Visakhapatnam: Eco-friendly cookware in high demand

Visakhapatnam: From non-stick cookware to terracotta, the transition in choosing the right ware to cook seems to be slowly but surely making inroads into the urban kitchens.

Thanks to the social media, there is a considerable shift to eco-friendly utensils in the recent past.

Even at the ongoing DWCRA Bazaar brought out by the Sale of Articles of Rural Artisan Societies (SARAS), the stalls that sell cookware made of terracotta and organic clay witness a brisk business. Several stalls with such cookware dot the fair. From a separate ware to prepare biryani, fish and other items to terracotta kadai to bottles, the choice seems to be plenty at the exhibition that come at an affordable rate.

Shoppers at the fair say that since terracotta cookware is being recommended by experts, they are now evincing interest in getting home a few. "Since clay is alkaline in nature and helps in neutralising the pH balance as well, dishes cooked in terracotta tastes far better," says Rekha, a nutritionist and dietician.

Those who head to bazaar feel the venue offers something or the other to pick up from wide choice of products. "Compared to retail outlets, the cookware here is quite affordable and moreover, we are directly procuring the item from the artisan," says K Jyothi, a homemaker.

"The sale for these products is overwhelming in Vizag. But the major problem we face is the damage caused during transit as a major portion of our products was broke in the transit," rues Yellappa, a traditional artisan from Palamaner, Chittoor district, who is having 40 years of experience in the art. From Rs 50 to Rs 500, the terracotta cookware is available in varied shapes and sizes to meet the cooking needs of consumers.

The DWCRA Bazaar will remain open at Andhra University Engineering Grounds on Tuesday from 10 am to 9:30 pm.