Tandoor Oven

A Tandoor Oven is a quintessential part of good Indian cuisine and almost required to produce such delicacies as tandoori chicken and naam bread. The shape of the cylindrical clay walls of the oven cause the hot air to swirl around the food at high temperatures (450 - 550 °F). Traditionally the fuel for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a wood or charcoal fire,which exposes the food to live radiant heat and imparts a smoky taste as the fat and food juices drip on the fire.

The tandoor ovens we sell, the Hōmdoor™ are the first tandoor oven developed specifically for home use, using modern ceramic technology to a method of cooking that is thousands of years old. Although not imported from India and rather made in the USA, we included it in this section because we felt it belonged. The Hōmdoor™ comes in three models that use three different fuel choices, Charcoal, Propane Gas, and Natural Gas.

The Hōmdoor™ is made in the USA of high quality stainless steel outside and a pre-baked, 100% clay tandoori oven in the interior. The Hōmdoor™ is shipped in 2 boxes via UPS, please contact us for shipping costs. The assembly is easy and no tools are necessary.

The Hōmdoor™ should be used only outdoors. When the oven is in use, heating up or cooling down, the oven will become very hot, therefore never touch the inside oven wall. The outside will also be very hot so use oven mitts to touch the outside, or while handling the skewers. When in use, please keep children away from the Hōmdoor™.

To clean the Hōmdoor™, wait for it to be completely cool before cleaning. Use a stiff brush to clean the clay pot inside. Never use water or any liquid to clean the clay. Use any commercially available stainless-steel cleaner to clean the outside stainless surface. If using charcoal, make sure to empty charcoal ashes from combustion drawer between each use.

The clay pot of the Hōmdoor™ may crack. Cracking of the clay pot is natural,due to the stress of high temperatures, however, it is not a structural concern. You can continue to use your Hōmdoor™ for many years even though it may develop cracks.

For Charcoal Hōmdoor™

The Hōmdoor™ oven should be brought up to temperature slowly. It should take 30-45 minutes to reach 450 °F. To light the Hōmdoor™ begin with a handful of charcoals and put them on the grate inside the clay put. Open the vents in the combustion drawer and keep the lid open. Crumple 3 or 4 full sheets of newspaper and place it in the combustion drawer. Close the drawer and light the paper through the vents with a long match or bbq lighter. When all the charcoal is lit, begin to add charcoal to a maximum of 2 lbs. After about 20 minutes, or when the internal heat reaches about 450 °F), partially close the vents and partially cover the mouth of the Hōmdoor™ with the lid. Flame is controlled by the amount of air coming in through the vents and out through the top. The greater the airflow, the greater the combustion/temperature. When the temperature starts to drop, another pound of charcoal can carefully be added.

Please note; Never pour flammable liquids directly into a lit oven. Do not pre-soak the charcoal with additional lighter fluid, and never pour water into a hot oven to extinguish the fire.

Please note that lumpwood charcoal is prefered over regular charcoal in that it burns hotter and more efficiently than regular charcoal.

For Propane Hōmdoor™

Connect the hose to burner on one end, and a 20 lb propane tank on the other. Place 2 layers of ceramic briquettes (supplied) to cover the entire grate. Pull out the combustion drawer with the burner, just enough to access the burner tips. Keep the lid partially open, and turn on the gas at the tank, then open the valve on the hose. With the drawer pulled open, light the burner at the tips using a long stem long match or barbecue lighter. When the burner is ignited, push the drawer back into the Hōmdoor™, ensuring that all burner tips are ignited. Begin on low until the clay pot warms up, then raise and adjust heat by using the gas valve and the lid.

For Natural Gas Hōmdoor™

Before using your Natural Gas Hōmdoor™, you need a licensed plumber to connect the Hōmdoor™ to gas line. Make sure to use a flexible hose to allow drawer to open. To light the Natural Gas Hōmdoor™ follow directions outlined above for the Propane model.

Storage

Always cover the Hōmdoor™ with the lid and be sure that the drawer is closed after using. Do not subject to direct rain, snow, sleet, or ice. Storing it outside in a protected area is fine. Build up heat slowly after the Hōmdoor™ has been stored or has been subjected to moisture.