The Indian kitchen itself dictates a unique lifestyle. The traditional chulha (clay stove) or the modern gas stove are often treated as sacred spaces, with many households refusing to enter the kitchen without bathing. The tools are distinctive: the sil-batta (stone grinder) for wet-grinding spices into a paste, the kadhai (wok) for deep-frying, and the pressure cooker , which revolutionized cooking for the working class by speeding up the softening of lentils and beans.