Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Setting Up My Indian Kitchen in Germany

This post is for all my readers who do regular Indian cooking in their kitchens.

I moved to Germany from India a few years back. After living in India for many years, I was quite used to my Indian Kitchen with all its utensils and equipment. But, when we decided to move to Germany, I realized that I couldn’t use many of my existing kitchen equipment (that I used in India) in Germany. The reasons ranged from induction/coil heating to different power plugs and sockets, etc.

After moving to Germany, I bought many things for my kitchen and ended up discarding many of them because I either didn’t like their quality or they didn’t fulfil my needs. It took me a few years to set up my kitchen according to my needs and requirements. Due to a lack of knowledge about good-quality brands and information about where to buy the right products, I had to experiment on my own.

In this article, I have shared the knowledge that I gathered from my experience of using various products in Germany. This article contains information about all the kitchen equipment and appliances in my kitchen, which I have finally settled for after much experimentation. I have used all these products and found them of great quality and suitable to my needs. So, all my readers, who are new to Germany, can use this article as a reference for setting up their Indian Kitchen in Germany.

1. Mixer Grinder
   
   Anyone who does regular Indian cooking in their kitchen would know the importance of a good mixer grinder for making chutneys, powders, spice mixes, etc. Therefore, this equipment tops the list. Before coming to Germany, I did some research to check if I could bring my beloved Preethi Steele Mixer Grinder to Germany. I concluded that taking my mixie to Germany would be a good idea. And, I must say that is the best decision I took because this mixie works like a charm. It is sturdy and is perfect for the Indian kitchen. I use it for making spice mixes, chutneys, nut paste, minced meat, bread crumbs etc etc.
   
   This mixer is very reasonably priced in India. So, if you plan to visit India, it is best to buy it there and bring it in your check-in luggage. All you need is a power adapter to connect it to the power socket in Germany.
   
   The only issue of getting this from India is that you have also to take care of spare parts. So, if you get this mixie from India, it would also be a good idea to buy a few extra couplers so that you can replace them yourself in case one breaks. Note that if the couplers of the Preethi steel mixie break, you can also check at any big Indian shop in your city. They usually stock spare parts. For example, once, when the coupler of the mixie broke, and I didn’t have extra couplers, I checked at Spiceland in Frankfurt (a big store that sells Indian groceries, vegetables, and kitchen appliances). Luckily, they had it in stock.
   
   
   
   BUY Preethi Steele Mixie in India
   BUY Couplers for Preethi Steele Mixie in India
   
   The second option is to buy this product in Germany. Although it is available on Amazon.de, it is quite expensive compared to the same product in India AND other German brands that can serve the same purpose. I have shared the link for purchasing it in Germany, but I recommend that you bring this mixie from India OR buy a local branded product in Germany (explained further).
   
   Buy Preethi Steele Mixie in Germany
   
   The third option is to buy a local brand available in Germany. For that, you can consider buying the WMF Kult Pro Multifunctional Mixer. Its high wattage and rpm make it perfect for Indian cooking (grinding seeds, nuts, grains, spices, etc). The price is much more reasonable, and WMF is a great brand known for its good quality and long-lasting products.
   
   
   
   Buy WMF Kult Pro Multifunctional Mixer
   
2. Sauce Pans/Pots
   
   The next most indispensable thing in my kitchen is a set of saucepans and pots ( called a Topfset in German). I cannot emphasize enough how important these are. They are used every day and serve many purposes.
   
   I bought a WMF saucepan set, which was the first purchase I made for my kitchen in Germany. The product is called WMF Provence Plus 5-Piece Cookware Set with Glass Lids. Let me explain what I use these saucepans for in my kitchen.
   
   I use the biggest pot for making Dum Biryani, making Paneer ( when I have to boil about 3-4 lt of milk), cooking pasta/noodles, etc. There are two medium-sized saucepans in the set, which I use for cooking rice ( soaked rice, about 2- 2 1/2 cups), making Kadi etc. The two small ones are ideal for making tea, coffee, instant soups/noodles etc.
   
   I have been using this product for many years and assure you that the quality is very good. I haven’t faced any problems with the product whatsoever until now. All the vessels give even heating, and their base size matches the size of the heating base on the hob.
   
   
   
   
3. Pressure Cooker
   
   A pressure cooker is a very important tool in the Indian kitchen. It is great for cooking lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas etc. In addition, they are ideal for quickly boiling potatoes and vegetables. Some people even make rice dishes like pulav, steamed rice etc., in a cooker.
   
   I brought my Prestige Stainless Steel cooker from India. It works perfectly on the heating coil and induction. But the only downside is the whistle and sound it makes.
   
   If noise is not a problem, you can get a pressure cooker from India. Otherwise, buy a WMF Perfect One Pot Pressure Cooker in Germany. This product is of great quality, and its capacity is ideal for a family of four.
   
   
   
   Buy Prestige Cooker in India
   
   
   
   BUY WMF Perfect One Pot Pressure Cooker
   
   Another noiseless, hassle-free, and versatile product is the Instant Pot. It can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as cooking rice and gravies, setting curd, and even fermenting idli/dosa batter. Many of my friends use it and have recommended it to me.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Dosa Pan/Pan for making Rotis/Paranthas etc
   
   I made quite a few mistakes with this one. I bought over seven pans and discarded them until I found the right product. I also see many posts on social media from Indians asking for suggestions for a good dosa pan, so I am sure many have struggled to get the right product for their crispy dosas, adais, cheelas, pancakes, and perfectly fried paranthas.
   
   Here, I highly recommend WMF Devil Crepepfanne. It is nonstick, delivers even heating, and is of the highest quality, like all other WMF products. Just follow the instructions in the manual to care for it, and you have a product for life.
   
   
   
   
5. Kadhai
   
   Kadhai is yet another important piece of equipment in the Indian kitchen. It can be used for making gravies and dry sabzis, but most importantly, it is useful for deep frying. I have two kadhais in my kitchen, both of which I brought from India. Initially, when I moved to Germany, I visited many shops to look for Kadhai, but to my surprise, I didn’t find any. When I looked up online on amazon.de, I did find Kadhai’s but when I compared them with the same quality products in India, I felt that the prices were too high in Germany. So, on my next visit to India, I bought two Kadhai’s – Vinod Platinum Triply Stainless Steel Extra Deep Kadai 20 cm (small) and Vinod Platinum Triply Stainless Steel Kadai with lid 4.5 litre 30 cm (Big). The small one is useful for deep frying. Because it is small, I have to use less oil. That way, although I have to fry a few batches, the oil usage and subsequent wastage are also less. I use the big Kadhai for deep frying when we have guests OR for everyday gravies and dry sabzi.
   
   
   
   Buy Vinod Platinum Triply Stainless Steel Extra Deep Kadai (20 cm)
   Buy Vinod Platinum Triply Stainless Steel Kadai with lid 4.5 litre (30 cm)
   
6. Pans
   
   I have five pans, all of which are used quite frequently in my home. I bought all of these in Germany.
   
   The first is a small nonstick pan, which is ideal for making omelettes, cheelas, roasties etc. This is a WMF Frying Pan Silver 20 cm
   
   
   
   The second one is a small steel pan, which I use for frying onions/tomatoes etc for dal/kadi etc. This is WMF frying pan uncoated Ø 20cm Profi.
   
   
   
   The third is a big pan, which is quite handy for making pasta, noodles, fried rice, vegetable curries etc. This is a WMF Profi Resist frying pan 28 cm
   
   
   
   The fourth one is a grill pan, which is ideal for making burger patties, cutlets etc
   
   
   
   And the fifth one is a tadka Pan. This is a 12 cm frying Pan.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Idli Steamer and Appe Pan
   
   Idli Steamer: I brought my Idli Stemer from India but realized that it didn’t stand stable on my cooktop. In these years, I have figured it is best to use and Idli stand (shown in the picture below). You can get it from India or from any big Indian store in Germany. Place it in the pot (The biggest pot in the Topfset. That’s the first item in this list). Idli stands are more expensive in Germany. You get them at a fraction of the price in India. You can check out the options here:
   
   Idli Stand in India
   Idli Stand in Germany. As mentioned before, big Indian stores in Germany also stock Idli Stands, so check out your options there.
   
   
   Appe Pan: I bought this also in India as the prices were far better than those in Germany.
   
   
   
8. Knife Set
   
   The knife sets available in Germany are of great quality. People even carry these as gifts for family and friends in India. So, I got myself a good set of knives from the best brand, Zwilling. I recommend the Zwilling knife set with a Self-Sharpening Knife Block. The self-sharpening block ensures that the knives are always sharp. You can also buy the set without the self-sharpening block and a knife sharpener separately, but this eliminates the hassle of buying one more product.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Masala Box
   
   The variety of Masala Boxes available in India far exceeds those available in Germany. The prices are also much more reasonable. You can buy it from any local shop near your home in India or check out the options on Amazon.in.
   
   
   
10. Sandwich Maker
    
    I use a sandwich maker almost every day in my home. If you have school-going kids, you will find this tool quite handy. I have been using Russel Hobbs Sandwich Maker for more than five years, and it is working perfectly. It comes with three attachments, all of which are quite useful.
    
    
    
    
11. Mixing Bowls and Hand Blender
    
    Mixing Bowls is yet another indispensable part of my kitchen. Their uses are innumerable, from beating eggs to making cake batter, kofta mixture, samosa stuffing, fermenting idli/dosa batter, storing marinades etc., and the list is long. I use this set of mixing bowls from Winzbacher.
    
    The quality of these bowls is simply superb. Each comes with a lid and is ideal for carrying food for potlucks and storing cut fruits/vegetables/cooked food in the fridge. One more thing I like is that the set comes with 3 attachments which can be used for grating and slicing. These attachments fit onto the lid of the biggest bowl and allow you to collect the vegetables neatly in the bowl instead of creating a mess (which typically happens when grating veggies). The biggest bowl is ideal for beating eggs/making cake batter, etc, using the hand whisk because it has a circular cut in the middle. You can insert the hand blender through it and whisk/blend without splashing.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Since I moved to Germany, there have been multiple occasions when I had to get food for a gathering in school, sports clubs, etc. Over the years, I have found that cake is the easiest to make. It is easy to make, tastes good, and is a sure-shot crowd-pleaser. So, it only made sense for me to invest in a good blender/whisk for mixing my cake batter. Also, for cooking in large quantities, a food processor is a very handy tool. Therefore I use a Kitchen Aid hand mixer.
    
    
    
    
12. Air Fryer
    
    This is a recent addition to my kitchen, and we bought it after much deliberation. If you have teenage kids at home, you will understand the need to make varieties of foods that are filling, tasty and satisfying. Considering that most Indian snacks are deep-fried, we decided to buy a Ninja Air Fryer. An air fryer allows you to make your favourite snacks with very little oil, making them less rich and heavy. One of the reasons I picked this product is the availability of two baskets, which allows me to separate vegetarian food from meat-based food. Now, after using this air fryer for more than a year, I am quite satisfied with this product. I use my air fryer to make many foods, french fries, tikkis, samosas, chicken tikka, etc.; the list is long. You can make low-fat, healthier versions of your favourite snacks in this air fryer, and the results are pretty satisfactory.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Water Filter
    
    In India, we are used to having water filters with RO/UV etc. After moving to Germany, I figured that tap water was absolutely safe for drinking. But the water just didn’t taste right to me. After checking with a few friends, we bought a Brita Water filter. This filter reduces limescale, taste-disturbing substances such as chlorine, lead and copper and traces of certain herbicides, pesticides and drugs if present in tap water.
    
    After consuming water from this filter, we noticed a considerable improvement in taste. We used the Brita Jug for some months. It looks like this:
    
    
    
    But since the jug’s capacity is less (2.4 lt), filling it multiple times a day was becoming tedious, so we replaced the jug with a Brita Water Filter with Tap. This product has a higher capacity to hold water (8.5lt) and is perfect for a family of four. All we have to do is, clean it once in a while and replace the cartridge every month. These cartridges are available in supermarkets ( Eg. Rewe) or you can buy these from Amazon.de.
    
    
    
14. Spatulas/Cutlery/Peelers/Grater etc
    
    
    
    While good-quality cutlery is available in Germany, I found it more reasonably priced in India. For the same price, I could buy much better quality stuff in India. In addition, the variety of serving spoons for rice/gravies, etc., is a lot more in India. This stuff doesn’t weigh much and can be easily carried in check-in luggage, so I bought them in India.
    
15. Baking Moulds, cutters and other stuff needed for baking
    
    
    
    Baking moulds, cutters, and other baking supplies are easily available in Germany. The choices are many, and you can buy them at different price ranges from various shops. Check out shops such as Woolworth, Tedi, Muller, Action, DM etc. Here, I would like to mention that over the years, I have found baking moulds from COOX Wunderform of great quality.
    
16. Rolling Pin and Board
    
    
    
    I am used to a marble ‘chakla’, which, when I checked in Germany, was far more expensive than what we get in India. So, despite its weight, I brought it from India.
    
    If you are comfortable using a board instead of a marble chakla, you can also check various options on amazon.de.
    
    
    
    Rolling Pin is quite easily available in shops in Germany. The price is also quite reasonable. You can check shops like Action, Rossmann, Tedi, DM etc for rolling pin.
    
    Buy Chakla Belan Set in India
    Buy Rolling Pin and Board from Germany
    
17. Mortar and Pestle
    
    Again, this is far more expensive in Germany than in India. If you want a good-quality stone Mortar and Pestle, my suggestion is to bring it from India. Note that, given that it is made of stone, its weight is more.
    
    
    
    Buy Mortar and Pestle in India
    Buy Mortar and Pestle in Germany
    
    
    
18. Dinner Set/ Glasses/ Cups etc
    
    In India, I was using dinner sets from Corelle. These sets have been with me for more than 17 years now, and we use them for our everyday meals. Although dinner sets from this brand are slightly higher priced than other brands, I would recommend that you invest in these. The quality is superb, and even after using these for so many years, the plates and bowls have not chipped, and the colour hasn’t faded. These dinner sets are sturdy and perfect for everyday use. They are dishwasher-safe and perfect for everyday meals in Germany. I brought my dinner set from India. You can also buy Corelle Dinner Sets in Germany. The difference in prices is not much.
    
    
    
    I bought glasses, cups, etc., in Germany. What you buy largely depends on your taste. In Germany, you get more plain designs, while in India, there is much more variety. Regular-use glasses are easily and reasonably priced in Germany.
    
19. Storage Jars for lentils, masalas,etc
    
    
    
    These are easily available in shops like Woolworth, Tedi, Kik, Action, etc. The prices are also quite reasonable, so I bought them in Germany.
    
20. Big Storage for Rice/Wheat etc
    
    In India, we are used to having big containers for rice and wheat. Since we buy these in bigger quantities, we are used to having them in larger containers. Since we are a family of four, my family’s rice and wheat consumption is high, and I always buy a minimum of 10 kgs of each. Therefore I needed storage containers of this capacity as well. When I checked in Germany, I couldn’t find big steel containers. Some big Indian shops in Germany had them, but they were much more pricey than in India. So, during one of the trips to India, I brought two large steel containers for rice and wheat flour. I was able to get them in my check-in luggage.
    
    
    
    Buy Stainless Steel Container
    
    

These are some of the utensils and tools I use in my kitchen. I hope this article will help you set up your kitchen in Germany.

If you are new in Germany and need help identifying products in supermarkets, check out my German Supermarkets Page.

You can check out recipes from my kitchen here.

Please note that this article contains affiliate links. If you buy using these links, I receive a small commission. This has no effect on the price for you.

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