Cast-iron Kazans 66 Products

Any true lover of Asian cuisine, with all its diversity, stunning colors and aromas must get their hands on a cast-iron kazan pot. Here at “Shelkoviyput” we’ve got a great range in stock! 

Our Uzbek cast-iron kazans are excellent quality, reasonably priced and we can guarantee their authenticity, as we’ve been procuring them ourselves from Uzbekistan for over 5 years.

Service life of a kazan

The service life of a kazan is determined by the quality of the metal and the manufacturer's approach to their products in general. All the manufacturers we work with in Uzbekistan love their business and have been producing kazans for decades. Our Kazans start at a thickness of 3mm, which ensures ideal, uniform heat transfer. They last a lifetime, so your grandchildren will be able to pass one of our kazans on to their grandchildren.

How to go about choosing a kazan

Your choice of kazan will depend on the way you intend to use it: where it will be placed, how many people you’ll need it to feed, what dishes you prefer cooking. If your kazan is mainly going to be used out in the open - in the countryside or at home – then you might consider a larger pot that does not need to be moved from place to place. Alternatively, if you think you’ll need to transport your kazan, then we would recommend a more versatile option.

What are the different types of kazans?

A kazan is a metal cooking pot with thick walls and a rounded base. It is traditionally used by the peoples of Central Asia. Its shape makes it well suited for cooking dishes that need to be slow-simmered over a low heat: shurpa, lagman, fish soup and – of course – traditional, fluffy pilaf. Dishes cooked in a kazan are tasty and retain many more of their micronutrients than those cooked in a regular saucepan. Kazans come in different sizes, but they are usually divided into 3 types:

• Small: capacity of 3-7 liters; suitable for a small group on a camping holiday.
• Medium-sized: capacity of 8-15 liters of water; best for large families.
• Large:  capacity of up to 25 liters; perfect for larger groups – can feed 7-16 people.

A traditional kazan is hemispherical, with a rounded base for cooking over an open fire. Manufacturers are now also offering new models with a flat base. These models are more stable, and are great for cooking pilaf and other dishes both outdoors and at home.

What are kazans made of?

Kazans differ not only in capacity and shape, but also in the material from which they are made. Different materials come at different costs, and will affect the durability of the kazan as well as the taste of the food. A classic kazan is made of cast iron. Although these kazans are heavier and take longer to heat up, they are the best for retaining the taste and aroma of the food cooked in them, and they also retain their heat the longest. We therefore recommend cast iron kazans. Other materials used to make kazans include:

• Copper. These are rare due to the metal’s tendency to corrode. Because of this, copper kazans require constant care and cleaning. They heat up quickly, but do not retain heat well, so if you’re using a copper kazan, you will need to keep a constant eye on what you’re cooking.
• Aluminum. Aluminum kazans are lightweight, easy to clean and versatile: they can be used both on an open fire and on a stove. The aluminum is alloyed with iron or manganese, which makes it much more difficult to bend or accidentally damage.

Many manufacturers offer kazans made of steel with an additional Teflon or enamel coating, which protects the food from scorching. Of all the alternative materials, these are the ones that most closely match the properties of cast iron, but high temperatures can cause the protective coating to flake off, and dishes cooked in steel kazans will cool down more quickly.

Optional accessories

Most of our kazans come with a lid that keeps steam in during cooking. Some lids have a silicone rim for a better fit, a locking system and a valve to regulate both the temperature and the pressure inside the pot.

If you’re planning on using your kazan out in the open, then a set of additional accessories will come in handy. The first of these is a set of supports to hold the kazan steady if you’re setting it up on the ground: the adjustable legs allow you to set the height based on the intensity of the flame and the cooking time. You might also want chopping boards for meat and vegetables.

How to buy a good kazan

Kazans are most commonly hemispherical, with a rounded base and made from cast iron. The most commonly used, and most versatile, kazans have a capacity of 16-22 liters. For reference, a 22-liter cast-iron kazan can cook a delicious pilaf both for a family of five and for a large group of over twenty people. There are various other types of kazan, but they tend to come in a more limited variety: a flat-based kazan, for instance, only comes in 6, 8 and 12-liter capacities.

The quality of the metal and the thickness of the walls (the standard is 3-5 millimeters) are of great importance and determine the price of the kazan. It is no secret that the best kazan is an old kazan, which has already been used time after time to cook pilaf, as these models will already be coated with oil and so do not need seasoning or other procedures before use. Ideally, this would be a family kazan, passed down from generation to generation.

How to prepare a cast-iron kazan

This brings us to the main point: you’ve bought a new kazan! Congratulations on your purchase. But we still have some tips to give you: once you’ve bought your cast-iron kazan, you need to season it – in other words, remove any remnants of the manufacturer’s machine oil. To do this, heat your pot over an open flame and leave it there for several hours. Then, add a liter of vegetable oil: this procedure will create a film of fat. Make sure you tilt the kazan so that both the base and the sides are evenly coated in oil. Are you tired yet? That’s a sign that you’re doing it right. Wait another 10 minutes and turn off the heat: your kazan has been processed. There’s just one thing left to do: wash it in warm water, without detergents. A kazan is like a living being: if you look after it and treat it with care, then it will serve you faithfully.

There are a few different ways you can buy a cast-iron kazan from our online shop: you can fill out our online form, call us, or send us your request by email! We will be happy to deliver cast-iron kazans to Russia, CIS countries or to any other countries.