Yeah, I've always been real wary of those cazuelas. But they are widely used. I just don't know how to use them. We did have a water jug with a cup that was earthenware. My husband loved that. It didn't have a shiny glaze on it though.
Here’s someone from Mexico showing how to season these pots so that they don’t break as easily. The actual seasoning starts at 5:30. The procedure is as follows: Soak for 24h with plain water, then let dry under the sun. Rub with garlic inside and out Fill with water and slaked lime Ca(OH)2 Boil until no water is left Rinse well and voilà! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OfsZDgU1k9Y.html I haven’t tried this myself and so you’ll need to verify yourself. As she mentioned in her video, there are many ways to season these pots. My feeling is that there might be some validity to their methods but also think there is part Urban Myth. Slaked lime is alkaline but is that really enough to stop the lead from leeching out? She seems to do this seasoning to render these pots less fragile, not so much for the lead in them. Maybe hers don’t have any lead.
I'm a potter curing the pot in this way won't work at all. If lead is in a glaze it is there until the pot is gone. I could layer a safe food clear glaze over the top and fire to 1880f and there would still be dangerous lead in the pot. Food safety is a big issue with potters we do a lemon test. Where you squeeze lemon juice onto the pot and then put a lemon leave it overnight. If the glaze changes color where the lemon is the pot is not food safe and will leach metal into the food. This is also to test of the clay is vitrified. However, this will not tell you if there is lead in the glaze you will need to test the piece for lead. I personally would not use a pot with a lead glaze for cooking.
Of course they tell you it's leadless. I live in Mexico and they will say anything about any product, fabric dyes, silver, etc. to sell a product. They don't sell, they don't eat. You can even find pottery where they have written on the bottom 'lead free'. LOL
Hello! Can you recommend places in Chicagoland to buy a cazuela? Ps- I’m a huge fan - I can remember watching your PBS shows when I was 3-5 years old in the 90’s!!!
Where and how do you store all of your clay ware? I just bought a bunch and have no idea where to put it in my kitchen along with all of my other cazuelas /ollas 🙃
Yes they can. They can be used with a wood fire or on your stove if you have a gas stove. I also use them in the oven to heat them up before I cook on the stove or also for long braises. It really does make a difference with beans. Look for a recipe for frijoles de la olla - beans from the pot on this RU-vid channel, and also from Patti Jinich. Of course you can make these in a conventional pan but there is a very distinct flavor and aroma that you'll only get from a casuela. I have no idea if it's safe on electric burners or induction burners. And always ask if it's lead free. You ask: Es sin plomo?
