper side.

You can place such a stove in the yard, using a clay platform as a base or below ground level.

Recently, portable tandoors have become quite popular. Their production began to be practiced relatively recently. According to the principle of operation, they do not differ from traditional tandoors. We will talk about them in more detail below. High quality fireclay clay is used as the main material for making a portable tandoor.

It is characterized by the following properties:

• high heat capacity;
• significant heat transfer.

The lid that covers the neck of the stove consists of two levels. In appearance, it is a structure of two parts: the lower large and the upper small.

Depending on the size of the oven, the wall thickness can vary from 3 to 7 cm. To ensure ease of carrying the tandoor, its design has two forged metal handles located on the sides. To provide additional structural strength, it is tightened with vertical and horizontal strips of metal.

The blower is located at the bottom of the structure. It is used to light the stove and to extract coals. It is used for vertical arrangement of skewers, which are fixed on special hooks.

The oven kit also includes the following accessories:

• Grill nets, grates and baking trays.
• Skewer for vertical and horizontal loading.
• Special attachments for cooking poultry.
• Grips.

The clay mobile tandoor is small in size and is used for preparing kebabs, bread and other dishes in dachas.

This stove looks like a small barrel; it should be installed on a non-flammable surface to avoid fire.

You can cook whatever your heart desires in it. And the kebabs made in the tandoor will become your favorite dish.

Electric tandoor

An excellent option for use at home, it is in no way inferior to a classic oven. Cooking bread, vegetables, meat, fish and mushrooms is now possible in a city apartment.

A portable electric tandoor for a summer residence is a kind of electric oven. The new models are equipped not only with a heater, but also have a remote control, thanks to which it is possible to select the most suitable cooking mode for any product. Descriptions of such models can be seen in videos on the Internet.

This electric tandoor is suitable for flatbreads, samsa or kebabs. Its only drawback is the lack of a pleasant smoke aroma.

An electric tandoor is most convenient for making flatbreads, because... has a special shape - it expands immediately from the neck. The walls are less convex than those of its counterparts - it is convenient to make and remove cakes.

An electric tandoor can be used even in an apartment. It is powered from a regular 220V outlet, the electricity consumption is low, so you can cook every day. Ideal for restaurants.

They appeared not so long ago, but have become a worthy alternative to classic wood-burning tandoors. This model is made of fireclay clay, has thick walls, which are heated using an electric heating element.

The main advantage of this model is that it can be used even in an apartment.

There is no combustion process, therefore, there is no release of carbon dioxide. Heat is produced by electricity. This tandoor is especially easy to use in a restaurant kitchen if the establishment does not display the cooking process publicly.

It heats up quite quickly, in addition, the device allows you to maintain the required temperature for a long time, especially if you have to cook in it all day.

All electrical elements are reliably protected, so you can be confident in the quality of such a device. The electric tandoor cooks quickly enough, it is spacious, you can make several products at once.

Of course, this model has many advantages:

• The high taste of food is combined with the harmless nature of cooking in tonir; the process eliminates the formation of carcinogens that are harmful to health.
• The oven allows you to expand the range of dishes served at catering establishments, while the cooking time in a tandoor is within half an hour.
• A classic stove burns less wood than a barbecue, and an electric tandoor greatly simplifies the operation process.
• An electric toner allows you to enjoy the taste of your favorite dishes without trips out of town, at home in modern apartments.
• An electric oven does not require any special skills to operate.
• It is much more affordable in terms of pricing than a classic stove.
• The stove is made from environmentally friendly materials that do not emit harmful substances during operation.

Stationary tandoor

Such a stove can be installed in a country house or your country house; it is quite large in size and is used for constant cooking.

The basis for it is a brick foundation. As in any tandoor, you can cook any dishes in such an oven, but with it the volume of food preparation increases significantly due to its greater capacity.

These models require a pipe to supply air to the firewood when the lid is closed.

The main disadvantage is the difficulty of implementing it on your own, since certain skills are required. An incorrect choice of design or materials can lead to a short period of use - this is an incorrect temperature regime, leading to cracking of the surface. And this will undoubtedly affect the quality of the prepared food.

To make a real homemade Turkish tandoor, you will need fireclay clay, sand and an organic filler, which can be sheep or camel wool, and an understanding of how to use it will also be useful.

White clay is the best choice, as the product will be as durable as possible. But the secret is not only in the clay; an important factor is the skill and skills of the stove maker.

Horizontal tandoor

These models weigh about 80 kg and are used mainly for cooking fish, meat or vegetable dishes on a baking sheet, and, of course, Uzbek flatbreads, which are seasoned with sesame seeds.

Such a clay stove should be installed on a base whose height will be 1 m, and the firebox should have the shape of a hemisphere or a chicken egg located horizontally.

Before installation, a brick or stone base, as well as internal and external formwork, are prepared. The formwork must be installed on the base and filled with clay concrete.

After this, the structure must dry, which will take 7-10 days. The kiln is then fired. It is not necessary to equip such a product with a chimney.

A horizontal tandoor is used for baking lavash and tandoor flatbread.

First, the craftsmen make a clay jug with an average diameter of 1 meter and a length of 1.2 meters. Then it is given the necessary time for excess moisture to be removed from it and it to gain strength.

At the site where the tandoor is installed, a platform is prepared in advance, which will later serve as a “stand”. The platform must have the necessary strength to support the weight of the tandoor. It is installed in a lying position. Afterwards, it is fixed, covered with bricks and fired.

During the firing process, the clay is baked and becomes strong. After firing, the tandoor is ready for use. If it is located indoors, then you need to take care of the hood in advance.

A horizontal tandoor can easily be used as an oven for preparing Italian pizza. The cooking process is carried out not on coals, but due to the powerful heat transfer of the walls, which will ensure fast and uniform roasting and preserve the juiciness of the original product.

Gas tandoor

These models have become widely used and are the best option for a cafe or restaurant.

This is a metal structure in the shape of a cube with a clay jug inside, into which food is placed.

The main difference between such tandoors and ordinary ones is the ability to use them indoors. The only condition is good ventilation.

Gas models are equipped with a temperature regulator, and a tray and stones are used for even heating. There is also ignition failure monitoring, a removable cover and piezo ignition.

Do-it-yourself tandoor technology

To create any type of stationary tandoor (pit or ground), you will need a basic set of the following materials and tools:

• cement, purified clay, fine sand;
• refractory brick and facing material (tiles, natural stone, etc.);
• metal grate (slotted) grate and masonry mesh;
• containers for mixing clay mass and cement-sand mortar;
• trowel, shovel, building level, grinder, buckets.

Depending on the chosen tandoor option, other tools may be needed.

Construction of an earthen (pit) tandoor

First you need to prepare a hole. To do this, carefully mix the clay with gravel or fine fireclay. The dimensions of the pit should vary between 50 cm (depth) and 35-40 cm (diameter). The quality of clay should be of the highest elasticity. The clay must withstand very high temperatures.

30 cm clay bricks are laid at the bottom. The walls are also lined with such bricks.

Gaps are left at the bottom for two holes. These holes will increase heat transfer and improve the quality of combustion in the stove. This tandoor is considered the most ancient. It retains heat better and food cooks faster.

The Uzbek pit stove is assembled according to the following principle:

1. Choosing a suitable location.
2. Preparing a pit for a tandoor - the depth is calculated based on the height of the stove itself (usually 1.25 m) plus the thickness of the foundation (on average 17.0 cm). The foundation (bottom) is laid out from one layer of fireclay bricks.
3. Laying the first row of refractory bricks with the obligatory formation of a gap to connect the air supply path.
4. Installation of the air duct pipe - to the prepared foundation, the end of the asbestos-cement pipe is placed in the left gap of the first row of bricks. All cracks between the bricks and the pipe are carefully covered with a cement-sand mixture. Of course, the pipe must be located at an angle (angle 45 degrees) so that its second end rises above the ground.
5. Next, the construction of the oven is carried out by analogy with an above-ground tandoor.
6. The inside of the masonry is covered with a thick, plastic clay mass.
7. The outside of the bricks must be coated with a cement-sand mixture and the structure is left to dry.
8. The final stage will be to fill the free space on the sides of the stove, cleared of stones, with soil. The soil should be compacted tightly, and on top, the area around the neck, filled with concrete or made of paving slabs.
9. Once all the fixing and insulating compounds have dried, you can begin the tandoor firing process.

Construction of a ground tandoor

The ground tandoor is more simple.

For it you need a ready-made matrix of the oven device, which resembles a large egg.

This “egg” goes deep into the ground, leaving a 4-10 cm strip of neck on the surface.

An air vent is constructed under the “egg”, which goes out to the surface of the earth.

The ground tandoor can be positioned parallel to the ground. In this position it is very similar to a traditional Russian stove, but without a chimney.

The construction of a vertical structure (height 1.27–1.35 m) consists of the following sequence of stages:

1. Selection and preparation of a site for the construction of a tandoor - the site should be level, solid and preferably with a canopy.
2. Arrangement of a high-quality foundation capable of supporting the weight of the furnace. It is necessary to dig a hole in the ground of sufficient size and depth.
3. Place a “cushion” of sand and medium-fraction crushed stone at the bottom of the recess, and then fill in the concrete solution. As a rule, the concrete base is made with a thickness of 15.5-20.0 cm. If a foundation is made that exceeds ground level, then it is necessary to build appropriate formwork from plywood strips or boards.
4. Wait for the concrete pour to set. A fifteen-centimeter foundation in dry weather hardens in a couple of days.
5. A regular circle with a diameter of 1.0 meter is drawn on the foundation site.
6. A perfectly even first row is laid out of refractory bricks, in which there should be a “window” for the supply of air necessary for the burning fuel.
7. The next brick row is laid with a half shift (for greater strength and stability), along the entire circumference, without any gaps.
8. A grate is placed on the created second brick row and the masonry continues. Up to approximately the eighth row, the construction of the building is carried out strictly vertically.
9. Subsequent rows are carefully laid with a 0.5-centimeter shift inward, since it is necessary to form a dome-shaped narrowing.
10. The brickwork is completed at a height where the top hole narrows to a 50.0cm diameter (for a 1.0m base).
11. After laying the brick (you can immediately), the inside of the body is coated with a clay mass, which is prepared immediately before application. The consistency of the clay composition should be similar to thick sour cream.
12. Having completed uniform coating, the oven must be left to dry passively.
13. After complete drying, fill the tandoor with a well-burning mixture (brushwood, dry straw and wood shavings) and set it on fire. This procedure will harden the clay coating and make the roasting oven completely ready for further use.
14. After waiting for it to cool, you need to cover the structure with a second (outer) layer of brick, maintaining precise verticality.

Building a typical Asian stove on your property or in your own yard is not an entirely simple task. Only if you follow the step-by-step instructions can you build a durable, reliable unit.

When the applied cement-sand mortar has set securely, the gap between the stove and the outer masonry is filled with a thick mixture of clay, sand, expanded clay and water. Here, instead of clay, you can use cement.

If your oven is already dry, then first you need to heat it with paper, thus increasing the firing temperature.

When the oven is ready, you can decorate the structure by covering it with clay. In the east, it is traditional to decorate the tandoor with mosaics and ceramic tiles.

How to make a tandoor from metal (metal barrel)

In order to organize holidays of oriental cuisine at your dacha, you don’t have to go to Samarkand for a real Uzbek stove. If authenticity is not important to you, you can make a stationary tandoor with your own hands - for example, from a metal barrel.

A homemade metal brazier is the simplest option. To do this you will need a 200 liter iron barrel, brick, kaolin clay.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Cut off the top wall with a grinder and rinse the barrel thoroughly. This will be the frame for the roasting pan. It needs to be placed on a cement foundation so that the heat does not go into the ground.
2. Below, using the same grinder, make a hole for the blower. The lid will be a brick cut to a wedge.
3. Lay fire bricks along the inner walls. If you are tormented by vague doubts that there will not be enough of them, it is better to lay them out vertically. For bonding, use only clay or a special oven mixture; you can buy it at a building materials store.
4. Coat the finished tandoor outside and inside with clay, otherwise the food will have a metallic taste, and leave to dry for several days.
5. The lid can be made from a thick sheet of plywood. It should cover the roasting pan very tightly.
6. Before firing, the barrel can be painted, lined with natural stone or decorative brick. Pour sand or salt into the gap between the wall and the barrel, this is necessary for better heat retention.
7. The dried tandoor must be fired. To do this, its walls are lubricated with cottonseed or other vegetable oil and sprinkled with water. The temperature is raised very slowly: first they heat it with paper and only then add firewood and coal. Firing continues for 5-6 hours.

There is an easier way to make a tandoor from a metal barrel:

• A piece of large-diameter iron pipe is installed inside the barrel, clearly in the center.
• The remaining space between the walls of the barrel and the pipe must be filled with expanded clay, slag or broken refractory bricks.
• The disadvantage of this method of making a tandoor is that the temperature inside the barrel is much lower than when using a ceramic tandoor.

There is another simple way to make a stationary tandoor with your own hands.

• This will require a large terracotta pot and a pipe. It can be bought at any construction hypermarket.
• Dig a hole in the ground 50 cm deep and 35 cm in diameter. These are approximate dimensions, focus on the parameters of the pot, it should rise 5-7 cm above ground level.
• Cut a hole in the bottom of the pot that matches the diameter of the pipe. It is installed diagonally, so that one end approaches the pot and the other is outside. This will be a blower.
• Coat the inner walls with a thick layer of kaolin clay and leave to dry. Then you need to fire the oven.
• The lid is cut to the diameter of the pot from thick plywood. It should fit snugly to the edges.

And some more important tips from experienced craftsmen.

1. Firstly, be sure to check the weather forecast before starting to build a tandoor. If the weather is dry and hot, making a tandoor from a barrel or pot will take you only 3-4 days. Nothing will come of it in the rain, you'll just waste materials and time.
2. Secondly, the stove must dry under a canopy so that it is not exposed to precipitation or direct sunlight, otherwise the walls will become covered with cracks.
3. Thirdly, it is better to use apple and cherry wood for firing; the smoke from them will be pleasant and aromatic. Under no circumstances use spruce firewood, otherwise the stove will smell like resin.

Tandoor from a wooden or plastic barrel

The simplest tandoor can be made with your own hands on the basis of an ordinary barrel, and both wooden and plastic empty containers will do.

One of the most common among them is the construction of a tandoor using a wooden barrel.

Here you will need a little skill in working with clay, but there will not be any particular difficulties during the assembly process. To make a tandoor from a barrel with your own hands, you first need to select a suitable empty container. It should be small in size. It is advisable that its hoops be loosely fitted.

The inside of the barrel should be soaked in refined sunflower oil and then left overnight. Then you need to prepare a solution consisting of fireclay clay, sand and sheep wool (1: 2: 0.05). Sheep wool is used for reinforcement. The solution should be thick.

Using the resulting solution, it is necessary to sculpt the body of the tandoor on the inner surface of the barrel. The solution should then be smoothed out and left to dry for a week. It is recommended to use incandescent lamps for drying.

After this, the hoops can be dismantled and the barrel can be disassembled. Then the product must be subjected to secondary firing. At this point, a self-made budget tandoor can be considered completely ready for use.

There is an even more budget-friendly option for building a tandoor with your own hands - you can use a plastic barrel as a base.

To do this, you will need a plastic container of a classic shape.

It must be filled with water, after which it will slightly increase in size.

The outer surface of the barrel should be coated with a solution made from fireclay clay and sand. It must be compacted and smoothed until the outline of the oven is formed.

After this, the product must be dried for a week. Then the water should be drained. The barrel will shrink, so it can be easily removed from the new tandoor.

You can also place a cauldron on top of the resulting stove for cooking pilaf and other dishes, but to do this you need to adjust the crown to the volume of the cauldron and coat it with clay.

Tandoor equipment: minimum required

The set of components is determined by three factors: what kind of tandoor you have, how often you use it and what you are going to cook with it. First you need to take care of the safety of the oven itself and the cook.

Stand.

If you have a portable tandoor without legs, then you cannot place it directly on the ground - moisture will get to the bottom and the frying pan will split in half.

Cover for tandoor.

When you are not using the stove, its walls must be protected from precipitation, humid air and dirt with a special water- and dust-repellent cover.

There is also a thermal cover. It protects the oven from sudden temperature changes. In addition, you don’t have to wait until the camping tandoor has completely cooled down: pack it up and hit the road.

Thermal protection.

The operating temperature of the fryer is from 250ºС to 400ºС. Regular oven mitts and mittens are useless here. If you cook without a thermal apron, you risk serious burns. Long tandoor gloves are made of heat-resistant material to protect your hands up to the elbows.

Now let's talk about cooking accessories.

The basic kit includes:

• skewers;
• device for hanging them;
• herringbone (this is a frying pan with metal pins for stringing);
• multi-tiered lattice;
• whatnot

The skewers and the Christmas tree are designed for roasting pieces of meat, poultry and vegetables.

On the grill you can fry lula kebab with herbs and make fish in a cheese coat. If you want to cook several dishes at once, use a wire rack: put vegetables at the bottom and meat at the top, the dinner will be to die for.

If you are going to cook a lot and variedly, then it is worth investing in additional components for the tandoor, and then you can open an entire restaurant of Central Asian cuisine.

What you may need:

• large hook - for leg of lamb;
• special grill mesh for fish;
• poultry attachment - if you like to roast whole chickens;
• cauldron - for pilaf, shurpa, broth, fish soup, lagman, domlama;
• cast iron duckling pans, grill pans, poultry pots, stews, making sauces, vegetable caviar;
• ceramic circle for baking flatbreads, samsa, pizza, whites, pies;
• in addition, you need a stand for the lid, for a cauldron and other utensils, suitable in diameter, as well as a hanging tray for collecting fat.

A tandoor skewer with a holder is convenient because you don’t have to worry about how to hang it.

Chains are necessary for hanging cauldrons and pots.

The grates allow you to cook dishes that require horizontal placement in the oven.

Shelves are indispensable if a large company has gathered. In 10 minutes you can prepare many servings or different dishes, for example, if one of the guests does not eat meat.

If you have golden hands and the necessary materials and tools, then you can make most of the accessories for the fryer yourself.

Installing a tandoor: how to choose the right place

A stationary tandoor of normal size can weigh more than 300 kg, so it must be immediately placed in the right place, then it will not be possible to move it.

When choosing a location, consider the following:

• The operating temperature of the furnace is 400ºС. Wooden buildings and trees should be located at a distance of about 3 meters from the tandoor.
• It is advisable that the living areas should also be far enough away so that the smoke does not become a nuisance. The only exceptions are earthen tandoors; the smoke from them is discharged through a pipe.
• The eastern brazier does not “like” precipitation and sudden temperature changes. A protective canopy should be immediately placed over it.
• Ideally, the arrangement of the recreation area can begin with the installation of a tandoor. Then you can build a comfortable brick gazebo with a canopy, taking into account all safety rules.

The process of preparing bread (flatbread) in a tandoor

Modern tandoors are made low - half human height, so that the baker can work comfortably and safely.

Tandoor flatbread is a Central Asian dish, but people of all nationalities love it, because this bread turns out soft, fluffy and tasty.

Baking bread and cooking other food takes place not on an open fire, but on the hot walls inside the oven due to their high temperature and uniform heat transfer.

Before baking, a fire is lit at the bottom of the tandoor. The ideal fuel is camel thorns and dry cotton stalks, which produce intense heat, but it can also be non-coniferous wood or coal. When the fire burns out and the walls glow with heat, they stop heating, and the coals are raked into the center of the tandoor, where they retain heat for a long time.

Pieces of dough are placed on the walls using a special pillow cut to the size of the flatbread. Do this wearing mittens up to the elbows so as not to burn your hands.

Experienced bakers throw the dough onto the walls without any equipment. You need to throw it skillfully so that it flattens out, becomes like a pancake and holds firmly on a vertical surface.

While the cakes are baking, they are sprinkled with water. The steam generated during this process participates in the cooking process, giving the products shine and increasing their volume.

Gradually the cakes become covered with a blush.

You have to be a great master not to miss the moment and take them out of the tandoor in time. This cannot be done with your bare hand due to the intense heat: the bread is taken out in a mitten using a special hook or ladle. And now a stack of golden brown flatbreads spreading a delicious aroma lies on the plate.

Equipment needed for baking Tatar flatbreads:

• Basins for kneading dough (copper, enameled, pottery poured).
• Sieves - different types, for myka (rare, medium, frequent).
• Round board with a diameter of 30-35 cm for cutting flat cakes.
• A round board with a handle for cutting dough for all flour dishes, 25 cm wide and 1 m long with a stand.
• A long thin rolling pin.
• Chekich is a tool for applying patterns to flat cakes. Chekich is made from fruit wood; it is cut into a cone or hemispherical shape with a handle.
• The base of the chekich is nailed in rows with headless nails.
• Yengicha is a large mitten worn on the right hand up to the elbow when planting flat cakes and removing the finished product (if necessary). Yengicha protects the hand from burns.