Zlakusa

Use and care

One rule stands above all the others: earthenware does not take sudden changes of temperature. Almost everything worth knowing follows from that single sentence — and almost every vessel that cracks, cracked because it was broken.

Before the first use

A new vessel is prepared first. The method the makers and sellers give runs like this:

  1. Rinse it

    In clean warm water, without detergent, using a new sponge kept only for the pottery.

  2. Let it dry

    Naturally, for a few hours. Do not hurry it along with heat.

  3. Grease it

    A thin layer of lard or vegetable oil over the whole inside. Rub it in until the surface darkens and takes it up, then wipe away the excess.

  4. Bake it empty

    Put it into a cold oven, set it to 250 °C and bake for about an hour.

  5. Let it cool on its own

    Turn the oven off and leave it shut. Once cool, rinse with hot water.

What heat it can stand on

  • Electric ring — the ring should be wider than the base, so the heat spreads evenly
  • Ceramic hob — on a metal plate, not directly
  • Induction — only with a metal adapter; clay does not work on induction by itself
  • Gas — on a thick metal plate (3—4 mm), so the flame does not strike one spot
  • Oven — always into a cold oven, bringing the temperature up afterwards
  • Open fire — 20—30 cm from the embers at first, then closer

Washing and storing

Hot water only, no detergent. The wall is porous and takes up whatever it is washed with, so the detergent would end up in the next meal. For burnt-on residue: soak briefly and scrub gently, or sprinkle a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda and rinse well. A dishwasher is out of the question. The vessel must be bone dry before it is put away, and stored somewhere dry and ventilated.

Why a vessel cracks

Almost always thermal shock rather than a fault in the pot. A cold vessel onto a fierce flame, hot liquid into a cold vessel, a hot vessel set down on a cold surface or doused with cold water — each of those sets up stress between the outer and inner wall. The calcite in the clay gives far more resistance than clay alone, but it does not make it limitless.

Frequently asked questions

How is a new earthenware vessel prepared?

Rinsed in warm water without detergent, dried naturally, greased inside with a thin layer of lard or oil, then baked empty for about an hour at 250 °C — put in while the oven is cold — and left to cool on its own.

Why is earthenware not washed with detergent?

Because the wall is porous and takes up whatever it is washed with; the detergent would end up in the next meal. Hot water does the job, and bicarbonate of soda for burnt-on residue.

Why did my clay pot crack?

Almost always a sudden change of temperature: a cold vessel onto a fierce flame, hot liquid into a cold one, or a hot vessel set on a cold surface.

Can earthenware go on an induction hob?

Only with a metal adapter. Clay does not work on induction by itself, because an induction hob heats metal rather than the vessel.