Cooking in clay is one of the oldest techniques for baking home meals. The process dates back, at least, to early Roman days. Likely the process was a modification of the clay cast method where meats or potatoes were lathered with mud and baked directly in the fire. Many campers today still enjoy this ancient and somewhat barbaric method of cooking foods in clay-based, mud packs. Modern indoor cooks, on the other hand, are rediscovering the beauty of cooking in clay pots.

Given the current concern with health, clay pot cooking makes sense. Foods cooked in clay pots steam in natural juices. No oil is required for cooking, so most dishes are healthier when cooked in clay versus deep or oven-fried. In fact, adding oil to clay dishes tends to overpower the natural flavors and also complicates clean up afterwards. When compared to boiling, clay pots hold the nutrients which are often leached out and lost in the air with an open method of cooking. While some cooking processes intended to lighten up modern day dishes tend to produce bland results, clay pot cooking ranks with outdoor, smoked dishes. You’re getting a taste that is impossible to duplicate with other methods of cooking.

If you enjoy rotisserie chicken, then clay pots turn out perfect birds with crispy skins and moist meat. While some healthy methods do not brown meats, clay pots do both brown and crisp. This means that chicken is a favorite in the clay pot. To bake chicken, simply rub seasonings on the chicken. Lemon pepper is a good, all-purpose rub. Place the seasoned chicken in the clay pot and cook for two hours at 400 degrees. Your chicken will look like a magazine photo and will taste like you spent big bucks at a specialty shop.

How Clay Pots Work

Clay pots are soaked in water before adding food and cooking. The large clay pores absorb water which is then released during cooking. Foods stay moist and natural juices are produced. These juices increase the steam inside the clay pot and provide a moist cooking environment. It’s almost impossible to overcook or dry out food when cooking in clay. You really have to work at it to ruin a dinner.

How to Use a Clay Pot

As mentioned, clay must be soaked in water prior to cooking. Before loading the pot with food, place the cooker in the sink in room temperature water for fifteen to thirty minutes. The top can be placed spoon fashion inside the base to cut down on the height. Be sure the two pieces do not form a vacuum preventing water from getting between the two pieces.

Sudden temperature changes expand or tighten pores in clay, so it’s important to moderate exposure to both hot and cold extremes. Do not preheat the oven. Put the clay pot in a cold oven and then turn on the heat. When taking the dish out, do not place on a cold counter. A trivet (not metal), pot holder, or dish cloth will cushion and protect the pot.

Any dish typically baked in the oven can be prepared in the clay pot. Simply add fifty to one-hundred degrees to the cooking temperature and about thirty minutes to the cooking time. For example, if you bake pork chops at 350 degrees F for an hour, then go 400 to 450 degrees for an hour and a half using the clay pot.

Clay pots can also be used in the microwave, although the standard oven size is often too large to fit in the home microwave. Avoid the highest heat settings. Medium heat and standard heating times tend to work for microwaving.