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A Healthier Meal Cooked in Clay
By Jana Banks | January 16, 2009
We recently ate at a friend’s home and enjoyed a juicy roast along with fresh steamed broccoli with cheese followed with a surprisingly delicious baked apple with caramel topping for dessert. I was helping her clean up after dinner and saw that she had prepared everything in her clay cookware. This was new to me since I’m used to the standard pots and pans I grew up with – namely made of aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic bakeware, or copper. But it turns out that clay cooking is quite popular around the world, including here in the U.S. My friend raves about her clay pots and thinks everyone should own at least a piece or two in their kitchenware collection.
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’ll find an array of recipes available that have been adapted for cooking in clay. One example of a tasty dish is Beggar’s Chicken. You simply combine chicken legs with a few spices such as ginger, pepper, and garlic plus some flavoring sauces such as sherry and soy. After baking in your clay cooker, serve with a side of rice pilaf, pasta and a fresh salad or vegetable.
Clay pots also serve perfectly as slow cookers and stockpots too. You can make any number of your favorite soups, stocks, and casseroles in these versatile cookers. Whether you’re in the mood for a rich pea soup, a creamy potato soup, a layered vegetarian casserole, or beef stew, the clay cookware cooks evenly and slowly producing perfectly flavorful foods your family is sure to enjoy.
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.
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