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Clay Pots For Cooking

Category: Misc

Author: The Savvybearcat

Date: 1/1/2007

Rating:

(3.0) by 1 users

Ingredients:

1 Text Only

Instructions:

It's a great way to cook. I'd seen these Romertopfs at sales for
years. One day, probably because picking were slim that particular
day,

I bought one++a nice big one that will hold a small turkey. I had been
missing out. They aren't just fad items. They produce excellent
dishes. Meats cooked in 'em don't dry out.

HOW IT WORKS:

Clay is a porous material. When the pot is saturated with water and
put into the oven, there is a slow evaporation of steam from within
the pores of the clay itself. During the cooking process, the food
forms its own juices. These juices cannot escape until the pot is
completely dry.

Fortunately, when the pot becomes dry, the food is cooked!

Because wet clay does not become as hot as metal, it is necessary to
cook at a higher temperature than is usual, (450F rather than the
customary 350F). However, in spite of this high temperature, the
danger of burning is minimal and can only take place if the food is
cooked for too long a period of time.

As a general rule, if you add 100 degrees F. and 30 minutes to the
cooking time of any recipe, it can be adapted for use in a clay pot.
For instance, if you normally cook a 3 pound chicken at 350F for 1
hour, you will need to cook it in a clay pot at 450F for 1
1/2 hours.

The manufacturers of clay pots recommend that they always be placed
in a cold oven. However, in an emergency, I have occasionally put
the pot into a pre-heated 350F oven and it did not crack nor did the
food come to any harm. It is also possible to reheat food in a clay
pot.

Soak the lid in cold water for 10 minutes, cover the pot and pop it
back into a 350F oven for 30 minutes.

CLEANING THE POT:

As you discover the almost miraculous results of cooking in clay, you
will be using your pot with greater and greater frequency and it will
quickly lose its brand new appearance. Though the pot goes through a
short period of adolescence when it looks slightly mottled, it
eventually acquires a character of its own and you begin to find
yourself less concerned about the odd blemishes which refuse to budge
in spite of the most desperate scrubbing.

The pot is, in fact, very easy to clean because food will not stick
to the surface (unless, of course, you burn it on). Simply let the
pot cool after it has been taken from the oven and soak it in warm
water for a few minutes. Sprinkle the pot with salt and scour it
with a stiff brush. Rinse the pot and let it drain until it is dry.
(As clay is porous, it is not wise to clean it with detergents or
scouring powder.)

I have heard it said that you need a separate clay pot for cooking
fish, but I have not found this to be so, in fact I have been unable
to detect any lingering flavors or odors even after it has been used
for the spiciest of recipes. However if you do feel any concern over
the matter, you can soak the pot in hot water adding three
tablespoons of baking soda to each quart of water. This will clean
it very thoroughly and even small black scorch dots can be coaxed
from the clay with the minimum of effort.

Store the pot as you would any other utensil. It is considerably less
fragile than it appears, and unless you drop it on the floor, it will
survive many accidental knocks and bumps without complaint. Do take
the precaution of storing the lid alongside, rather than on top of
the pot. This eliminates the risk of the development of mold inside
the pot in case it was not completely dry.

From "Cooking in Clay" by Irena Chalmers, Potpourri Press, Greensboro
N.C., 1974.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; September 7 1993