How it works

Clay is a porous material. When the pots are saturated with water and put into the oven, they generate 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. Luckily, when the pot is dry,  the food is cooked. Because wet clay does not become as hot as metal, cooking it at a high temperature is necessary than is usual (450º F  or higher).  However, in spite of  this high temperature, the danger of burning is minimal,  and it can only  take place if the food is cooked for too long a period. Generally, if you add 100º 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 for 350º F  for one hour, you will need to cook it in a clay pot at 450º F for one and ½ hours. The manufacturers of clay pots recommend that they always be placed in a cold oven.  However, I have always used a very hot oven, ( generally at 500º F ) and it did not crack nor did the food come to any harm. Reheating the food in a clay pot without any problems is also possible. Our pots do not have lids, but the ones sold commercially do. The difference is that my food acquires a golden crust and a good sense of healthy and soothing feeling. 

Cleaning the pots

As you discover the almost miraculous results of cooking in terra-cotta, you will be using your pot with greater frequency and it will quickly lose its brand‑new appearance. Though the pot goes through a short period of adolescence when it looks 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.  Simply let the pot cool after you have taken it from the oven and soak in warm water for a few minutes.  Sprinkle the pot with salt or sand and scour it with a stiff brush.  Rinse the pot and let it drain until it is dry. Always remember, clay is a porous material, and it's not wise to use any detergents. You also do not need to have a separate pot for cooking seafood. I have not been being able to detect any lingering flavors or odors even after it has been used for fish.  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.  In the restaurants we sweat‑out the pots by placing them in the oven in off position overnight (pilot on). Any residue will come to the surface, then we go with the cleaning process, above‑mentioned. Store the pot as you would be any other kitchen utensil. It is 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 pot upside down. This eliminates the risk of the development of mold inside in case it was not completely dry. One last suggestion; when you remove the ends from an onion, rub them against the outside surface of the pot, it will prevent it from cracking much longer.

I feel that as we approach the new age of one pot and stress‑free cooking, the uncomplicated three steps of terra-cotta cookery is the answer.  That's no crock! 

History

Terra Cotta (literally cooked earth ) was first used by the Etruscans. According to the Greek Historian Herodotus,  the Etruscans were migrants from Lydia in Asia Minor. It seems that they reached Italy by pure coincidence, after a famine had plagued Lydia a millennium ago. Other historians claimed that Etruscans were native of Italy, and their language was Indo‑European.  Based on evidence, we know that they were hard‑working people with a strong economy based on agriculture and light industry. They exported copper, silver and iron. However their culture did not last very long, approximately 200 years, falling to a strong and young Roman Republic.