Care & Handle

Seasoning a Clay Pot

If you season your pot properly, it will become durable and likely last for a long time. Without proper seasoning, however, there’s a high risk of the pot cracking. There are a couple of different methods of seasoning, one of them is described below (this is recommended by us)

  1. Immerse the new Clay pot in a big vessel full of water for 48 hours (continuously for 2 days), and then scrub off the mud inside the clay pot using a scrubber (for best results use coconut scrubber or scotch brite scrubber).
  2. Prepare Starch Mixture: Take 3 tbsp. of any flour (wheat, rice, arrowroot, lentil flour etc.) and Add to 1 cup of water. If seasoning a large pot, make it 4 tbsp. and 1.5 cups of water. Stir thoroughly to dissolve lumps. You may also add a few drops of cooking oil and a pinch of turmeric.
  3. Prepare the Broth : Now fill ¼ of your pot with water, add the Starch mixture (prepared in above point 2), stir and heat it on a low flame on your stove for 5-7 minutes before increasing to medium heat. Cook with lid on, till it thickens to a broth.
  4. Cool it Over Night : Turn stove off and wait for it to cool down, preferably overnight.

Note: after the seasoning, use the clay pot only for wet recipes for 1 or 2 times. This helps the pot shrinks fully and complete the seasoning.

Cleaning The Clay Pot

Because clay is porous, you cannot clean it using soap or normal dish washing detergent. The soap will soak into the clay and end up leaching into the next meal you cook in the pot. Instead, you need to clean a clay pot using hot water and a stiff brush. Baking soda/ or Salt can be used to remove the odours especially if you have cooked with onion and garlic. For stubborn stains, take rock salt in a scrub pad and scrub it nicely. Fill the pot with hot water and wait for half hour. Discard the water and wash it again.

A tip would be if you want to use your pots for both savory and sweet dishes and you have the storage space, you might want to invest in two pots so that any absorbed flavors won't affect the taste of your recipe

Temperature Control

  1. For stovetop cooking start on low heat and gradually increase the temperature, usually staying at medium heat or lower. Sudden rise or fall of the temperature make lead to cracking.
  2. For oven cooking, the oven does not need to be preheated. Instead, place the clay pot in a cold oven and allow the temperature to rise slowly.

Note: Do not place a hot clay pot on a cold or cool surface, as it will crack. So when taking a hot pot out of the oven, always place on a wood/ heat resistant trivet or a towel.