Things You'll Need
Stove
Large pot
Milk
Clay roasting pots are used to seal nutrients into food and keep its natural juices and flavors intact, creating dishes that are low in fat and high in flavor. The secret behind clay roasting pots is the steam that evaporates from the pores in the clay when baking in the oven, cooking the food without removing the flavor. Though clay roasting pots are a helpful addition to the kitchen, they can break easily if certain precautions are not taken. Sudden changes in temperature, especially from hot to cold, can cause the pot to crack. Examine the pot before throwing it out to see if it is fixable. The fix for a crack in a clay pot is done with common household items.
Step 1
Place a pot or pan large enough to hold the clay roasting pot on a burner on the stove. Select a pot deep enough to fill with milk after the clay pot with the crack in it is placed inside.
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Step 2
Submerse the clay roasting pot in milk. Fill the large pot with enough milk to completely cover the cracked pot.
Step 3
Turn the burner on low to medium heat to bring the milk to a slow boil. Allow the cracked roasting pot to simmer in the boiling milk for about an hour.
Step 4
Turn off the heat from the burner and allow the milk and the pot to return to room temperature. The casein, one of the main proteins in milk, seals the crack, keeping it from growing larger and preventing liquid from leaking through the crack. The casein is comparable to glue when it dries because it possesses the same bonding qualities.
Step 5
Remove the clay roasting pot from the large pot of milk, being careful not to do further damage. Inspect the area that was cracked to make sure the boiling milk fixed the problem.
Tip
The clay roasting pot seals naturally with use. Liquids seep into the natural cracks caused by expansion and contraction of the materials used to make the clay pot.
Warning
Use caution when selecting materials to repair clay pots used for cooking. Products containing harmful chemicals pose the risk of seeping into food during the cooking process.
Do not set a clay roasting pot on a cold surface immediately after removing it from the oven. The drastic change in temperature may cause the clay to crack.
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