Helped needed for cooking with casserole

[hans89]

This morning I was cooking millet in a casserole on my gas stove, when the casserole suddenly cracked. Now I'm wondering what I did wrong, since the casserole itself is suitable for using on a gas stove (at least it says so!)

This is the casserole I used: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/store...umber=00082915

Maybe someone can enlighten me on what I might have done wrong

[Bruce Paine]

hans89,

I believe that the mistake you made, was using the wrong pot for cooking millet on your stove.

You did not give us all the details, so I'm assuming that you were cooking your millet from scratch, meaning it had not yet been cooked, and therefore you were trying to bring the water the millet was cooking in up to a boil which means you were using high heat.

The casserole, I imagine is not made of metal or glass but instead clay or some ceramic material that is not designed for high heat cooking.

Clay cookware (like the Chinese sappo, the Spanish cazuela pots) or Mexican terracota cazuela pots are for medium to low direct fire cooking and can only be used with high heat when baking in the oven since that heat is radiant or indirect heat.

So, I recommend that you use metal pots like stainless steel, pressure cookers. or cast iron or pots made of enamel and cast iron for cooking food using all heat levels on direct flame on your stovetop.

Also, you can use Ohsawa Pots inside pressure cookers if you wish to cook whole grains, beans, and such from scratch in a ceramic environment.

Does this make any sense to you?

Thank you, very much.

Happy cooking!

Bruce Paine

[hans89]

Bruce,

thank you very much for your quick and informative reply.
You're right in your assumption, I did use high heat to bring the water to boil, the millet was uncooked. The pot is made of some kind of porcelain, and it is advertised as suitable for gas stoves.

So, do you assume that the pot wouldn't break if I turned the stove on medium / low heat or used a flame dispenser (I don't have one yet)? I like the idea of cooking with porcelain, and the pot wasn't that expensive, so I don't want to give up on it so easily.

I have seen the Ohasawa pots before, they look great, but sadly I haven't found them available in my country (or Europe) as of yet.

My best regards
Hans

[Bruce Paine]

hans89,

A concern is that the casserole would continue to crack unless reinforced in some way like the wiring on the sappo pots.

Clay and ceramic pots when cooking on a stove top is best for reheating food, but I imagine if you presoaked your grains and beans, you could cook them from scratch, starting with a medium heat followed by a low heat, simmering.

Because Simply Natural does not carry Ohsawa Pots nor yet ships products overseas and I am friends with the owner, I can give you the information privately for getting a Ohsawa Pot shipped directly to you. Just send me an email...

See if you can find one of these in your part of the world: Heat Diffuser With Removable Handle or Flame Master which are comparable with the Kuhn Rikom Flame Tamer and the Simmer King heat diffuser/flame tamer!

Having owned a Simmer King many years ago, and used a Flame Master for many years since, I now use the Heat Diffuser with Removeable Handle!

Are you in (Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) The Netherlands or (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) Germany?

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine