Making a square tandoor

Imagine your backyard filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, luring you in and drawing you nearer to a classic square tandoor. Long linked to Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking, tandoors are multipurpose kitchen tools that can give your outdoor area a special charm. This post will examine the technique of making a square tandoor and provide you with a step-by-step tutorial to help you produce a culinary masterpiece in your own backyard.

In addition to being a useful addition to your house, building a square tandoor will introduce you to centuries-old culinary customs. Tandoors are a popular cooking technique that originated in the Indian subcontinent’s clay ovens and have spread throughout the world. In addition to improving your cooking abilities, making your own square tandoor will honor a rich culinary history.

A square tandoor’s design, which enables effective heat retention and distribution, is one of its primary benefits. In contrast to conventional round tandoors, the square design ensures uniform heat distribution throughout the chamber and offers a greater cooking surface area. This implies that you can bake naan bread, roast meats, or grill vegetables and still get consistent cooking results.

A satisfying do-it-yourself project that demands careful planning and close attention to detail is making your own square tandoor. Every stage of the building process, from choosing the best materials to becoming an expert, adds to the tandoor’s authenticity and functionality. By following our instructions, you’ll set out on a journey to create a focal point for outdoor get-togethers and culinary explorations in addition to a cooking appliance.

Features of the square tandoor

A brick-built square tandyr is simpler to use than one that is jug- or cylindrical-shaped. For those who lack extensive knowledge in the field of construction, this option is appropriate.

For a square-shaped tandyr is distinguished by the subsequent characteristics:

• It requires digging a square-shaped excavation for its creation. Most often one side is not longer than 1 meter.
• Bricks can be laid with a long edge inside. But if you make a tandyr by laying bricks with a short edge, the stove will retain heat longer.
• The device is easy to maintain. Firewood is inserted and removed through an external opening.

Either a vertical or horizontal square tandoor is possible. It is submerged in the earth in the first instance, and raised above it in the second. Since the tandyr retains heat longer in this scenario, the first option is better.

In the pursuit of efficient heating and insulation for your home, it"s crucial to consider sustainable and traditional methods. Building a square tandoor offers a brilliant solution. Not only does it provide warmth during colder months, but it also serves as an eco-friendly alternative, reducing reliance on conventional heating systems. By constructing a square tandoor, you"re not only embracing a centuries-old tradition but also tapping into a source of renewable energy. Its design allows for effective heat distribution, ensuring that your home stays cozy while minimizing energy consumption. With simple materials and some DIY spirit, creating your square tandoor becomes an accessible and rewarding project, offering both practical heating benefits and a touch of cultural heritage to your living space.

The technology of making a square tandoor with your own hands

You can make a square tandoor by yourself. However, the technology used in its production must be considered, or else the stove might end up being of poor quality.

There must inevitably be a blow hole at the bottom. Bricks are placed on top of the clay’s base, creating a tiny space that is filled with sand or salt. The tandyr’s hole is typically made from the top, but it can also be made from the side.

Installing a grate is also advised. You can bake fish, veggies, or shish kebab on it for convenience.

The oven will perfectly accumulate heat if you use high-quality materials and follow the technology for creating a tandyr. One will be able to raise its temperature to 400 degrees centigrade.

Making a square tandyr in the ground

You will need the following supplies and equipment to build a square tandyr on your own out of bricks underground:

• fireproof brick;
• sand and clay;
• metal grate;
• bolgar;
• cement;
• asbestos pipe;
• trowel;
• shovel;
• masonry mesh;
• facing tile.

First things first, you need to figure out how big the tandoor is. It suffices if the square’s edge is 40–50 cm long if it will only be used infrequently and for a small family. The length of one side of the tandoor should not exceed one meter if the food is being prepared for a large gathering of people.

Selecting the appropriate location for the tandoor installation is also crucial. Placing it where the device won’t interfere with it is ideal. It will do for a vegetable garden. Installing the construction close to the house is not advised. For the tandoor, sandy soil works best because it will hold heat well.

The following procedure should be followed when building a square tandyr out of bricks by hand:

• Dig a pit of the necessary size, if the soil is not sandy, pour sand at the bottom so that the layer is 10 cm. Thoroughly tamp. The depth of the excavation should be 80-100 cm.
• On one side of the pit it is necessary to dig a trench, in which an asbestos pipe will be installed. This is necessary for air drainage.
• Pour the foundation. Install a metal grate of suitable size on the sand cushion, pour the concrete mixture into it. Thoroughly level, if necessary, check with a construction level. Until the foundation is completely solidified, it is better to postpone construction work. It is necessary to leave the tandoor for about a week – during this time the foundation will harden.
• Draw a square on the surface of the foundation. Layer it with fireclay bricks. After that it will be possible to start filling the inner part of the oven. Laying the first row of refractory bricks, it is necessary to leave a space for installing an asbestos pipe. It should be placed at an inclination of 45 degrees. One end of the pipe should be above the surface of the soil, the second – 5 cm above the brickwork. It is necessary to install a hatch on top, which will allow you to launch air into the tandoor when necessary.
• The second brick row should be laid with a half shift, which will make the oven more durable. Lay the grates, and then continue the vertical laying of fire bricks.
• Starting from the eighth row it is necessary to shift the bricks by 0.5 cm inwards. This will allow you to get a domed shape of the tandoor.
• The finished oven should be left for a few days until it dries out completely. After that, all the joints should be sealed with white refractory clay. It is recommended to wet the brick walls with water beforehand, otherwise they will draw in the liquid from the mortar.
• When the first layer of clay is dry, the next layer – a mixture of clay and straw – should be applied. It will act as an insulating material.
• At the end you will need to make another layer of cement and clay.
• Fill the voids between the brick and clay with salt or sand. It is better with salt, as it retains heat well.

Allow the completed tandoor to dry for three to four days. It will then need to be dried out. Straw should be added, then lit on fire. Wait for the tandoor to cool completely before opening it.

Put in an iron sheet over the prefabricated tandoor. There ought to be a welded handle on top of it. The tandoor’s lid, made of iron, will help to better retain the heat inside the oven.

Making a ground tandoor

The same materials and tools are required to make a ground tandoor. The only slight variation in its creation process is:

• The foundation must be poured. It should be more reliable and durable, as the oven will be in the open air and will be more exposed to environmental influences. When erecting the structure on clay soil, a reinforced foundation may be required to prevent the tandyr from shifting. In this case, a post foundation may be required. When installing the oven on sandy soil, it is enough to pour a concrete monolithic slab. Since the area of the tandoor will be 100 by 100 cm, the thickness of the monolithic slab should be at least 10 cm to support such a structure. Under the foundation it is necessary to dig an excavation 15 cm deep, at the corners it is necessary to make depressions necessary for reinforcement. Reinforcement with a diameter of 6 mm is used, which is poured with concrete. For the foundation it is necessary to make concrete of the following composition: three parts of sand, one part each of gravel and cement. To prevent the concrete from spreading, you can make a wooden formwork. At the bottom, be sure to lay a layer of sand and water it with water, which will prevent the formation of caverns. Then the concrete mixture is poured and left for a few days until it hardens completely.
• For the base it is necessary to use fireclay bricks, since the usual material may not withstand such a high load. Mix a special refractory mixture for fireclay bricks and apply it.
• Then you can start assembling the walls. The bricks are laid vertically. They should be laid out as tightly as possible to each other, sealed with cement mortar. All bricks must be well held.
• The first three rows should be tied together with vertical wire. The ends of each wire should be twisted and hidden in the seams.
• The height of the tandoor depends on the size of the base. Usually it is about 1 m. After the tandoor is built, you can proceed to its plastering with the use of a special oven mixture. The layer of plaster should be at least 10 mm. When the plastering work is finished, the stove should be covered with a polyethylene film and left to dry completely.
• Then coat the tandoor with fireproof paint. You can also use whitewash. If desired, the tandoor can be decorated with tiles.

White refractory clay can be used to cover the inside of the tandoor. The oven must be cleaned of gases from the inside after each use.

Anyone looking to add a distinctive cooking element to their home may find building a square tandoor to be a rewarding project. It provides a focal point for socializing and gatherings in addition to providing the chance to savor delectable, authentic flavors reminiscent of traditional Indian cuisine.

The versatility of building a square tandoor is one of its main advantages. A square tandoor, as opposed to a traditional round one, is more easily placed in corners or up against walls, making it appropriate for a variety of indoor and outdoor settings. Whether your patio is small or you have a large backyard, a square tandoor can blend in perfectly.

In addition, building a square tandoor can be a fun and instructive project. Gaining expertise in building techniques and material selection can help you explore your creativity and acquire new skills. There are tools and guides available to assist you at every stage of the process, regardless of your level of experience with do-it-yourself projects or building.

A square tandoor also offers superior insulation, guaranteeing even heat distribution for the best possible cooking outcomes. You can build a tandoor that efficiently retains heat and lets you cook a wide range of dishes with ease and precision by using high-quality insulation materials and adhering to the correct construction techniques.

In conclusion, there are many advantages to building a square tandoor, including expanding your culinary skills and producing a distinctive focal point for your house. A square tandoor is a project worth thinking about, whether you’re drawn to the complex flavors of tandoori cuisine or you just like the sense of accomplishment that comes from creating something by hand. So grab your supplies, put on your work gloves, and let’s start this fulfilling journey to culinary bliss!

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