Have You Tried Cooking in Clay?

by Jana Banks

I was privileged recently to sit down to a juicy roast for
dinner that was served with fresh steamed veggies followed
by a tasty baked banana for dessert. When I asked how the
meal was prepared I found out they had cooked everything in
their clay cookware. Most of us will roast our poultry or
bake our fish or cook fish, soup, and vegetables in the
standard pots and pans - cookware made of copper, aluminum,
glass, ceramic or stainless steel, aluminum. But around the
globe there are populations who commonly cook in clay
vessels. There are many in U.S. who have become big fans of
cooking in clay as well and can't imagine not have clay
cookware in their kitchens.

Clay pot cooking can trace its roots back thousands of years
to a time when prepared meats were swaddled in mud and
tossed into the hot embers of a fire. Then, as the clay
dried in the heat, the food began cooking inside. Once the
cooking was finished, the "pot" was broken open and the
cooked and juicy meat was removed for eating.

Many consider clay cooking a healthy way to cook because the
moisture released from the clay replaces the need to add
extra oils and fats to the dish. Clay cookware must be
soaked in water prior placing the ingredients inside so that
the porous material can absorb the moisture that will later
be released during the cooking process. Never place a clay
pot into a pre-heated oven as it may cause it to crack.
Instead place the filled pot into a cold oven prior setting
the oven temperature, generally in the low to mid 400
degrees.

You can browse the web for many great recipes designed for
cooking in clay. One I tried recently was Beggar's Chicken.
The recipe called for chicken legs, but I went with cutlets
instead, adding the required spices such as ginger and
garlic and the sherry and soy sauce flavorings. I served it
with pasta and a balsamic salad and it was very delicious.
The chicken was particularly tasty, flavorful and tender.

You can also use clay cookware as a stockpot or slow cooker,
perfect for making anything from casseroles to soup. Our
family loves my homemade chicken noodle soup, so that's
something that I'm going to use my clay pot for next. I'd
also like to try to make a good beef noodle casserole or
some au gratin potatoes in the pot to see how good it tastes
when it's cooked slowly to perfection.

This unique cookware is quite beautiful and comes in a
variety of styles and sizes. One well-known manufacturer of
quality clay cookware is Romertopf. They offer everything
from bread pans to garlic bakers, fish roasters to apple
bakers, and much more. So when you're ready to treat
yourself to some new cookware, consider adding a special
clay piece to the top of your list. Though once you buy one,
you'll likely be hooked.

Casseroles can be made in glass and ceramic bakeware, as
well as clay, such as this
(http://www.thesmartcook.com/clay-baker-medium-pr-8.html)
Medium Clay Baker. It's just one of the great clay cookware
items made by
(http://www.thesmartcook.com/romertopf-m-1.html) Romertopf.