[Sca-cooks] Ceramic cooking pots was Re:Master Hroars Email

[Mercy Neumark]

>They were wheel thrown, the pot was the result of the largest piece of
>clay I ever tried to work with.  As for firing.  They were bisqued and
>high fired and are glazed on the inside (not period but seal them for
>food).  As to air pockets, no I don't think their are any but when they
>are fired the whole pot is heated in the kiln gradually.  When you cook
>the bottom of a cold pot gets put on a fire and the top doesn't.  The
>difference in heat between the two bits can make all the difference.  >If
>there are any tiny tiny air bubbles in the bottom it could still become
>very exciting.  I plan on wearing safety glasses the first time I try
>them out.
>Ah but Philip what type of beans?  What period recipe?
>Helewyse
>Who wants to try and make a bigger pot than the two pint one she has
>now.

Helewyse!  You may want to slowly heat the pot up, like take the pot and
move it a foot away from the pit, then 10 minutes later, move it closer, and
closer, etc (I've been told to do this with my earthenware pipkins too).
Try to get the whole piece evenly hot.  If the whole thing is the same temp
you MAY be able to have it work since you CAN put stoneware into modern
ovens.  Did your clay have any grog in it or sand that you know of?  If it
was hi-fire, it may not survive, but try it out anyhow! :)

Dame Selene is my tester on a little earthenware pot I made last year too.
We baked some apples in it, but we never did bring it to a war, did we,
Selene?  I wanted to see if it would survive in a pit of coals without the
handle poping off.

Good luck!

--Arte

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