For a Flavourful Cooking!!

Seasoning The Earthen Pots- For A Flavourful Cooking

We all have struggled with seasoning earthen pots especially when we are first timers in the kitchen. All you have to do is wash the pot well (without soap) and then soak in the starch water (water from cooked rice) for the next 24hrs. Wash and clean it thoroughly. Rub over all sides with coconut oil or ghee and let it dry (if possible, under the sunlight). You can also roast coconut with little turmeric for the first time. Discard the coconut and clean the pot and use it for your veg and non-veg curries. Have you ever tried cooking fish in earthen pots? It tastes amazing and the nutritional values of traditional earthen pots are many.

The biggest complaint modern families have about natural cookware is they are hard to maintain and this is because most people don't even know how to season and use natural cookware properly. Yes, the proper seasoning techniques take time, but once the seasoning process is done, these natural cookware ranging from clay pots, stone pots to cast iron and brass, last a long time with some easy touch-ups and they are so much better for our environment.

Different cultures have different techniques of cooking food in clay pots. Some use pots that are fully finished by burnishing and therefore do not require the pot to be soaked each time before use. Some are unfinished and must be soaked in water for 30-35 minutes before each use to avoid cracking. The design and shape of the pot differ slightly from one culture to another to suit their style of cooking.

Seasoning is important to prevent cracking of the vessel when exposed to high heat. Clay pots are initially seasoned with oil and hot water but may be fully seasoned only after the first several uses, during which food may take longer to cook. It is also essential to avoid sudden temperature changes, which may cause the pot to crack. Heat should be started low and increased gradually both on the stovetop and in the oven.

 The food inside the pot looses little to no moisture because it is surrounded by steam, creating a tender, flavourful dish. Water absorbed within the walls of the pot prevents burning so long as the pot is not allowed to dry completely. Because no oil needs to be added with this cooking technique, food cooked in clay is often lower in fat than food prepared by other methods. And these types of clay cooking pots are available on our site too. Seasoning is an important process for flavourful cooking.