No,not cream eggs, Balti pans (Karahi). I believe the dishes should be so hot that the curry sizzles when you put it in. I have put them in the oven for about 10Min's they seem hot but no sizzle. I have heated them on the gas ring and they ping and boing and the bottom goes black. I have boiled water in them to heat them up,but the minute I empty it out they have gone cold. They were ?2 each from ASDA so maybe you get what you pay for.. any ideas...

You can do it with Balti bowls/karahai but they need to be nice heavy ones.
Put them on a gas ring until nearly glowing red add a teaspoon of water and a squirt of lemon, dump in your curry and serve immediately.
You have about 20 seconds max to get it to the table before it stops sizzling so timing is everthing.
As CA says best to do this with proper sizzle plates which are thick cast iron and hold the heat a lot longer.

A link if you want some sizzle plates:
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Indian-Food-Sizzle-Platter-Small.html

Quote from: mike travis on May 17, 2007, 05:15 PM
Sorry guys I have been that preoccupied with the shoutbox I forgot to read the posts :-[ I think the dishes I have got are only meant for serving the meal in. After all they were only 2pounds from Asda. Might be worth investing in some decent dishes.

       Thanks again..... ;D

They sound like stainless steel dishes.

In that case they are only decorative. Stainless steel is a terrible conductor of heat and is inconsistant. That is why it was 'pinging' as it was heating unevenly and would have scortched the food had you put any in. Stainless steel should not be used as a cooking medium - a lot of pans are sold in shops in england bcos people believe the marketing. They also look shiny.
As the others said, you need an iron one.

Quote from: George on January 08, 2008, 11:36 AM

Quote from: chinois on January 08, 2008, 11:02 AM
Stainless steel is a terrible conductor of heat and is inconsistant. That is why it was 'pinging' as it was heating unevenly and would have scortched the food had you put any in. Stainless steel should not be used as a cooking medium - a lot of pans are sold in shops in england bcos people believe the marketing. They also look shiny.
As the others said, you need an iron one.

Spot on! Stainless steel should be avoided for saucepans, etc unless turned into a vessel useful for cooking by bonding in layers with a good heat conductor like aluminium or copper.

Regards
George

You are right, the heat transfer coefficient of aluminium is about 10 times that of stainless steel.

The best cooking/frying pans are a sandwich of Stainless steel and aluminium (three ply). The aluminium core gives even distribution of heat at both high and low cooking levels. The stainless steel makes the pan durable, resistant to corrosion and scratching and relatively easy to clean.

These are typically also the most expensive type.

Regards

SnS ;D

Quote from: smokenspices on January 08, 2008, 02:23 PMThe best cooking/frying pans are a sandwich of Stainless steel and aluminium (three ply). The aluminium core gives even distribution of heat at both high and low cooking levels. The stainless the steel makes the pan durable, resistant to corrosion and scratching and relatively easy to clean. These are typically also the most expensive type.

Great advice. I agree 100%.

Regards
George