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Cooking in clay is the only time tested method of cooking healthy and nutritious food. After jumping from one cookware material to another for decades, most healthy cooks and cookware experts are finally beginning to see the unique benefits of clay pot cooking. We will talk about a few of those here.

Clay pots flood the market and are sold as earthenware pot, earthen cookware clay cooking pots and clay cookware but the most uncommon, safest and best alternative are unglazed clay pots. Why?

Dishes cooked in pots that have been glazed, made with low quality clay (like terra cotta, porcelain etc.), or contain other additives such as frit (glass powder), grog, feldspar, quartz, ball clay, kaolinite, alumina, silica and iron oxide leach toxins during cooking. These contaminate food by reacting to nutrients to form toxic compounds that are ingested with food and eventually cause chronic health problems.

How this unglazed clay makes the pot truly food safe

Miriams Earthenware (formerly Miriams Earthen Cookware) is a US based pioneering cookware maker who makes unglazed pots using natural clay. They procure the purest form of clay known as primary clay from secluded lands and have it tested in a reputable state lab before making 100% non toxic cookware.

Food cooks inside Miriams clay pot in the healthiest way possible – thanks to ergonomically designed and uniquely hand-finished pot and lid. The semi porous clay walls allow air circulation and yet retain the moisture from the natural juices of your ingredients.

Far Infrared Heat Cooking Retains Nutrition

Miriams unglazed pure clay pot radiates earthen far infrared heat that cooks food gently without destroying nutrients like other conventional pots. All foods cook on the low heat (recommended max oven temperature is 450 d F) so the heat gradually spreads evenly and cooks food faster from inside out. This feature is particularly useful when you want to gently simmer your dish, and for clay pot recipes like slow cooking or using it as a bean pot. There is no need to soak beans in water overnight as this deep penetrating heat breaks down anti-nutrients during cooking.

Water soluble nutrients in the form of steam stay locked inside the pot during cooking through natural steam condensation on the cooler inside of the lid. The domed lid of Miriams clay pans is made with particularly this phenomenon in mind.

This unglazed clay pot keeps food warm for a few hours after cooking because pure clay has a tendency to retain heat for longer. This is why, it is important to avoid sudden temperature changes (like adding cold water to a hot pot) so the thermal shock doesn’t damage the pot. Allow it to cool completely before refrigerating.

Naturally non stick

The cooking pot develops non-stick cooking surface when used back to back 5-6 times for water based recipes. This allows you to use less cooking oil – just a thin layer would do the job when sautéing, searing or baking bread.

No deep cleaning is necessary

Miriams clay pots are easy to clean – just use warm water and baking soda. Food doesn’t stick and comes off easily using a mild scrubber.

Uses less energy and Saves You $

Miriams pure clay is the best material for heat retention so requires low heat for cooking and less frequent reheating by keeping the food warm for 4x longer. Right after you turn off the stove, the food continues to cook passively from heat retained in the pot, reducing the overall energy consumption in cooking a meal. This saves tons of energy throughout the year and significantly cuts down your utility expenses (gas and electricity). By making Miriams your primary cookware, you can stop worrying about the rising utility prices once and for all.

In contrast, stainless steel heat retention, although better than cast iron and aluminum, is way less than natural clay so cooking requires high heat. Moreover, it cools down as quickly as it heats up losing all the heat to the environment. This heats up your kitchen in summer and makes the cooked food cold quickly in winter – both undesirable consequences of using a metal cooking pot.

Now that you are aware of the many health benefits of cooking with clay and its ability to cook the most nutritious food while also saving you money in the long term, why don’t you find clay pots of suitable sizes from MEC’s online store and have them delivered to your doorstep. They ship worldwide using carbon neutral.

People Also Ask:

Is clay healthy to cook in?

It depends on the kind of clay used to make a cooking pot because there are many clay cookware varieties that use low quality impure clay further treated with additives, chemicals and glazes that make them toxic. Only the unglazed pots made from primary clay without using any additive whatsoever is actually healthy to cook in. Miriams clay pots are handmade from lab tested primary clay and therefore, are the safest and healthiest pots for cooking.