Cloud White Terra Cotta Cazuela - 12.8 Inches

$52

Description
Use and Care
Other Items

Traditional handcrafted cookware
Durable terra cotta with white glaze
For serving or cooking
Large dish - more than 12 inches wide
Food safe, lead free
Size - 96 oz/12 cups

This rustic cazuela dish is ideal for cooking classic Spanish recipes such as fabada stew, and is just as useful for preparing your favorite casserole. Each terra cotta cazuela has a bright white glaze, and will add a cheerful accent to your kitchen.

Artisans create these beautiful dishes at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, as they have since Roman times. The solid terra cotta holds heat, perfect for even cooking and preserving heat even as your dish is served.

We use our cazuelas as a go-to in the kitchen, perfect for cooking hot dishes or as a serving dish for any kind of tapa or snack.

The glaze on the cazuela is safe for all applications and contains no lead. As each piece is hand painted, the exact color may vary.

Use and Care

To clean, soak in sudsy water and scrub with a soft brush to remove any hardened food.

This sturdy clay cookware is safe to use in the oven or on the stovetop. Before cooking with your cazuela, you will need to cure it using the directions below. If it has not been used for cooking for an extended period of time, it should be cured again prior to use.

Avoid intense heat such as flame applied directly to the dish. A flame tamer or other type of buffer is necessary. Introduce heat in a gradual process whenever possible rather than placing it in the target heat level.

If the cazuela is properly cured it should be able to handle temperatures up to 500°F, such as in a pizza oven, provided it is heated gradually.

Standard curing method - Soak the entire dish in water to cover for 12 hours. Drain and wipe dry. Rub the unglazed bottom with a cut clove of garlic (we are not sure how the garlic works, but why argue with tradition?) Fill the dish with water to 1/2 inch below the rim, then add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Place the dish on a flame-tamer over low heat and slowly bring the water to a boil (no flame tamer? Crumple a sheet of aluminum foil and create a ring that you place over your burner to create about an inch of space between the heat and the cazuela). Let the liquid boil down until only about 1/2 cup remains. Cool slowly and wash. Your cazuela is ready for use - the garlic has created a seal. This technique has been used since the Middle Ages. It seasons the pot, kills bacteria and hardens the unglazed parts.

Alternate curing method - Especially if you intend to use the cazuela to cook strongly flavored fish or seafood. After soaking, rub the inside of the base with olive oil and put into a preheated 300°F oven for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and let cool.