Bakeware

[Pinoikoi]

My bff gave me a book called Claypot Cooking.. I do NOT have a claypot. I have corningware, though. What is the difference, can one recipe stand in for both types of bakeware? I checked on ebay they were kind of pricey. The book showed Romertopf? and had large ones for chickens/turkeys and small ones (really cute, but where would I put them?) for baking apples..

Oh, I have stoneware for baking pizza and cookies.. is the care similar? Any other brands I should consider

Anything more affordable?
pros?
cons?

[swd12422]

I'm not sure how the corning ware would work instead, but a good, cheap alternative would be a terra cotta flower pot and saucer from your local nursery. Just put the food in the saucer and invert the pot on top...

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by swd12422

I'm not sure how the corning ware would work instead, but a good, cheap alternative would be a terra cotta flower pot and saucer from your local nursery. Just put the food in the saucer and invert the pot on top...

That is a really cool idea, but some of the recipes are fairly um, wet? brothy? I think I would need something a bit more bowl shaped.

That might work well for the baked apples or something, though!

[kittynurse]

I believe the recipes for the clay bakers are pretty specific so I'm not sure they would work with Corningware. The thing that makes them unique is that they are unglazed and this affects the way the food is cooked and thus couldn't be replicated in Corningware.

Any chance you could exchange the book? Did your friend have any explanation as to why she bought this for you? Seems like an odd thing to give (unless she's stuck in the 70's and assumes everyone has a clay baker ) (or is totally hip to the latest trends and assumes you are too??? I grasping at straws here )

[hummingmom]

We have that cookbook; it's one of my favorites. I picked it up at a yard sale when I was in college, and enjoyed it so much that I couldn't bear to part with it, even though I didn't have the necessary pot. As it turned out, it was almost ten years until I'd settled down enough to make it feasible to buy such an expensive and not-very-portable item. Meanwhile, the book was pretty much useless, as the recipes are specifically designed for baking in an unglazed clay pot, and nothing else will work the same way. (AFAIK, Romertopf is still the only brand available in the US. I'd be leery of trying to make one using a terra-cotta pot from a garden center, or any other pot not specifically designed for cooking, out of concern that the clay could contain heavy metals.)

Now we have two Romertopfs, and the cookbook has proved worthy of being carted around for all those years. I found the medium-sized pot in brand-new condition for $10 at a thrift shop, and we registered for the larger one as a wedding gift. They both get used, and I'd even like to add a small one for grains, vegetables, and desserts. Cooking in a clay pot is just as easy as the book claims, and the food is always delicious. The only hassles are finding storage space and soaking space (some sinks aren't big enough to hold the large pots).

Honestly, though... you want to know the truth? I'm in cahoots with your BFF. We were sent by the Romertopf people, and we're on a mission to recruit you to their cult.

j/k

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by kittynurse

I believe the recipes for the clay bakers are pretty specific so I'm not sure they would work with Corningware. The thing that makes them unique is that they are unglazed and this affects the way the food is cooked and thus couldn't be replicated in Corningware.

Any chance you could exchange the book? Did your friend have any explanation as to why she bought this for you? Seems like an odd thing to give (unless she's stuck in the 70's and assumes everyone has a clay baker ) (or is totally hip to the latest trends and assumes you are too??? I grasping at straws here )

Actually I think it was a very thoughtful gift really. I had gone to her pampered chef party, and had told the host?? I guess that I wasn't interested in anything that was plastic, or... that I was getting rid of certain things in my kitchen. I bought stoneware cookie sheet thing.. and the big oversize glass mixing/measuring bowls..

So she got me the claypot cooking book with that thinking in mind.. but I don't think that stoneware and claypots are the same thing either.

[Pinoikoi]

bump I think I will put romertopf on my thrift store find list!

[jocelyndale]

No clue what the book is used for, but Ikea has a clay pot for $30 if you want to get started more quickly.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by jocelyndale

No clue what the book is used for, but Ikea has a clay pot for $30 if you want to get started more quickly.

I will check out their website, but no IKEA anywhere near me.

[kittynurse]

Originally Posted by alaskanteach

Actually I think it was a very thoughtful gift really. I had gone to her pampered chef party, and had told the host?? I guess that I wasn't interested in anything that was plastic, or... that I was getting rid of certain things in my kitchen. I bought stoneware cookie sheet thing.. and the big oversize glass mixing/measuring bowls..

So she got me the claypot cooking book with that thinking in mind.. but I don't think that stoneware and claypots are the same thing either.

Ah, see, now that makes sense and you're right - very thoughtful of her! I could see getting the two confused and thinking claypot = stoneware.

As an aside - do you use the cookie sheet much? I bought it on the recommendation of a friend and just gaven't gotten round to using it. I have a pizza stone though and totally love it!

[Pinoikoi]

My "cookie sheet" is actually called the brownie pan I think? It has very short sides.. I used to have the pizza stone, but I had the round one, and it didn't fit right in my (then) rectangular oven.. so I gave it to bff when hers was broken..

I have the stoneware (pampered chef) muffin pan, brownie pan (which I also use for cookies and would also do pizza on), and I even have a very seasonal gingerbread house pan in stoneware. I haven't gotten around to the gingerbread house yet, but use the others regularly. I LOVE the mixing bowl/measuring cup. Genius.

I could see where having the "brownie pan" and the "pizza stone" could have some redundant uses..

ETA: I bought both the gingerbread house pan AND the muffin pan at thrift stores NEW IN BOX.. I think one was $5 and the other was $6.. WAY cheaper than PC catalog price.

[Pinoikoi]

When baking bread does anyone see any advantages to stoneware or claybakeware over glass? I have a pyrex bread pan that I have used for a while, and wouldn't get rid of since it is in perfect shape, but DP HAS broken some of my glassware before, so just wondering if there is anything out there that is better for bread dough?

(I haven't tried making my own "regular" bread dough- I usually buy frozen dough in bulk and raise/bake it myself, but I do "other" bread from scratch like cranberry nut, zucchini, pumpkin, or banana depending on what I have- my mother makes an incredible coconut bread that is really great). I only say that in case yeast makes a difference.. yeast makes me nervous.. :

Where I grew up it wasn't sold on the grocery store shelf.. so although we could GET it, we usually baked bread that didn't require it to avoid the hassle.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by kittynurse

Ah, see, now that makes sense and you're right - very thoughtful of her! I could see getting the two confused and thinking claypot = stoneware.

As an aside - do you use the cookie sheet much? I bought it on the recommendation of a friend and just gaven't gotten round to using it. I have a pizza stone though and totally love it!

Actually, I don't think she confused stoneware and claypot bakeware, as much as she knew I was buying up more "natural" material baking/cooking stuff and getting rid of plastics/non-stick, etc and I think she assumed I already had clay stuff.. which I don't.. but that's ok.. it's a fixable problem

[Ellien C]

Why wouldn't the stoneware act the same as an unglazed clay pot? I have a stoneware bowl and lid - the round one that was discontinued. It makes absolutely fantastic stew and it's easy to clean - no soap, just hot water and scraping.

I like my stoneware for baking because the bottoms never get soggy.

? The pampered chef stoneware? The unglazed stuff? It's porous.

[Pinoikoi]

They have a very different texture.. I think clayware is porous, and stoneware is not..

I am really liking this thread!

[Pinoikoi]

For those of you that already own clay bakeware what sizes are for what baked items? I keep checking on ebay and I can't figure out what sizes are what.. like how many qts fits a turkey or a chicken, or a veggie dish?

[gillibean]

Originally Posted by alaskanteach

When baking bread does anyone see any advantages to stoneware or claybakeware over glass? I have a pyrex bread pan that I have used for a while, and wouldn't get rid of since it is in perfect shape, but DP HAS broken some of my glassware before, so just wondering if there is anything out there that is better for bread dough?

(I haven't tried making my own "regular" bread dough- I usually buy frozen dough in bulk and raise/bake it myself, but I do "other" bread from scratch like cranberry nut, zucchini, pumpkin, or banana depending on what I have- my mother makes an incredible coconut bread that is really great). I only say that in case yeast makes a difference.. yeast makes me nervous.. :

Where I grew up it wasn't sold on the grocery store shelf.. so although we could GET it, we usually baked bread that didn't require it to avoid the hassle.

I haven't tried yeast bread in my stoneware yet. I used my stoneware today for the first time for banana bread. The thing I noticed the most is that the bread came out so much more easily than in my glass pan. In fact, I had stopped using my glass pan and switched to metal because I was so frustrated with the glass one. It was so surprised with how easily the loaf came out of the stoneware. I had very lightly buttered the pan but that's it. I'm glad I bought two pans - they'll see a lot of use (especially when I get my Bosch mixer. )

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by gillibean

The thing I noticed the most is that the bread came out so much more easily than in my glass pan.

This is interesting. I've only used my stoneware once because the bread stuck so horribly that it came out in chunks. I use my glass all the time and have never had sticking problems.

As for the questions asked above, I wouldn't go for a flower pot either, it is not intended for food use, and you can therefore expect it to contain some things you wouldn't want near your food. The texture difference between stoneware and a clay pot are huge. You soak a clay pot in water which it will absorb so that it essentially steams the contents as it cooks. You could never get stoneware to absorb water like that.

I seriously regret ebaying my clay pot a few years back, before I really got into TF. I'd received it and the book as a gift and sold it unused.

As for sizes, I'd expect you'd need at least 2 quarts to hold a chicken... when I boil a chicken for stock, I have to use a 2 quart pot. Obviously you'd need larger for a turkey.

[Ellien C]

Originally Posted by cristeen

You soak a clay pot in water which it will absorb so that it essentially steams the contents as it cooks. You could never get stoneware to absorb water like that.

Oh! I see. That makes sense. The stoneware cooks kind of like a brick oven. It wouldn't absorb water if I left it standing in it.

[Pinoikoi]

Here's a related question. I picked up what appears to be a stoneware item at a thrift store yesterday. $1.99. It is marked pampered chef on the back.

But here's the weird part. It is a heart shape about the size of my hand. What am I supposed to use this for? cookies? It is pretty decorative.

Ah, here's a pic..

http://www.marleneschinahutch.com/pd_pampered.cfm