As followers of Clay Coyote know, we’ve been working on developing a Flameware Stovetop Ceramic Cookware line for clay pot cooking some time now.
We just got our copy of ‘Food and Wine’ magazine today, in which Paula Wolfert has a great article on Cooking in Clay. Her new book Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking will be out in a month. As she was writing it, we had some long conversations on why food tastes better when cooked in clay pots. If you’ve tried our new Flameware Stovetop Ceramic Cookware, you’ll probably agree-food really does taste better when cooked in clay pottery.
My theory is that metal pots transmit heat very quickly. Clay, on the other hand, is an insulator. When you put heat to a clay pot, it comes through very slowly. I think the metal causes a very slight burning where the food meets the pan. If you control your heat in a clay pot, this doesn’t happen and the food doesn’t get the bitter, burned taste that metal gives. Paula thinks it’s because the indigenous low fired clay pots that will withstand direct heat gather flavors over time. In low fired ware, there probably is some flavor transfer. Our new Flameware is high-fired and I don’t think the pot itself picks up any flavor…so we’re probably both right.
So far we’ve cooked an apple pancake that starts in the skillet and ends in the oven, oatmeal almost daily, scrambled eggs and ham almost daily, risotto (fabulous) in the casserole, tagines in the tagine, Pollo Verde in the cazuela, stir-fried vegetables in the skillet and many more.
We’ll be getting some recipes on the website and would like to hear your thoughts and shared recipes.
