Charcoal Tandoors vs. Gas Tandoors | Which One Is Better For Cooking?

If we talk about a traditional tandoor, it is simply a cylindrical clay or metal oven which is meant for baking, roasting, and cooking purposes. While it is mainly used in Southern, Central and Western Asia, it is getting highly popular in various countries around the world including the USA.

In some places, a tandoor is also pronounced as a tanner. In a traditional tandoor, the heat is generated by charcoal or fire which burns inside the tandoor itself. Therefore, the food is exposed to live fire and smoke which makes dishes more juicy, smoky, and evenly cooked. 

In previous times, there were only charcoal clay tandoors available. But, at present, you can find even gas tandoors for sale. Since working with fire and charcoal seem frightening or too risky, gas tandoors sounds the right kind of food cooking equipment based on the ease of use and safety.

In this blog, we will learn about two main types of tandoors so that you can easily decide which one you should buy for preparing scrumptious tandoori dishes. 

Charcoal Tandoors

Charcoal square tandoors are widely used in restaurants’ kitchens across the world. For square tandoor, the body is made of stainless steel square box and a smooth finish is imparted around the edges to avoid cuts. After the body is constructed, the clay pot is installed inside the box and the space between pot and body is filled with fiber blanket and thermal insulation to retain the heat inside. 

In previous decades, most restaurants were using square tandoors with charcoal as fuel. Most cooks prefer to cook in tandoors with charcoal as this infuse the unique aroma of clay and charcoal in food during cooking. However, charcoal comes with its own issues such as irregular supply from vendors and the need for special exhaust hood in the kitchen. This is why most restaurants have now shifted to gas tandoors. 

Gas Tandoors 

Gas tandoors are just like square tandoors in appearance and construction with the exception that the fuel used in gas tandoors is Natural Gas or Propane. These types of tandoors are equipped with burners and a unique baffle plate which is placed on the burners in order to deflect the flames of the burners. This deflection of flame helps in heating up the clay pot. They are as good as charcoal tandoors but safer, user-friendly, easy to operate, easy to clean, and affordable. 

However, before purchasing gas tandoors, one must check out which kinds of burners are used and if the burners come with Pilot Safety System and Igniter. It is important because unsafe gas burner installation can be dangerous. Always prefer gas tandoors for sale that are certified by NSF.

A regular size gas tandoor is perfect for 60 seat restaurant for making bread and kebabs. In case you have more seats or more demands, it is always advisable to buy 2 gas tandoors and use one for bread and one for kebabs. 

So, when it comes to safe and delicious cooking, you should always give priority to gas tandoors.