About a thousand years ago, chicken was covered in mud (yummy), placed in the embers of a fire and left there until the mud lost all of it's moisture and had hardened. Once this happened, it was taken out of the embers and broken open to take out the now cooked chicken.

The taste and moisture from that mud covered chicken was delectable and thereby clay baking was born. The original mud has obviously been replaced by much more attractive bakeware, as created by Romertopf in 1967. The popularity of his elegant and legendary bakeware can be simply stated in the 20 million pieces sold worldwide in the past 40 years.

The success of Romertopf and the creation of such moist and succulent meals is due to their selection of several different but very specific porous clays. This particular selection remaining unglazed on both interior allows the absorption of a great deal of water.

This is the reason why you must submerge both the top and bottom of your Romertopf bakeware in cold water for about 10 minutes prior to putting into the oven. Once the water has soaked in, the magic then occurs during the baking process. Millions of fast moving water molecules moisturize and tenderize your meal, making any normal baking seem bland.

The ability of a Romertopf bakeware pan to inject it's moisture and penetrate the spices is unparalleled. An added healthy bonus is that this allows you to cook without any additional water, fats, or other cooking oils. But don't let that stop you. Adding your own favorite spices and other must have favorite recipe ingredients will only be enhanced by the clay baking.

Healthy eating without losing the taste is not the only reason for the popularity of Romertopf's bakeware collection. The ease of cooking and cleanup is at the top of many lists. Through the clay selection and design, a Romertopf pan's bottom is kept at around 220 F, which prevents burning. Unless you completely forget for hours on end about your lunch or dinner, you won't have to worry about scorching any more meals.

Cleaning couldn't be more simple. Fill the top and bottom with either baking soda or vinegar, let sit for about an hour and wipe down with a non-abrasive sponge. Outside of a dishwasher, that's really very easy.

We can't conclude the history of clay baking and Romertopf without mentioning the beauty in the design. More designs are being developed all of the time. You'll also find that as you use your Romertopf, you see an heirloom quality patina begin to appear. A true treasure to pass on from generation to generation.

Due to the ever increasing demand for clay baking and Romertopf bakeware, cookbooks are becoming widely available strictly for use with your new cookware. You will see them available at BakewarePans.com shortly for purchase.
Best wishes and many meals to come with your new Romertopf.

The BakewarePans.com Team