Röhmertopf?

We were given one as a wedding present. It appeared to be made from just terracotta clay. My sister in law makes what she calls chicken bricks. She throws a large, tall oval shaped pot and completely closes it off. Turns it so that it is nice and oval, then turns it on its side and flattens a base, then cuts a lid. She then uses it for cooking like the rohmertopf. She just uses a basic terracotta. A

The ones I have seen also seem to be just terra cotta. I think terra cotta is fired to about 2000 degrees F (1100C). That is way beyond what you are going to get in an oven. You just don't want it to go through thermal shock (go on to a cold shelf such as the refrigerator after coming out of the oven). Special clay is needed for using on the stove top for this reason. In the oven unless it is directly on or under the burner this isn't going to be an issue. Also don't you start the dish cooking in a cold oven?

Donna

P.S. This may be what was meant by using a special clay body. Still you aren't using a glaze so fit isn't an issue and as long as you don't go from one extreme temperature to another using terra cotta shouldn't be a problem. I also wouldn't just chuck your piece. You can always use it as a test piece and surely there must be other uses for it if you decide not to use it for the oven? You can still glaze it even though it has been burnished if that is what you would like.

(digitalfire is a must have link) Ovenware Ovenware (and flameware) clay bodies have a lower thermal expansion so they can withstand more sudden changes in temperature. Ovenware bodies should thus have much lower free quartz content and employ low expansion minerals like mullite, pyrophyllite, petalite, kyanite and spodumene. While many potters make ware for use in the oven using standard clay bodies, ovenware manufacturers (like Corning) would object to calling this 'ovenware'. This is because they dedicate considerable resources to producing bodies and glazes that have a much lower thermal expansion and therefore are much more suitable. Potters are able to get away with using standard bodies and glazes by making sure the glaze fits well (no crazing), avoiding high-quartz and highly vitreous bodies, firing evenly to reduce built-in stresses, maintaining an even cross section, avoiding angular contours and larger sizes with broad flat bottoms and telling customers to be careful about subjecting ware to sudden temperature change.

Glaze fit is a major problem in designing an ovenware body since common glazes will craze. It is much easier to make a low expansion clay body than a glaze, thus it is normal to compromise the lowest possible expansion on the body in order to get a reliable glaze fit. Low expansion glazes typically employ lithia and high silica and alumina and avoid sodium and potassium. It is much easier to make a low expansion glaze at high temperatures where silica and alumina can be higher.

There are two mechanisms to creating a low expansion body: By firing to form crystalline minerals that have low expansion or by employing mineral particles and fluid glasses in the body recipe have low expansion. The former produces a more vitreous body and requires much more expertise and test equipment. The later is a bit of a 'crowbar' approach and is dependent on not firing to full maturity (otherwise mineral species can be dissolved by the feldspar in the body and the low expansion effect lost). The latter creates a bit of a 'tug-of-war' in the body since some particles (like quartz) want to expand on heating and contract on cooling whereas others (like kyanite, mullite) want to remain stable. Furthermore, the glass that glues all the particles together introduces a third expansion dynamic to the matrix.

I had an "original" Römertopf, the bottom part was glazed on the inside, the top not glazed at all. I used it a few times, and found that it doesn't do anything which an ordinary pan wouldn't do, it only takes a whole lot longer. It take hours until ordinary vegetables are done, hours until meat is tender, if you think of the energy it takes in an electric oven, i decided, it wasn't worth it and got rid of it again. If the bottom part is unglazed, it absorbs fat and becomes rancid after a short time, hence all the Römertöpfe you get really cheat at fleamarktes. I decided, it was just some kind of fad, and gave up on them.

Schöne Grüsse, Monika

-- Monika Schleidt snipped-for-privacy@schleidt.org

if you wish to write me a mail, remove the number from my user name

The one we had was unglazed, but we did worry about the hygene thing. It is now used as a planter :o) It was a proper romertopfe mould made with the name across it, a recipe book etc. I like the tagines more, the morroccan style casserole, here is one

have made them with the lid handle a bit wider so that you can turn it over and use it as a serving bowl.

If the original can be glazed, then so can my "copy". I also like the idea of hygenic surfaces for food. Might be that temperature kills the bugs, but I still see a porous surface - yaknow?

I can agree with your arguments, Monika - and also another that this thing is going to take a lot of space in some cupboard. I have forwarded the arguments to my husband, and will just keep the whole thing from drying until we decide what to do. I have non-poison glazes only, so will use one of the 1000C ones on the inside bottom.

You are supposed to soak the whole thing in water for ages before use - and then soak for 10-15 minutes before each use - put in a cold oven - and never on a cold surface when taking out of the oven. Sounds pretty delicate to me! Hehe!

I'll see what I do - but thank EVERYONE for their ever fantastic responses! You guys inspire me!

Marianne

They are not supposed to be glazed. They are supposed to be soaked in water before putting food in them and then put in the oven. It is part of the cooking method. The food is steamed and then dry roasted which is a bit odd. I found that I wasn't fond of mine. I have heard good things about the tagines mentioned.

Donna

Yeah I prefer the tagines. :o) They look really cool too and are fun to throw.

Do you use yours in the oven or on the stove top? What clay body do you use? I assume they are glazed inside and out...

In the oven, terracotta, glazed inside, with some glazed decoration out so that the natural terracotta clay shows. I have seen some made in quite grogged terracotta, I guess that would cope with heat changes easier, but mine survived the oven :o)

may have started something. I am now very much intrigued. The recipes on the above are for stove top. I wonder if they would work just as well in the oven. Has anyone used the fireclay that works on the stove top and has it been successful?

Donna

I haven't used them on the stove top as I just used terracotta, they work well in the oven. I gave one to friends and they invited us for dinner, it was very yum. :o)

I've made a tagine, several soup pots, tea kettles and a wok from flameware claybody and they've all been` successful. The glaze choices are limited and the clay is a little strange to work with--I found it to be uncomfortable on my hands, but it was an interesting project. I guess the flameware clay is controversial because some people have had accidents with it exploding on the stove, or developing cracks, but I've had neither of those things happen to my pots. They're kind of heavy though, so I don't tend to use them as much as I hoped.

Deb R.

After looking into it I decided I would rather go with the oven version (exploding clay shards sound deadly). I'm glad to hear that there are other reasons not to use it.

As a former chef ( now pottery nut and teacher) I found this whole subject very interesting and thought I might add my 'two peneth' of knowledge: The idea behind all of these 'oven used' cooking vessels is that the whole process of cooking is slow, and the effect on the food might be compared to that of 'heat work' on pots in a kiln. The heat of the oven will kill most germs (but I can understand peoples' dislike/distrust of the patina or 'seasoning' that appears on the cooking vessel); normal cleanliness aplies to these pots as it does with cast iron, stove top, cooking pans and woks that have 'seasoning', if in doubt slowly heat the pots (empty and dry) in the oven when using the oven to do a high temp roast! Low temperature glazes will not make the vessels more hygenic to use as eventualy all such glazes will have some (albeit microscopic) crazing which can harbour debree/dirt, more so than if left unglazed. This method of cooking does add something to the flavour and texture of the food; it used to be a great way to cook mutton (a tough but flavoursome meat) but it's rare to find mutton anymore as most suppliers sell only year old lamb. Sincere apologies to any vegetarian readers!

Interesting that you say unglazed is better than glazed, since crazing actually seems to retain bacteria better than unglazed pottery.

Also, I am wondering if the slow-cooking can just as well be done in a normal open "pot" with aluminium foil over it at a lower heat? The benefits of cooking over time are great, that I know. But need we insulate the food with a röhmertopf in order to get the same effect as simply lowering the temperature and waiting an hour extra?

My topf is still leatherhard and it can go either way - keep wet, finish and fire - or wet thoroughly and recycle. I would appreciate your input on the usefulness of this pot - as compared to the power usage, heavy cleaning job and storage space required.

Thanks!

Marianne

Apparently the shape of the Rohmertopf makes the steam circulate differently which creates more tender moist food.

In New Zealand you can still get mutton and hogget regularly. It does have more flavour. One of our supermarkets sells goat which benifits from long slow cooking too :o)