Cooking in a brick

[Tengu]

Well, today I was hunting at the car boot

Found a book, `cooking in a clay pot`

No pictures! I worked out they are reffering to a terracotta container you roast chickens in, yes?

I have one...but not on me. And they are pricey on Ebay

The book waxes insanely lyrical as to their benefits...I must try.

How would I do it without the container?

 

[Janne]

Yep, one of those 1970’s German clay pots. Römertopf.
Mum had one. Sis had one.
I had one.

Everybody had one. Europe was flooded with them, both original, fakes and knockoffs.

I think you might find them in charity shops, cheaply.
Difference in cooking? No.

Today we have Pyrex glass, cast iron, enamelled cast iron, S/steel.
For me - not much difference in the end product.

I am a kitchen equipment nerd.

But never owned a Pasta machine!!

 

[Janne]

Just place the food in an oven proof pan, and tightly cover with Al foil.
Unless your pan has a lid.

Do not buy a Römertopf
Waste that money on a better knife instead!

In 5000 years, the Archeologists will find a very distinct layer of broken claypots in the middens. They will Carbon date that layer to 1970-1990 CE, and discuss what religious sacrifices were made in those pots.
That era will be called Römertopf Era.
Eventually they will see a connection to the high level of Lead in the form of TetraEthyl Lead.
They will find that the level of TEL started to decline sharply just at the end of the Römertopf Era, and the consensus will be that the sacrifices were somehow connected to the TEL poisoning of humans and the rest of nature.

 

[Tengu]

No, they will say that they were broken as a sacrifice at the end of holy feasts.

Or they were coffins for babies in a time of high infant mortality. (Caused by TV dinners and MAD, no doubt).

Can you see I am not a field Archaeologist?

 

[santaman2000]

Well, today I was hunting at the car boot

Found a book, `cooking in a clay pot`

No pictures! I worked out they are reffering to a terracotta container you roast chickens in, yes?

I have one...but not on me. And they are pricey on Ebay

The book waxes insanely lyrical as to their benefits...I must try.

How would I do it without the container?

Like this

 

[Toddy]

We used to bake loaves in flower pots....that was in the late 60's when I was in primary school. We'd had the power cuts and the sugar and flour shortages and queues every morning for bread. Suddenly everyone wanted to know how to bake bread again....and out came the terracotta plant pots. All rather hippyish.
It worked surprisingly well, but Janne's right, pyrex does just fine and it's a blooming sight easier to clean, and it's not so fragile either.
I have a ceramic pizza bakestone though, and it's very good indeed, but it's properly ceramicised, not just 'biscuit' fired like most plant pots.

Guess what ? been a googling and Lo! and Behold! Mason Cash have brought the flower pots right up to date
https://www.silvermushroom.com/prod...b3lx509ouzAe3FfUYZm6tkpmzUGr0u6YaAmXYEALw_wcB

and I also found a lady showing how to make flower pot bread just like we did when I was at school

 

[Janne]

Fantastic ideas!

 

[Tengu]

Ah. I havent a flowerpot.

But Im sure I can lay my hands on one.

That Mason Cash item looks like a solution looking for a problem.

The books ideas are dated? But Im sure I can make use of the recipes, at least.

 

[Janne]

Of course you can use the receipes.
But if the book is from the 70’s I would be a little bit careful.
Some dishes from that time were truly revolting.
I suffered through many a meal!

One nightmare inducing dish was steamed whole salmon, covered with capers, orange slices and asparagus, then covered with thick layer of fish tasting gelatine.

Another one was the very Swedish Smörgås tårta ( sandwich cake)
Which was thinly sliced white bread ( sliced lenght wise) with layers of peeled prawns, ham, fish pate, sausages, all hold together with Mayo, so all sorts of clashing foods, one flavour per layer.....

With friggin’ layer of gelatine with peas or similar on top, or a mound of peeled shrimp, Mayo and dill weed....

Rumor has it some people still make that abomination of a dish.....

 

[Robson Valley]

The ones found in middens, shattered into many small pieces were originally used to bake chickens.
Very quietly, after maybe an hour, they split in half and nobody noticed the juice running out
into the oven until the chicken dried and started to burn.
If you hold a piece up to your ear, you can still hear the profanity.

 

[Janne]

Ah, fond memories!
We broke a couple, usually because somebody turned on the tap and poured water on the lid, which was sitting in the sink.

Mom and sis are seasoned swearers.
When my son met my sis for the first time, aged 15, he was amused as she swears even more that I do.
She was a teacher ( secondary level) of religion and history.