Hawkins Cookers India – Almost no web presence

This post is now outdated. Please visit the link below for the latest update on Hawkins:

http://aavaas.com/2010/04/13/hawkins-cookers-has-a-new-revamped-website-now/

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A name etched into people’s minds, a brand which many of us heard while growing up, Hawkins has been operating in the Indian Market for almost two and a half decades.

Image Courtesy : hawkinscookers.com

We wanted to have an article on Hawkins and started looking up the internet to see if some information is available. Unfortunately, most search engines returned some third party web sites which had very little information on Hawkins and their product lines.

The company has a website to its credit : http://www.hawkinscookers.com/

Unfortunately as mentioned on the page, the site has a link only to the Corporate governance code and share holding information. However on the right side of the page we found two download-able files:

• Pressure Cooker Catalog – download here
• Cookware Catalog – download here

Moving on to details:

Hawkins Pressure Cookers

(taken from the pdf document – pc_catalog.pdf)

Hawkins Cookers Limited has been in business since 1959. Today, it has two offices, three factories and over 1000 persons working. It is the leader in the pressure cooker market in India and has exported its products since 1974 to various countries in each of the six continents of the world.

Hawkins has sold over 33 million pressure cookers worldwide. Today, it makes 53 different models of pressure cookers in 8 different types. All Hawkins pressure cookers are listed by Underwriters Laboratories Inc., USA, a not-for-profit institution testing products for public safety.

Each pressure cooker made by Hawkins features an inside fitting lid.  This design is inherently safer than conventional pressure cookers.  To open any Hawkins cooker, you have to first lower the lid slightly into the body of the cooker; and that cannot be done until the steam pressure inside the cooker falls to a safe level.  Thus Hawkins pressure cookers are pressure-locked for safety – like a jetliner door!

The Hawkins Company is well known for not compromising on quality and for continual product innovation. The most thorough research and development, the most careful selection of materials, the best manufacturing practices and the strictest quality control – all go into making pressure cookers which are trusted by the millions of families using them.

Each cooker is tested to be leak-proof. Along with a superior pressure regulating system, this ensures that Hawkins cooks quickest. Each pressure cooker comes individually packed in an attractive full-colour carton. Cookbooks/Instruction Manuals come free with each pressure cooker. All Hawkins pressure cookers are guaranteed for five years.

Let us go into the different models manufactured by Hawkins:

1) Futura Pressure Cooker

A beautiful combination of form and function, Futura is the only pressure cooker in the world to have been displayed by The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Futura cooks on average 46% faster than a microwave oven. The beautiful, durable black finish given by 60 micron thick hard anodising has two benefits. It makes the pressure cooker absorb heat faster making it more energy-efficient. And the pressure cooker stays looking new for years.

The unique pressure regulating system gives you the convenience of finger-tip pressure release and prevents clogging of the steam vent.  The double-thick base stays flat, heats evenly and is ideal for light frying before pressure cooking. Suitable for gas, electric, ceramic and halogen cooktops.

It has two variants

• Futura Hard Anodised Pressure Cooker
• Future Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

2) Hawkins Classic Pressure Cooker

The Classic is Hawkins’ largest-selling, – most popular range of pressure cookers perhaps because of its attractive combination of features, benefits and price. This range was the first to be introduced by Hawkins and has been kept up to date by numerous innovations and improvements over the years.  The latest improvement, introduced in 2005, is a superior pressure regulating system that controls pressure to a narrower, more efficient range, reduces sprouting of frothy foods (such as dal) and is easier to insert and remove.

The safety valve is located under the lid handle bar so that when it operates the steam is safely deflected downwards. The gasket has minimum exposure to steam inside  the cooker, does not rub every time – the product is opened and closed so lasts longer.

Stay-cool handles. Fixed sturdy pivot does not put pressure on the plastic handles as it is a part of the metal handle itself.  Thus handles last longer.Recommended for use on gas stoves.

3) Hawkins Bigboy Pressure Cooker

The Bigboy range has been specially designed to cook large quantities of food quickly and economically.  It is most useful in restaurants, hotels, canteens in factories, hospitals, schools and colleges. Also, canteens in many civil or military government establishments are using the Hawkins Bigboy.

Actual cooking trials in 22 litre Bigboy pressure cookers show that there is a saving of 46% to 57% in gas consumption when cooking 15 to 16 kg of tur dal, chana masala and mutton  masala. These quantities will cook in 29 to 48 minutes and would serve 50 to 100 persons. The savings in fuel alone will pay for the Bigboy pressure cooker in less than a year.

The 18 and 22 litre Bigboy pressure cookers have a pair of sturdy lifting handles attached to the sides of the pressure cooker for convenience in handling the heavy weight carried by such pressure cookers.  The plastic handles of all Bigboy pressure cookers are made from reinforced fibreglass for extra strength.  Similarly, all other components of Bigboy pressure cookers are made for heavy duty.  A chain is attached to the vent weight to prevent loss in busy kitchens.

Recommended for use on gas or kerosene stoves.  They may also be used on coal burning or firewood stoves provided a suitable gap is kept between the fuel and the bottom of the cooker.

4) Hawkins Contura Pressure Cooker

The Contura has a unique body with rounded sides for easier stirring, better visibility and easy removal of food. For difficult dishes which require a lot of stirring, the Contura is the ideal cooker. Stay-cool handles. Recommended for use on  gas stoves.

It has two variants:

• Hawkins Contura Pressure Cooker
• Hawkins Contura Hard Anodised Pressure Cooker

The hard anodised models have all the features and benefits of the Hawkins Contura Pressure Cooker in a hard anodised body and stainless steel lid. The beautiful, durable black finish given by  60 micron thick hard anodising has two benefits. It makes the pressure cooker absorb heat faster, making it more energy-efficient.  And the pressure cooker stays looking new for years.  Recommended for use on gas stoves.

5) Hawkins Ekobase Pressure Cooker

It is a scientific fact that black surfaces absorb heat more efficiently. Hawkins Ekobase has a hard anodised black base that is permanent and heats quickly and evenly. The double-thick, heavy gauge base is ideal for light frying before pressure cooking. The base stays flat, never bulges. Suitable for gas, electric, ceramic and halogen cooktops.

6) Hawkins Ventura Pressure Cooker

The Ventura has a patented air ventile that expels air automatically and cooks food in pure steam. This has three benefits.  Pure steam is very suitable for cooking low calorie, high nutrition food for the health-conscious.  The ventile shows when cooker is at pressure and when the pressure has fallen, that is, it acts as a pressure indicator. And cooking in pure steam instead of an air-steam mixture makes the safety valve operate (when it is required) at a more consistent pressure, that is, even more safely than would be the case if the air had not been vented.

The Ventura has a modern, graceful shape with sloping sides and a wide mouth for better visibility and easy removal of food. It has a hard anodised black base that is permanent and heats quickly. Many consumers feel that the Ventura cooks faster than other pressure cookers. Recommended for use on gas stoves.

7) Hawkins Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

The body and lid are 100% stainless steel.  To ensure uniform heating, the bottom has a core of 4.06 mm thick aluminium sandwiched between two sheets of stainless steel. The base always stays flat, never bulges.  Stainless steel stays bright, does not pit or corrode, is easy to clean and extremely hygienic. Can be used safely for light and deep frying and pressure cooking. Suitable for gas, electric, ceramic and halogen cooktops.

8) Miss Mary Pressure Cooker

Miss Mary is a well-made and reliable pressure cooker that will not leak. It will give trouble-free service and is totally safe. Miss Mary Pressure Cookers go through all the applicable rigorous checks and tests as are applied on other pressure cookers manufactured by Hawkins and are quality-certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (popularly known as ISI). Recommended for use on gas stoves.

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Posted by Vivek on Dec 18 2007 Filed under Pressure Cooker. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry