[Sca-cooks] OOP but WANT!!!!!

[Dragon]

Saint Phlip did speak thusly:
>Well, pottery occasionally has its issues, too:
>
>http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/pennsic2008cooking.html
>
>But, these often help (first set of photos, of one of my students):
>
>http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/pennsic2008forge.html
>
>I do hope you were cooking over coals, and not the fire, Iasmine.
>Coals and their temperatures are an awful lot easier to manage.
---------------- End original message. ---------------------

Trivets are a wonderful thing.

Do you know what sort of clay was used in making the pottery skillet?

I've been researching the use of pottery over open flame and all the 
recommendations I have seen for the type of clay come down to a 
relatively low iron content, open-bodied earthenware clay as being 
the best for such uses. This sort of clay has much better thermal 
expansion properties than stoneware clays but it also tends to be 
more fragile. On the other hand, this is exactly the sort of clay 
that would have been used in period by many potters for such ware as 
it is something that is often readily available in many places.

The only other kind of clay I have seen recommended for direct flame 
exposure is a very pure lithium oxide based clay that is fired at 
very high temperatures to the point of full vitrification (this is 
the sort of clay that is used in laboratory crucibles), however, this 
sort of lithium clay has to be fired at such a high temperature that 
it would not have been used in period pottery.

Also, I want to point out that if the lamb had been roasted to the 
side of the fire and not directly over the coals you could have 
avoided your flare ups. Bank the coals to the side and place a drip 
pan with some water in it under the roast. The indirect heat will 
roast it just fine, you won't get the flares and you will have the 
yummy drippings to dip bread into or use in a sauce or savory pudding.

Dragon

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  Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
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