Hakan Efes Clay Pot with Lid, Clay Pot for Cooking, Unglazed Twice Baked Terr...

I have cooked several dishes in both of my pots. Everything from pot roast to Irish Stew to various soups. All turned out great and the meat was nice and tender.As many have said, I only use water to clean my pots, but will use lemon or baking soda if needed. I get no funny tastes out of them, and they are safe to eat from. Very important to air-dry them well before storage or you will have mold problems.These are handmade and the dimensions/symmetry may be a bit off. It does not mean they won't work properly, just means it will be unique. One of my pots has a high side, but the lid does sit on it well (though it also isn't completely flat) and it cooks just fine. I keep my oven temps. below 400 degrees F. as I don't want to push its limits too much. Haven't had a problem with it yet. My pot roast requires about 2 hours to cook at this temperature, while my soups and stews are about 1.5 hours.If you have a gas oven, I would recommend you initially set the temperature at 200 degrees F. for about 10 to 15 minutes, then increase it to your desired temperature for cooking. This will be less stressful on the clay. I also recommend watching several YouTube videos on how to season the unglazed clay pot for cooking. I learned a lot from some women of India who cook with these all the time.I own several glazed pots, but I'm beginning to like the unglazed ones for several reasons (not damaging the glazing is one of them, there is none).My only gripe with this pot is in the lid. The knob on the lid is either straight walled on it's side or slightly beveled out away from its crown. This makes it a bit difficult for hot gloved hand to grab onto the lid and lift it off. I often have to slide the lid to the side to get a grip on it. If your fingers could grip around the crown of the clay knob on top, it would be a great improvement and a bit safer too (less likely to be dropped). Otherwise, I still would recommend this to anyone interested in trying this style of cooking. I know I enjoy it...

Very good sell and perfect product

This is by far my worst purchase ever at Amazon!I cured the pot and lid prior to first use exactly as directed - oiled them and baked them at 350 for an hour. The next day I cooked rice in the pot to help strengthen the clay. I’m Indian and know how to cook in unglazed terracotta.This isn’t quality terracotta. It is gritty and has tiny pieces of rock ground together. I’m thoroughly disappointed!I hope this review helps someone make an informed decision!

This product was packaged well enough that it arrived in one piece without any cracks. I have now used this to cook twice. This handled 450F in the oven like a champ. But be aware that the recommendation on packaging suggested to not go beyond 350F. Just do not place it inside a pre-heated oven and you will be fine. Washing this is a little bit of work. This is not dishwasher safe obviously... and you should not even use soap when washing this. Just soak it in water overnight, then rinse the next morning. The included clay lid is nice but it does not fit well enough... kinda wobbles a little bit. My main reason for buying a clay pot was that distinct clay aroma/flavor and this does not impart that. And for that reason, I will be moving this to our outdoor kitchen... may be use it in the smoker every once in a while.

I have been using a lot of clay pots while in India. But I missed it when I moved to US. Finding this was great. Although the cost is 15 times more than India, but it is worth it since is thick and doesn’t break like most other fly pots that you find online ( I can say by just the look of it due to my experience). I conditioned it prior to use and is working perfectly fine.Tips for conditioning: soak it in room temperature water sinking it completely for almost 2-3 days and remove it.Once air dried, apply any cooking oil with your fingers outside and the inside. I used 3 tbsp each for out and in.Keep it in the oven and turn it on to 350deg. Remember DONT preheat the oven. Let it stay for 20-25 mins.Take it out, let it cool down naturally and then once it’s come to room temperature, slightly wash it without any detergents or soap and just boil water normally for first time and throw off the water.Now it’s ready to use like any cookware.Note: start initial 2-3 uses to make watery dishes like soups and porridges and avoid any dishes which start by adding oil and saute. I cooked rice many time first.If you have to clean it, do not use steel scrubbers or rough scrubbers or soap/dishwashing liquids, just soak the pot by filling in the water and you can leave it as long as you want to wash it. Wash with mild scrub like the scotch pads or the scrubbers used for non stick utensils

HELLO EVERYONE!MY NAME IS GILBERT QUINONES, FROM NORTH CALIFORNIA USA. I BOUGHT 2 OF THESE MAGNIFICENT CLAY POTS. YOU SEE IN OUR PROVINCE IN THE PHILIPPINES, WE USED THESE POTS A LOT.WHEN I CAME TO THE USA, WE DONT HAVE IT, UNTIL I SAW IT AT AMAZON. IN SHORT, I ORDERED 1 LARGE AND 1 EXTRA LARGE CLAY POTS. THE EXTRA LARGE CRACKED WHEN WE PLACED IT ON TOP OF THE OVEN FOR 14 MINUTES. I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTION BEFORE USING IT.WHEN I WROTE BACK THE DEALER- MY GOD THEY ARE VERY VERY PROFESSIONAL AND WNET THE EXTRA MILE IN REPLACING THE CRACKED POT.GUYS THESE PEOPLE ARE VERY COURTEOUS AND VERY PROFESSIOPNAL IN THE SERVICES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PRODUCTS , I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE DEALER . I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEIR SERVICES.THE PRODUCTS DESRVED 10 STAR RATING.THE DEALER DESERVED 10 STAR RATINGSLASTLY- I ALWAYS RECOMMEND THEIR PRODUCTS IN OUR FILIPINO AMERICAN COMMUNITY HERE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.USATHANKS A LOT GUYSYOU SIMPLY ARE THE \BEST!!!!

Update 8/1/23: I noted in my original review that I only gave 4 stars because I hadn't cooked with my clay pots. On Sunday, July 30th I cooked in the medium-sized clay pot for the first time; dried beans with smoked neck bones. The cooking process was flawless. I soaked the pot for 20 minutes first, and did not preheat the oven. I placed the pot in the oven at 275 degrees to let it slowly warm, and increased to 325 degrees to let the beans slow cook over several hours. I was so excited! Until... After about 1.5 hours when the aromas began to weft through my place, what I expected to smell was cooking beans. And I did. However, what I also smelled was the smell of fuel that permeated the pots when I first took them out of the packaging. The longer I cooked them, the stronger the smell became. Finally, after 4 hours I removed the clay pot from the oven. The beans weren't quite done, they would have been in a couple more hours. However, I tasted the bean juice, and a piece of the meat. That fuel smell had completely permeated the food! I was so disappointed! Sadly I knew I could never use the pots again because of this, and I discarded both. My first temptation was to take them both to Goodwill, but I honestly could not, in good conscience, have a family cook food in them after knowing that my food literally smelled of fuel afterwards. I still would love to try clay pot cooking. I think this time I need to research some good glazed options.Original post: I mainly cook with cast iron, which I absolutely love. After hearing about the healthy benefits of clay pot cooking, I ordered the medium and large unglazed pots. After watching several YouTube videos on how to season the pots, I purchased a large plastic storage tub and submerged both pots in water for 36 hours (I saw ranges between several hours and 3 days for soaking). Before soaking, I was taken by surprise by the strong smell of "fuel" when I removed them from their extremely secure packaging. I scoured both pots gently but thoroughly with a scrubber sponge. After soaking I did not notice the smell any longer. I left both pots to dry for about an hour, and then rubbed them down in olive oil. I placed them in the oven, not pre-heated. I turned the oven to 400 degrees and removed the pots after 20 minutes. I definitely overdid it with the oil application, but was thrilled to see the oil in the pot was sizzling after just 20 minutes. This told me that the pots will cook evenly and well at lower temperatures. I'm also happy to report that both lids fit extremely well on the pots; no gaps at all for steam to escape. I'll need to cook with them first before I give the 5-star rating, but so far I'm happy with the purchases.

Bought this product to have a more natural cooking experience without extra chemicals I like it but it is very heavy

Not good cracked first time I cooked.I followed the instructions before use.

I have been using in an oven or on a gas stove. I looked after it very well, but in 2 years it has cracked. I have used it many times but I thought it would last many years but it has not and I'm very disappointed with the quality considering its price. I DO NOT RECOMMEND BUYING THIS PRODUCT!

I ordered this pot and waited a long time for delivery. After the seasoning process, which the supplier recommended, the pot started leaking on its first use.