Many of my ceramic pieces, especially the bean pots, are designed for cooking.  The indigenous cultures of northern New Mexico have used micaceous clay in the creation of cooking vessels for over 700 years.  Archaeological sites in the area are littered with micaceous pottery chards.

The ceramic is especially suited for slow cooking and baking.  Mica makes up about 80 % of the clay.  Vessel walls are hard and resistant to physical shock even though they are thin, and the mica in the clay acts as a heat insulator and protects the vessel as it sits in a fire or on your conventional stove.  Hot foods in a mica pot stay warm longer.  Some of my pots have lids that can be used as a plate or bowl.

The reddish clay is naturally rich in iron, sodium, and potassium.  Foods taste better cooked in micaceous pots because they are infused with these and other natural minerals.  If your doctor recommends that you do not use cast iron (you are an iron accumulator), then you should not cook with mica pottery.  Chemical analyses conducted on micaceous pottery otherwise demonstrate that it is safe for cooking and serving.

The clay is special because it is self tempered.  Normally, potters combine a strong clay or plastic material with a temper or what we might call an aplastic material.  Aplastics include things like sand, grog, or grit.  The aplastics prevent the pottery from contracting and breaking during drying and firing.  The combined clay and temper is called a clay “paste”.  Clay paste recipes are numerous and complex.  The mica in this clay, which occurs naturally in the clay deposit, acts as the temper.   Therefore we call this clay self-tempered.  It is totally natural, nothing is added to it. If you have fire clouds on your pot these are places where the wood fuel came into contact with the vessel during firing.  No oxygen reaches this portion and it does not turn red.  The black also is the result of carbon from the wood, which is burned on to the surface of the vessel.

Preparing and caring for your vessel

You should not hesitate to cook food in these pots since this is their intended function. If you choose to use your pot for cooking for serving, you can extend the life of your cook pot by following these few, simple guidelines, the first of which is preparation and seasoning.

• Fill the pot just below the rim with water.
• Place the vessel on a stove-top ring (electric or gas).
• Turn the eye to medium high.
• Allow the water to come to a rolling boil.
• Pour out the water and any loose clay or mica particles adhering to the surface.
• Refill the pot with hot water and add several tablespoons of animal or vegetable fat.
• Bring the contents to a rolling boil and allow the water to boil down to the bottom of the pot.
• Alternatively, coat the entire vessel interior and exterior with animal or vegetable fat and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes (avoid coating the vessel exterior bottom).

Seasoning will change the color of the pot, but not dramatically.  The color will become richer and more textured with use.  The exterior bottom will become bleached or scorched over time, further adding to the overall character.  Seasoning increases the life of the pot, makes cleaning easier, and enriches the flavor of food cooked within it.  Use only warm water and a plastic scrub brush or sponge to clean your pot.  Soap will remove the seasoning.  Avoid allowing water to sit in your vessel (or your vessel to sit in water) for any extended period of time.  Wooden or plastic spoons are kinder than metal to the interior surface.  Fruit, cookies, bread, chips, and other food items will stain the inside of bowls.  Use a doily or a napkin beneath the food if this bothers you.

My experience with cooking over the years have shown me that it takes the same amount of time to boil water, whether or not the stove top eye is turned to high or medium high.  Covering the vessel significantly decreases the amount of time it takes to boil water.  Once the water begins boiling, it will be rapid, intense, and long lasting.  The surface of the pot will not get hot like metal.  The rim can be touched and the vessel can even be carried by the rim or by the handles in most cases.  Micaceous clay vessels are much safer to use than metal pots because they distribute heat more efficiently.  They retain it rather than conducting it.