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    You are here: Home / Recent Posts / How to season claypot for first use | How to maintain claypots

    How to season claypot for first use | How to maintain claypots

    Last Updated On: Jan 19, 2022 by Sharmilee J

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    season claypots for first use

    How to season claypot for firstuse | How to maintain claypots, burnt claypots etc.

    I don’t really remember where this craze for clay pots started.I had bought one claypot(manchatty) long back for making fish curry as I’ve heard that fish curries made in clay pots tastes best.The only clay pot I had was that and I used for making fish curry and puli kuzhambu varieties.I did not season that pot just poured starch water for 2 days and started using it.I used it for almost a year then it started to crack at the bottom so had to discard it.

    I soo love the aroma of the dishes while cooking in claypots, you should definitely experience it and am sure you will not look back.

    You can start using the claypots as such after washing and soaking in starch water for 2 days.But then the steps of seasoning gives long life to the claypots.So I did a lot of research asking neighbors, shopkeepers this time.

    Now I own these 3 claypots.If I buy more will sure update this post here 🙂 The black clay pot is also called as burnt claypot or karichatty .The top black one was gifted by a friend she even seasoned and gave it to me,the other 2 I bought it here in a local shop and seasoned it.When I went to buy these pots I asked the shopkeeper akkas for tips and referred here too for seasoning.So I took time and did the seasoning.It takes almost 5 days for the seasoning process but I tell its worth so do it.

    Black claypots are nothing but the brown ones burnt for at least 3-5 days which gives it that black color.They said black claypots are more stronger and lasts longer as they are burnt.

    How to buy claypots:

    • Make sure its heavy and thick.
    • Turn back knock and see, you should hear a nice shriek ‘tang’ sound.The louder the sound the good it is to buy it.If you try to knock a used pot the sound will be hollow or low pitched.

    How do I know when to discard the claypot:

    • Mild cracks will start to form at the back of the pot then it is not advisable to use it for cooking.You can use the pot for soaking ragi or kambu koozh or use for gardening.
    • It may start to leak and ooze out oil at the back, then its time to discard.
    • Either one or both of these are symptoms.

    A big black claypot which I am using for nonveg dishes.

    season claypots for first use

    Tips:

    • Cooking in claypots needs patience and practice as it takes time to get heated.And even after switching off the stove you can see it boiling that is the main specialty of claypots.
    • It works in gas stoves and will not work in induction not sure of other heat sources.
    • It is always better to have separate clay pots for veg and non-veg.
    • Do not use any soap for washing.Use only rice flour or besan flour or chapathi flour.
    • Be very careful while cooking for the first time after seasoning.If you burn it then the burnt smell will retain throughout and will show in any food cooked in that pot.Yes I ruined a new pot and had to discard it so experience speaks 😀 So make any curries first not any dry items to be on the safer side.
    • Do not heat an empty pot.
    • Overheating the pot may lead to cracks so its better to maintain low medium flame while cooking.
    • Also after cooking do not pour water at once, the sudden change in temperature may lead to cracks.So wait for it to cool down for a while then soak in water and then wash.

    This brown claypot which I use for everyday cooking like packing for mittus lunchbox and veggie curries.

    season claypots for first use

    Butter beans kuzhambu 
    season claypots for first use

    You might have seen these pics of my dosa and chapathi tawa in my earlier posts too.

     

    HOW TO SEASON CLAYPOT:

      1. These 2 are the new claypots I am going to season for first use.First rinse and wash it well.Use a coconut scrubber.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step1
      2. Scrub it well , rinse and wash the claypots well.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step2
      3. After washing soak the claypots in plain water for 1 day.After you soak you can hear a slight sizzle sound if you note it keenly there are small pores in the claypots so when waters enters first time you can hear that mild sound.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step3
      4. Next day again scrub and wash it, soak in starch water(rice cooked water) or rice washed water for 3 days.Daily make it a point to change the starch water.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step4
      5. Wash it again sun dry it.Now add ghee or coconut oil.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step5
      6. Spread it well on both the sides back and top.Sun dry it for 2 -3 hrs until the oil is completely absorbed and is dry.Now add ghee or coconut oil,switch on the stove.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step6
      7. Add 1-2 tablespoon grated coconut and saute it well so that the coconut and oil spreads all over the inside of the pan.Saute until golden.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step7
      8. Do it for both the pans.Now remove the coconut add water along with turmeric powder let it come to a boil.Switch off and dry under the sun.Now your claypots are ready to use.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step8

      HOW TO MAINTAIN CLAYPOTS :

      1. After use let the pots come to room temperature then soak in water for a while.Then using coconut scrapper scrap the extras.The black one I used for making paneer fried rice today morning for packing mittus lunchbox and the brown one for making ragi koozh.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step7
      2. Scrub well and wash it in running water.Never use detergents or any soapy liquids.As there are small pores in the claypot there are chances for the soap to enter through the pores which in turn can mix in the food while getting cooked.So use rice flour or besan flour or chapathi flour to wash it.After washing in plain water then sprinkle rice flour.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step7
      3. Scrub it well and  wash it.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step7
      4. Sun dry it then store.
        How to season claypots for first use - Step7

      This is the way I seasoned my claypots and maintain it.Hope you find this post useful.

      season claypots for first use

      I store it like this in my kitchen shelf.

    1. season claypots for first use

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    Filed Under: Recent Posts, seasoning, Sharmis Passions

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vatsala

      July 26, 2018 at 1:36 pm

      Thanks a lot for this post

      Reply
      • Geetavani

        December 13, 2024 at 12:27 pm

        Hi mam
        Thanks for the informative post
        I bought two clay pots but I dint season it . And am using it without seasoning . Can I season it now.

        Reply
        • Sharmilee J

          December 13, 2024 at 8:34 pm

          yes you can season it now also

          Reply
        • Geetavani

          December 25, 2024 at 2:34 pm

          Thank you mam ☺️

          Reply
    2. vandana

      July 29, 2018 at 10:20 am

      very informative.lot of effort goes into cleaning and maintaining these kind of utensils.

      Reply
    3. Swapna

      December 27, 2018 at 7:18 pm

      Hello
      If we have big size clay pot how can we prepare large quantity rice cooked/washed water required for pot to completely soak…Please reply….Thanks in advance.

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        January 03, 2019 at 10:22 am

        You can use half rice cooked/washed water mixed with water in that case.

        Reply
    4. Suja

      January 22, 2019 at 4:50 pm

      Thanks a bunch for this post Sharmi !

      Reply
    5. jennet fernandes

      June 25, 2019 at 2:11 pm

      i have bought a new mud pot and seasoned it myself after following all instructions well, while washing the clay pot i still find a little muddy water. is it normal OR will it go gradually.

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        July 03, 2019 at 6:23 am

        It should not…but still you can boil water daily for about a week to get rid of the extra mud and then use it

        Reply
        • Deepika

          September 07, 2023 at 3:13 pm

          Dear sharmi akka, hope you are doing well in life. I am a silent follower of you..just love your posts..

          Just a quick question since you mentioned that when the claypot is hot we are not suppose to show the pot in cold water for washing, likewise won’t it effect the pot when we are adding cold water after roasting the coconut.

          Thank you.

          Reply
          • Sharmilee J

            September 08, 2023 at 5:49 am

            Hi Deepika
            Thank you so much for your kind words!
            No not at all while cooking its not a problem…while cooking the only thing to be noted it not to heat the empty pot as it may lead to crack.
            Hope this helps!

            Reply
    6. Sugandha Verma

      August 28, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      Thank you for the post sharmilee ji. Very good post. I have one mud tawa and two curd making burnt clay pots. Should I season them both in the same way?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        September 16, 2019 at 7:36 am

        yes both bown and black ones season it the same way

        Reply
    7. Sugandha

      August 28, 2019 at 4:46 pm

      Also how to tell if the black clay pot is actually burnt and not painted?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        September 16, 2019 at 7:35 am

        I am really not sure have heard from shopkeeper that while cooking you get a smell in orginal claypots which will be missing in painted ones

        Reply
    8. Prema

      September 18, 2019 at 12:07 am

      I just washed it two times and used it to cook daal and milk. Is it ok if I use like that

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        October 29, 2019 at 9:40 am

        Seasoning by proper method ensures long life for claypots

        Reply
        • Reena

          March 07, 2022 at 2:09 am

          Hi, can the seasoned clay pots be used to set curds?

          Reply
          • Sharmilee J

            March 07, 2022 at 6:30 am

            yes but for curd setting you ccan rinse it well soak in starch water for a day then wash again and start using it.

            Reply
    9. Vasundhara

      February 25, 2020 at 9:54 am

      Hi!
      Red the whole procedure.. I purchased a curd pot. Is it also needed to be seasoned before use?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        April 30, 2020 at 6:25 am

        yes

        Reply
        • Dee

          November 29, 2024 at 5:51 pm

          Hello thanks for sharing. How high can you heat black pot? I was using heat no. 4 in my gas stove for brown pot which is kind of med low
          Now I got the black ones from India . Can I go higher with heat on that one?

          Reply
          • Sharmilee J

            December 03, 2024 at 8:07 pm

            Sorry I am not sure of it as I use gas stove and I have used from low to medium high and it works

            Reply
    10. Garima Pandey

      April 30, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      Hi
      This post has been great help. I have followed the process step by step andseasoned my claypot. I have used coconut oil to season the pot. Can I use mustard oil for cooking in the pot? Will the taste of coconut oil remain in the pot or I should use another pot for cooking with mustard oil?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        May 01, 2020 at 7:18 am

        yes you can use any oil after seasoning

        Reply
    11. Mohamed akram

      May 04, 2020 at 2:09 am

      Hi I bought a glazed clay pot does it need any preparation before use thanks in advance

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        May 04, 2020 at 8:57 pm

        all claypots are to be seasoned unless if mentioned its preseasoned

        Reply
    12. Trisha

      September 21, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      How to clean earthen clay water bottle before 1st use?
      Does the water bottle also need some kind of pre treatment before use??

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        December 24, 2021 at 8:40 am

        No no just wash it few times may be you can add starch water and wash it.

        Reply
    13. komal

      October 26, 2020 at 4:53 pm

      Great post 🙂 Can you also please guide how the process would be different if I am not using the pot to cook but to store drinking water. Many thanks.

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        March 04, 2021 at 6:28 am

        the process is same

        Reply
    14. Leka

      November 18, 2021 at 7:15 pm

      I bought a black claypot, just washed, boiled some water in it and used it once. I made fish curry in the morning, it tasted good for lunch but felt some strange oily odour while we had it for dinner. Should I properly season this again and use or simply throw it away and buy a new one?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        December 24, 2021 at 8:25 am

        No no dont throw away. Wwash it well then again heat the pan until water dries up completely then add few drops of coconut oil let it smoke a bit switch off then try using it.

        Reply
    15. Anil

      February 25, 2022 at 10:37 am

      Hi,
      Thanks for Post. Very Informative. I too bought a pot and started seasoning as you said.
      My doubt is after statue of grated coconut , pot should be cooled or directly add normal water and turmeric? doesnt it crack as suddenly adding water?

      And also in middle of cooking , we need to add water for gravy curries can I add normal water directly or should i warm that water to add in curry?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        March 05, 2022 at 5:30 am

        While cooking you can add normal water directly and it is absolutely safe. But after cooking let it come to room temperature or atleast warm before you wash.

        Reply
    16. Terracrafts

      March 12, 2022 at 2:20 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing this great post.

      Reply
    17. Terracrafts

      April 28, 2022 at 3:42 pm

      This is an excellent article. Thank you for sharing such useful information.

      Reply
    18. Latchmi Chinnappan

      February 03, 2025 at 7:08 am

      my old about 1970’s mun/earthern chatty is paired black on the inside, is its safe to cook with it?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        February 17, 2025 at 6:44 pm

        If it is painted then it is terracotta not suitable for cooking, can be used for decor

        Reply
    19. James Pullatt

      March 31, 2025 at 6:20 am

      That’s a pretty detailed, step-by-step seasoning process. Thank you for taking the time to share the knowledge.

      Reply

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