Long Live The Potter !!

The earthenware had been an age old tradition of every Indian household, which flourished the potters in every village, is now fading away with time.

Facing all the odds of the changing technology and industrialization, they are easily available today, cheap, Eco-friendly and with maximum health benefits.

 Clay pot cooking is a beautiful ethnic way of preparing food, which is slow, even and delicate.

Cooking is fun with pots, each pot has its own story to convey about the creativity, focus, optimism and hardwork of the potter behind.

Benefits of using clay pots :

• Non-Reactive: Clay pots do not react with food, like the metal utensils do.The metallic ions leach into the food in aluminium/iron/non-stick vessels, which are slow poison to our body leading to alzheimers, diabetes, arthritis, early ageing and digestive disorders.  
Aluminium is soft and highly reactive metal. Contact with strong acids, alkalies and salts from food causes the metal to dissolve and form pits. Often, boiling tomatoes, tamarind and acidic dishes like sambar cause the metal to dissolve rapidly and affect the taste of the cooked food.   

• Neutralizer: Clay is alkaline in nature, hence the overly acidic foods like tomatoes, kenaf(gongura), tamarind etc are neutralized, balancing the ph levels, which is appetizing and healthy.

 
• Nutrients Retained: High pressure(forceful) cooking degrades beneficial vitamins and minerals in food.
Up to 100% of the nutrients are retained when cooked in pots, unlike 7% to 13% when cooked in pressure cooker or aluminium cookware. 

According to the researchers at the CDRI (Central Drug Research Institute) Lab in Lucknow, on  preservation of nutrients.

 
• Retains Moisture: The porous nature of clay, retains moisture and heat thus making the food juicier and tender. 
Curd prepared in clay pots is thick, creamy & delicious.   

 
• Retains Heat:  The cooked food retains heat for longer period of time as compared to metal utensils. 

 
• Flavorsome: The food is naturally tastier and yummy, when cooked in pots.
Clay pot cooking helps to carry spices and seasoning much deeper into food and helps reduce the use of salt. Very less oil and less water/stock needs to be added with this cooking technique. Food cooked in clay many times is lower in fat and rich in nutrients when compared with food prepared by other utensils.  

 In Pressure cooking process, the foods becomes soggy due to over cooking, whereas in pots the food is fluffy, loose and bring satiety.

  
• Natural water coolant: Water stored in clay pots in summer is more gentle on throats.The water has natural taste, pleasantly chilled and helps in improving metabolism.


• Low Maintenance: The earthen pot ware are easy to clean, without the use of harsh dish washing bar soaps or detergents.

Our Kitchenmates since 4 years

 
The process of making clay pot is a far cry from the mining, processing and making of metal cookware and its dangerously detrimental effects, it has on the environment.

              Applauding the health and environmental benefits of clay pots, lets us encourage our good old potters to a better livelihood, and there by helping ourselves to take control on the way we cook for a healthier and toxic free lifestyle 😘 

Do not panic about the fragility of the pots and their maintenance, below are few useful instructions and tips.

Preparation of a clay pot for cooking:

1. Buying a clay pot from a local potter nearby or markets costs around Rs.40/-  to max Rs.100/- and do give a thorough check if any cracks or pits.
2. Wash it thoroughly and immerse the pot completely in water for around 24hrs. 
3. Now clean it thoroughly inside and outside with a scrubpad and salt or baking soda or soapnut(Kunkudekaya) juice.
   Do not use detergents and soaps, which leaches into the pots and is absorbed by the food cooked.
4. Boil water in the pot with medium heat for a while, and dispose the water.

Now, the pot is ready to cook for the first meal.

Dal with leafy-veg delicately cooked

From the next meal, the pot can be directly used or soak it in water for 10mins pre-cooking, for better results.

Precautions:

• Do not leave the empty pot on heat/stove for long, which leads to cracks. Increase the temperature gradually from medium to high. 
• Sudden changes in temperature leads to cracks, hence do not put the hot pot post-cooking in cold water immediately, Let it cool to the room temperature before cleaning.
• Do not use harsh detergents or soaps to clean. Cleaning with salt/ baking powder/ ash left over flours/  soapnuts juice, is recommended.
• Let it dry completely before storing. Store the clay pot with the lid off allowing air to circulate. 

So what are you waiting for? Go get the pots and have a scrumptious meal!!😁

Delicious Pot Biryani in Progress

 




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