Bakeware - Page 2

[kewb]

Now I want a claypot. It is enough enough that I have tons of stoneware that I love. I need another large and heavy item in my kitchen.

To answer the stoneware loaf pan vs. glass: I love my stoneware loaf pans. No sticking, even cooking. They work so much better than my glass one for bread.

[tinuviel_k]

There is some really nice clay bakeware by La Chamba. It is made in Columbia, is unglazed, and lead-free. I have seen the cookware at a couple fair trade stores and I intend to buy some really soon!

http://www.lavidaverde.com/Chamba/chamba.htm

[I~love~pie]

Ikea has some clay cooking pots. I spotted some there last week. Anyone have any good links on cooking with these. I may have to give it a try.
oh and they where very inexpensive, under $30

[Pinoikoi]

No IKEA near me.. BUT I found a romertopf at the thrift store today! No GREAT deal, It was $14.50, BUT it still had the instruction sheet inside, so I think it is pretty new.. and still cheaper than it would have been for me to get one on ebay (the shipping alone is usually over $10)

I am not sure what size it is, it looks a smidge too small for an average chicken...

So let's see, if I soak it in water and scrub it gently with baking soda... will that clean it without changing its "flavor"?

[Pinoikoi]

Ok- I flipped it over. It says 109 on the bottom, and looking at the little foldout info sheet that was tucked inside it, it is a 2-5 lb capacity .. hmm.. that seems like a rather small portion? It does not have the "browning grill" pictured..

Someone please talk me out of my buyer's remorse!!

[Pinoikoi]

Anyone?

[Pinoikoi]

bumping this as I lost it..

[MamaFern]

thanks for this thread. so interesting!! and i would say it will be good for something!

[Pinoikoi]

Ok- experiment 1- complete disaster..

I was trying to do the "stuffed peppers" recipe in my claypot right? Recipe calls for 1/2 lb ground pork, 1/2 lb ground hamburger, spices, onion, egg, breadcrumbs- divide, stuff in peppers, bake.

Easy, right? well, I had 1 lb of each meat, so I decided I would just do a whole bunch (6 instead of 4 peppers) and double everything.. I think because I used "Italian bread crumbs" instead of plain (ontop of the doubled spices), it ended up SUPER Italiany.. plus the peppers baked up beautifully, but when the peppers were cut into there was this giant baked chunk of meat that vaguely resembled a pepper sitting on your plate. Rather unappetizing..

In the past, I tried making stuffed peppers with beans, but my kids didn't eat it- they thought it looked like chili stuffed in peppers (and they were a bit soupy, really).. I had some a friend's son made that were EXCELLENT. They had meat, rice, chopped tomatoes, and cheese melted across the tops..

Is there a way I could alter this recipe in the future so it turns out less like a giant pepper shaped sausage? I would like to add rice, chopped tomatoes and cheese into the recipe and cut back on the meat and spices I think..

As of right now I am planning on chopping up the leftovers (and there were a LOT) and adding them to my spaghetti sauce tonight. At least it won't go to waste.

[Pinoikoi]

Ohh! I picked up the romertopf clay pot number 111 at a thrift store for $7.50 yesterday! It has a darker patina than my other, but is surely cheaper! I bought another one which was a different brand, Oven Brisque? I think.. thinner, but similar..

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

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.

That's a cookie press. It's not intended for cooking, it's kinda like a cookie cutter.

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

Is there a way I could alter this recipe in the future so it turns out less like a giant pepper shaped sausage? I would like to add rice, chopped tomatoes and cheese into the recipe and cut back on the meat and spices I think..

Instead of bread crumbs, use left over cooked rice. Probably about 1:1 with the meat. I also like to add some veg in there, tomatoes, onions, celery, make sure there's a fair amount of salt and pepper.

Most of the time, my stuffed peppers come out kinda like meatloaf in a pepper, but I don't really mind that so much. Another option is to partially cook your meat first, then mix it with the rice. It cuts down on the cooking time, shrinkage, and it also will help the meat be more fluffy.

[Pinoikoi]

Eureka!

I baked a chicken in the #111 Romertopf today.. it is moist, it is delicious and it makes my house smell WONDERFUL!

I used the Frontier organic adobo seasoning as a rub and baked for 85 minutes.. it is LOVELY!

[Pinoikoi]

I love my romertopf now, and it is the only thing I use to bake chicken anymore.. I am thinking of ordering the super huge one for thanksgiving turkey. Dp loves the chicken that comes out of there as well, as it is always perfect- beautifully golden and so moist! Now if I could just figure out how to store all my bakeware!

[Ironica]

Ok, I just read this entire thread, having never read it before.

It starts with "I've got this book and don't know what to do with it; the equipment sounds kind of pricey... should I bother?"

It ends with "I have two of these and now I'm thinking about getting a super-huge GIANT one."

I'm thinking I need to stay away from claypot cooking. FAR away. DH would never let me live it down, even if the chicken did come out delicious. We're perfectly happy with how my chicken comes out already. La-la-la-la I can't hear you...

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by Ironica

It starts with "I've got this book and don't know what to do with it; the equipment sounds kind of pricey... should I bother?"

It ends with "I have two of these and now I'm thinking about getting a super-huge GIANT one."

That is really overly simplified (although I think it was intended a bit tongue in cheek). The truth is I have wanted to move toward more natural materials in my kitchen for a long long time. That is why I was given the book in the first place. So it isn't like I spent a bunch of money on things that I was just "talked" into or something. Second, I found both my claypot cookers in thrift stores. The smaller one was brand new for about $14 or so the other bigger one was used for $7 I think.. not super pricey.

[Adamsmama]

This is starting to draw me in too. I had never ever heard about this before this thread and now I found they sell them on Amazon (with free shipping and some other discounts, too).