Romertopf Care and History Previous Page Clay pot cooking has it's origin several thousand years ago when a prepared chicken was covered with mud and thrown into the ambers of a fire. When the clay had dried and hardened, it was taken out and the mold broken with the result of a fabulously tasting chicken. Our present use and shapes were developed in Germany in 1967 by Romertopf, who successfully marketed the Romertopf for the past 40 years with over 20 million units sold worldwide. The Romertopf is an ideal cooking method to create healthy, great tasting and easy to prepare meals. Romertopf lovers attest to the superb results in over 40 countries around the globe. The Romertopf's success is the selection of several different, but specific porous clays and it's unglazed interior and exterior, which allows the Romertopf to absorb a great deal of water. The clay pot must be soaked in water before every use. During the cooking process, the heated and fast moving water molecules penetrate the product, thereby cutting the fibers, deposit the spices and keep it moist, which delivers to you a tastier, moister and more tender result. Further the moisture in the unglazed bottom, allows you to cook without any additives like water, fats, oils or other liquids, therefore also ideal for dieters. Of course you can enhance your own recipes with all kinds of spices, butter, beer or wines to suit your tastes. The moist bottom is kept around 220 F, which avoids burning, unless you excessively overstay the cooking time. Romertopf cooking not only saves nutrients, but also saves time. Simply soak the Romertopf in water for 5-10 minutes, submerse top and bottom. Place the ingredients inside and put the whole pot into a regular, cold oven and set temperature at 400 to 450 degrees and follow the recipes. Then just walk away. Work out with your favorite celebrity, play with your kids or soak in the tub for 45-60 minutes and the Romertopf will not need your attention and cook your meal to perfection. Romertopf will develop a patina with time which adds character to the pot. Cleaning is simple; fill the top and bottom with water and add baking soda and or vinegar and soak for an hour, scrub if need with a plastic sponge. For deep cleaning you can fill top and bottom with water, add baking soda and vinegar, put into the oven side by side or at two levels and bring the water to a boil for half an hour. Epicure Cookware has some cookbooks available, especially written for Romertopf, typically providing recipes for Good Health, Low Sodium and Low Fat, which ideally supports today's consumer attitudes. Previous Page