CONTENTS

J.Res. ANGRAU 41(2) 100-106, 2013
INDIAN BREAD MAKING TOOLS - CONSUMER EVALUATION AND
DESIGN MODIFICATION
P. RAJYA LAKSHMI, D. RATNA KUMARI and V. VIJAYA LAKSHMI
Department of Resource Management and Consumer Sciences,
College of Home Science, ANGRAU, Saifabad, Hyderabad- 500 004
Date of Receipt : 23.06.2012 Date of Acceptance : 24.01.2013
ABSTRACT
Cooking is the most common activity in all homes. Indian Breads made of wheat flour are served hot at
breakfast, lunch or dinner, and are eaten with dry and semi liquid vegetable preparations, as well as with gravies
and other adjuncts. The present study was planned to identify the design deficiencies of most commonly used Indian
bread making tools and suggest suitable design modifications. The four most commonly used tools of Indian bread
making identified from the household survey were evaluated ergonomically. The ergonomic evaluation was carried
out on a multi-parametric approach considering both the subject (sample or respondents) and object (product or
tool) aspects. The dimensions and design features were studied in terms of biomechanical, anthropometric and
psychological aspects of the subjects. As a part of the study, the object aspect, the availability and physical properties
of the existing rolling pins and rolling boards were analyzed to suggest design modifications. It can be concluded as
the ergonomically designed tools will fit the users comfort provide safety and efficiency, so there is a need to design
and develop the tools that are comfortable and efficient to the users.
Different varieties of Indian bread include:
Chapathi, puri, phulka, roti, parotta and bathura are
the main traditional products which form the staple
items in the diet of the majority of the population.
Diet consciousness of people in the present days
has lead to an increase in Indian bread consumption
irrespective of region. Indian breads are normally
made of wheat flour and served hot at breakfast,
lunch or dinner, and are eaten with dry and semi
liquid vegetable preparations, as well as with gravies
and other adjuncts in households. Indian bread making
tools come under the major section of hand tools as
classified based on purpose.
The common tools used in Indian bread making
are the Rolling board and Rolling pin, which are
available in a variety of materials and sizes. In India
these are must-haves in the kitchen. The rolling pin
is used in combination with rolling board (flat circular
chakla). A rolling pin is a cylindrical food preparation
tool used to shape and flatten dough. A rolling board
is an Indian kitchen tool which is a flat, usually
circular board used for rolling kneaded dough into
chapattis. It is vital that the dough does not stick to
the pin and board when rolling. Dough sticking to the
pin has few disadvantages. It takes more time to
complete the job and therefore is less efficient. To
prevent sticking before and during rolling, flour must
be added to the dough and
rubbed on the pins. This changes the texture of the
dough. When the dough sticks to the pin and needs
to be removed, the weight distribution of the dough
becomes inconsistent, thereby creating uneven
thicknesses and therefore uneven temperature when
baking, so that some parts become crisper than
others.
It would be desirable to develop an improved
rolling pin and rolling board to avoid these
disadvantages which allow dough to roll more easily
(Dua et al. 2010). Much work has been reported on
chapatti making machines, and the studies on Indian
bread making tools in India are scanty. Hence, a study
on Indian bread making tools was thought to be
appropriate which may fulfill the user requirements.
The twin cities of Andhra Pradesh i.e.
Hyderabad and Secunderabad were selected
purposively as a study area due to an ever-increasing
number of shopping malls and attractively laid out
stores, liberalisation of economy and a number of
exhibitions of consumer goods has given way to
several well-known brands of goods coming within
the reach of the people and various models of kitchen
tools are available among which Indian bread making
tools are also apart. Exploratory research design was
followed and hundred sample were selected. The tool
selected for collecting the information was an
email: rajiraju.laxmi@gmail.com
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