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Old 04-09-08, 08:42 AM
Gala Placidia Gala Placidia is offline
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Default Italian Terracotta Cookware And Cooking

Some of my favourite pots, pans and baking dishes are "terracotta" ones and mainly Italian. There is a brand called "Piral" that makes absolute beauties.... although not very cheap. They are the equivalent of "Le Creuset", the French brand for terracotta.
Although they say that it is OK to use them on electric stoves and cooktops using diffusers I find that they are better when cooking on gas. The electric oven does not make a big difference.
There are cheaper versions of the Piral cookware and they are also good. If you use one of the large rectangular pans to bake a piglet with just olive oil, rosemary and lemon juice in a medium oven, you will notice the difference in texture and taste.
Before using these pots and pans you should immerse them in very hot water for half an hour.
Here is a video on the fabrication of these wonderful pieces:

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