Showing posts with label clay pot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clay pot. Show all posts

8/31/2012

Pomaireware Clay Tortilla Warmer, Small, Review

Pomaireware Clay Tortilla Warmer, Small,
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This product arrived with a lid which grossly did not fit the pan. I finally got it to somewhat fit using a bench grinder. The whole point of clay pots is that you can steam food inside, and this means the lid must fit the pan pretty well. There is always some variation ("character" they call it) in hand made clay pots, but this is too much. The packing boxes gave evidence of having been packed in Mexico or Central America (the nature of the box and the use of woodshavings rather than the more expensive -- and ecologically damaging-- bubblewrap) and the problem is probably quality control at the packing source. You can pick up a tortilla warmer and other clay pots at any Mexican stall market for 5-$10, tops. Some will have good fitting tops, others not. So you look at the wares and bargain. The whole point of buying from an importer and paying a really steep markup (especially since NAFTA) is that you expect that they will do the quality control for you.
Well, not in my case anyway. Other reviewers have found these products excellent. Maybe I was just unlucky. But be prepared to send it back if the lit doesn't fit pretty tight. Otherwise, it is not bad (and lead free), unless you are planning a trip to Mexico. Then buy your own and have some fun haggling.
Update on this review: I sent an email to the distributor regarding the bad fit after I had written the review. They called me within two hours and offered to replace the unit. He said that they did sometimes have quality control problems with the manufacturer in Chile (not Mexico as I had assumed). They sent me a well fittng replacement very quickly, and I am totally satisfied. I would raise my rating to fourstars.


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7/18/2012

Schlemmertopf Classic Glazed Clay Cooker, Medium Review

Schlemmertopf Classic Glazed Clay Cooker, Medium
Average Reviews:

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I found my first Schlemmertopf at a yard sale, never used and with instructions. Ten years later I own 6 different sizes including some Romertopf brands. I don't use anything else for baking, ever, with the exception being obvious things like pizzas or cookies. So far I have found many of mine second-hand; I believe this is because people don't use the bakers properly and think they don't work.

Let me be clear on this: you need to read the instructions. I'm not used to doing that, so I'm very grateful I did this time. You MUST soak the baker in water before using for the first several times. The terra cotta absorbs the water and then diffuses it inside the baker during cooking. This creates a moist atmosphere and a naturally-occurring broth for meats. After it becomes seasoned with regular use, you rarely or never have to soak it again. Soap, cleaners or the dishwasher must never be used as the terra cotta absorbs the "flavor" of soap and this will ruin your food, however they clean up really well with water. The bakers turn out perfect, moist roasts, meatloafs (no need for a special meatloaf pan!) and chickens and food generally cooks in less time. The coloring of the bakers will change with use, just chalk it up to part of the charm of using "real" cookware.
Whenever I am cooking for company, they ask about the bakers - apparently few people have seen them or know anything about them. For that reason, they make great gifts for people who love to (or simply have to) cook.

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5/18/2012

Joyce Chen J90-0704 6-Quart Stoneware Chinese Cooking Pot, Black Review

Joyce Chen J90-0704 6-Quart Stoneware Chinese Cooking Pot, Black
Average Reviews:

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This is a great all-purpose pot to have for baking beans, obviously, but also for slow oven baked dishes like ragouts, choucroute garnis, cassoulets and is the classic vessel for nabes, those layered one-pot Japanese meals. It makes a great soup tureen as it holds heat very well and an wonderful off-beat use for it is as a leprechaun's pot to hold the peanut butter-filled butterscotch-coated Ritz cracker cookie "gold coins" that I make for St. Patrick's Day.

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