Electric Bakhoor Burner

How an electric bakhoor burner works

Inside is a small heating plate rather than a bowl for charcoal. Switch it on, give it half a minute, and put two or three chips of bakhoor straight onto the plate. The heat draws the fragrance out as a light aromatic smoke over the next fifteen or twenty minutes, and when it fades you switch off and let the plate cool before wiping it clean. That is the whole routine. There is no coal to light, nothing to wait for and nothing to dispose of afterwards.

Being straight about the trade: the smoke from an electric burner is lighter than what you get from charcoal, because coal burns hotter and pushes out a heavier cloud. If what you want is that thick traditional smoke filling a majlis, charcoal still does it better. What electric gives you instead is something you can use every day, indoors, without opening a window or watching a live coal.

The five burners on this page

• Rs.3,510: the High Quality and High Quality Material models, plus a gold finish at the same price.
• Rs.4,050: the Luxury, which comes in silver or gold, and the Premium.

They all heat the same way and all are ready in about the same time. What separates them is the build and the finish: the dearer pair are the heavier, more finished pieces, and the Luxury is the only one where you choose the colour at checkout. If the burner is going to sit out on a side table where people see it, the finish is worth the extra. If it lives on a shelf and comes out when needed, the cheaper three do exactly the same job.

The different names for the same thing

Listings vary: electric bakhoor burner, electric burner bakhoor, bakhoor burner electric, or just bakhoor electric. All the same product. If you are comparing an electric bakhoor burner Pakistan wide, compare the build, the finish and the price, because the mechanism is identical in all of them.

Electric bakhoor burner price in Pakistan

The range here tops out at Rs.4,050, which is more than a charcoal burner costs to buy and less than it costs to keep one running. A coal burner is cheaper on the day you buy it, then you are buying charcoal for as long as you own it. An electric burner is a single payment and after that it costs almost nothing to use. If you burn bakhoor regularly rather than only for guests, the electric one is usually the cheaper choice within a year.

Worth knowing before you order: these run on mains power, so they need a socket wherever you plan to use them, and they are not the thing to take to a wedding hall or use in the car.

Electric or charcoal?

Short answer: electric for daily indoor use, charcoal for the fullest smoke and the lowest purchase price. The longer comparison, including the charcoal models, is on our bakhoor burner page, and the coal-fired ones are in the non-electric range. A lot of homes keep one of each.

Looking after it

Unplug it when you have finished, and let the plate cool before you clean it. Resin builds up over time, so wipe it while it is warm rather than hot. Keep it away from water and keep any plastic parts clear of the plate. There is very little in one of these to go wrong, so used sensibly it lasts years.

What to burn on it

Our bakhoor collection holds the fragrance itself: Bakhoor Majlis for a warm oud blend and Bakhoor Sultan for something richer. Two or three chips at a time is plenty, whichever burner you use.

Questions about electric burners

What is the electric bakhoor burner price in Pakistan?

Three of ours sit at the lower price and two at the top of the range, the difference being build and finish rather than how they work. The figures are in the list above.

How long does an electric bakhoor burner take to heat?

About thirty seconds from switching on. There is no coal to light and no ash to wait for.

Does an electric burner give less smoke than coal?

Yes, and that is the point of it. Coal produces a heavier smoke; electric gives a lighter one that suits a closed room. If you want the thickest traditional smoke, use charcoal.

Can I use one in a bedroom or a shop?

Yes. There is no flame and no live coal, which is exactly why people choose electric for indoor and everyday use.

Do these come in gold?

Two do. There is a gold model among the standard three, and the Luxury is offered in silver or gold, chosen at checkout.

Is it safe to leave running?

Do not leave it unattended. It is far safer than a live coal, but the plate gets hot, so switch it off and unplug it once the scent has faded.