This festive red clay cookware, also know as a Spanish cazuela, can be used directly on the stove top, in the oven. Clay cooking goes back to the ancients. The Romans crafted clay vessels for olive oil and wine, and many cultures have always used clay cookware to suit their culinary needs. Cazuelas are Spains contribution to clay pot cooking. These durable cooking dishes can be used in place of a skillet, a paella pan, a sauté pan, or oven casserole.
If you plan on cooking or baking with your cazuela, you will need to soak and cure it using the following directions: Soak the entire dish in water to cover for 4 hours. After soaking, fill the dish with water to just below the rim. Place the cazuela on a low flame and gradually raise the temperature until the water begins to boil. Your cazuela is now cured and ready for use. Soaking the cazuela only needs to be done once before it is used for the first time. This cures the cazuela making it more durable. Cooking in the cazuela will continue to season and cure the terracotta so the more you cook in your clay dishes the longer they will last. Hand washing is recommended. Cazuelas are extremely durable, but it is always best to avoid quick temperature changes. Do not pour cold water into a hot cazuela (or vice versa), and avoid moving it directly from refrigerator to stove. Please keep in mind that these cazuelas have been handmade in Southern Spain and slight imperfections are part of their charm and not a defect. These handmade cazuelas are lead-free and completely food safe.
Jenny V. (verified owner) –
Larger than I thought but just like we experienced in Spain!
jane m. (verified owner) –
They are perfect!
Linda D. (verified owner) –
We lived in Spain for 4 years and I had bought a set of 4 in 1980, I have only 2 left from the 4. They are tough dishes, they look nice on the table too!!
Frank Lee (verified owner) –
These are perfect! We have a large oval one my wife bought in Spain 20+ years ago. It’s our favorite for all sorts of casseroles, cooks evenly and super easy to clean. We wanted smaller ones, and these are exactly what we were looking for. Customer service is SUPERB! I had a question & sent an email to Teddi. She answered within a couple of hours.
Teddi Benjamin (store manager) –
Hello Frank, thank you for your review. Its so nice to know that we were able to provide you with the exact cazuela that you were looking for. I too use my oval cazuela for just about EVERYTHING, but this 8 inch size is great for smaller portions and side dishes. Thank you for your purchase.
Natalie A –
It was a beautiful dish, but after soaking it slipped and fell 3 inches to my counter. They are very fragile after soaking.
Teddi Benjamin (store manager) –
Hello Natalie, I am so sorry to hear that you accidentally dropped one of your cazuelas. I use mine all the time and fortunately this has never happened, but it is good to know that we might need to be extra careful. Hopefully you are using the other cazuelas that you received in the set. They are great for cooking in and they clean up in a jiffy.