India, July 14 -- Every Indian kitchen has that one overly exploited cookware (pan or a wok) that has seen and endured it all: your first failed attempt at making dosas (the charred remnants of which still cling to its surface), the zillionth late-night noodle run, or last night's dal makhni that took nearly six hours to cook and was reheated this morning.

That scratched, darkened cooking utensil, probably passed on from one generation to the next, is probably screaming for a well-deserved farewell. However, if it were up to us, the family heirloom would easily soldier on for another decade.

A sea change is in the works at Indian kitchens, as a brigade of label-reading, oil-switching, calorie-conscious consumers is campaigning for its r...