9 replies to this topic

[Emily Johnston]

So after stumbling around the web and deciding I needed a Romertopf and persuading a friend to get me one for Christmas, I stumbled into eGullet and found some postings by Paula W. on curing clay pots. That led me to her book, and now I'm excited to try some serious clay pot cooking. Till now, I've been a cast iron partisan--I bake all my own naturally leavened bread, for which I use 2 lodge dutch ovens. I also have a lodge skillet, a couple of small le creuset sauce pans, and a big enameled cast iron DO from Costco. I'm curious what all my soups (mostly veg, some fish) & beans will be like in clay. So far I've used the Romertopf once for bread, which came out okay but stuck a bit, and I'm reluctant to use it for fish, lest I never again be able to use it for anything else, so I clearly need at least one more clay pot.

The question is, which one? What is the most flexible--oven to stove, bread to stew? I'm thinking maybe a large La Chamba casserole (I entertain a lot, so it needs to be big), because it seems like it would be great for soups/beans/roasting/AND casseroles. Do you think that's true?

Both money and space are greatly limiting factors (that's why probably just one for now), but if I like it enough, at least one of my 3 cast iron DO's could go.

I've read the Wolfert intro where she describes the different pots, but I'm still not sure why I'd want a glazed one, for example, or why stoneware instead of the La Chamba.

Would only a glazed one (perhaps a cazuela) keep me from needing a separate fish pot? Would any of these be better than cast iron for bread, and if so, why? Wolfert at one point says to use an UNsoaked Romertopf for artisan bread, and at another point (for an olive oil bread) seems to use a soaked one: again, why?

And finally, do I need something like the La Chamba skillet? It looks like that would be a lovely replacement for my cast iron skillet (for eggs, pancakes, sautéed veg), but again, I'm not sure about benefits/drawbacks.

Many thanks!

[weinoo]

Of course, clay pot cooking goes farther than either Romertops or cazuelas. I recently purchased (as a replacement for a broken one) a Chinese clay pot, which cost much less than $10 (and wrote about it here).

While I don't think it's used for baking bread in China, it definitely works for all the other purposes mentioned; oven, stove-top, for soups, casseroles, roasting, etc.

[Keith_W]

Emily, I do quite a bit of clay pot cooking but with a Chinese clay pot. I grew up eating out of it so it does not strike me as a special utensil. As weinoo said - it is also very cheap!

Clay pots are porous. You want a glazed pot to stop flavours from penetrating the pot. As for soaking the pot - the pot will emit steam as it is heated up. I suppose the steam is good for different types of breads. I wouldn't know - my clay pot isn't big enough to bake bread in.

Clay pots are wonderful for one pot meals. I put uncooked rice, chicken stock, ginger, chinese sausage, and marinaded chicken pieces in the pot. Cover and simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir and you have a delicious healthy meal.

[Emily Johnston]

Thanks to you both--yes, that's something else I thought of. I guess I haven't seen them large, though (I've only seen them on Amazon, so far, though I know they're widely available), so I didn't think of them as something for huge pots of stew/beans/etc. And since space as well as cash is in very limited supply, I was hoping to just get one more for now....maybe I should stick with my cast iron for larger things, though, and get a small Chinese clay pot for experimenting with smaller dishes...

[weinoo]

I've definitely seen them larger than the one on Amazon (2.5 quarts) in the Chinatown shops where I've bought them before. But I don't think it's a bad idea to buy a smaller one and experiment with it! Do you have a Chinatown where you live?

Welcome to eGullet, by the way.

[Emily Johnston]

I sure do....I"m in Seattle, so there are plenty of great Asian shops in the ID (International District).

[weinoo]

Then if you can, you ought to go to a hardware or kitchenware shop and check out the clay pots!

[rancho_gordo]

I'd urge you to go unglazed, for at least one pot. It's a different thing and as Paula says, it retains the memory of everything you've ever cooked in it. I promise you it will become your favorite.

[Emily Johnston]

Yeah, thanks, that's what I was intuiting. That's why I was drawn to the La Chamba ones, despite the hefty price....

If you're the Rancho Gordo bean guy, BTW....I love love love your beans.

[LBNoble]

I think I have 4 clay pots, oldest is the cazuela, I use that for bean dip & casseroles, used at least monthly, it's probably 10 years old, so it's paid for itself. I have a romertopf, purchased at a thrift store, used once, a new Chinese clay pot, only purchased a month ago & used once, & this past year for Xmas, got a La Chamba covered casserole (2x/ so far). The cazuela is my favorite, probably because of longevity. I don't notice a huge difference in the use of clay cookware, but the runner-up is the La Chamba casserole-it's just beautiful! Personally, I wouldn't bother buying a clay skillet-regular ss or nonstick are fine for quick sautes.