355250 Fri Dec 29 05:42:44 -0800 2006 4 41 Cookware 0 2136119 I am obsessing over this ceramic cookware which is on sale at Crate and Barrel. The color, texture and shapes are just beautiful. Of course, that means nothig if it's not useful cookware. Looks like it can be used on the stovetop as well as in the oven. Anyone have experience with this stuff? Fri Dec 29 05:42:44 -0800 2006 12513 Divamac 1 2188587 Well, I just bought some of the Tierra Negra pots and the open baker. Like you, I also really liked the black look and satin feel of the cookware! I already have a couple of unglazed clay tagines (from http://www.tagines.com/), and they do take my gas stove top and the oven very well. However, you can only use the tagine on low gas fire (I guess that's the reason the Moroccans developed the slow-cooked dish of the same name). The Tierra Negra stuff, supposedly can take everything from microwave to oven and even high heat on the gas stovetop, and they should go in the dishwasher too. So far, all I've done is to "season" them. First, I followed the procedure of the little attached booklet (after cleaning, bake for 30 min partially filled with water). A little skeptical though, because how is the water going to do any difference? Also, tagines are seasoned by covering inside with olive oil (after 1 hour soaked in water) and then baking them for 1 1/2 hours. When the Tierra Negra procedure was done, the surface was still very porous (the seasoning is supposed to seal the surface to some extent) and water droplets were absorbed. Therefore, I continued with the tagine seasoning, and now water drops stay at surface (and the pots are as beautiful as when I bought them), and I hope that the cookware will not absorb everything (but only a little) from spices to sugar and oil. Actually, I had some problems buying the cookware (I went to a Crate & Barrel the day before yesterday - they are discontinuing the Tierra Negra - and had to call several stores yesterday to find one that had the low casserole). Don't wait to long if you want to buy it! Tierra Negra also have a web page (www.tierranegra.co.uk/), but I don't know if they ship to the US. I am going to cook an apple pancake close to what you get at The Original Pancake House (The Chicago Tribune had recipe this Wednesday) in my Tierra Negra open baker this evening (I am quite excited about it, even though an iron skillet might have been better); it will go both on the stove top and in the oven. I'll try to return to let you know how the open baker behaved! Sun Jan 14 21:44:57 -0800 2007 2136119 66929 foodenthusiast 2 2189165 It's me again... I baked the above mentioned apple pancake using my Tierra Negra open baker, and it worked perfectly. Well, the pancake didn't have the dramatic rise, but that was not the fault of the cookware! (An apple piece had poked a hole in the surface, and the usual huge air-bobble causing the rise couldn't form. Usually, the pancake quickly collapses anyway as soon as you look at it, so it didn't really matter, and it tasted great!) The cookware was also easy to clean, and that's a big plus. However, I expect that it's due to the oil seasoning described above only. Had I worked with the porous surface, then butter, sugar and batter would've stuck and been impossible to remove. I wouldn't recommend just using the Tierra Negra water based procedure to season the cookware. Mon Jan 15 01:58:29 -0800 2007 2188587 66929 foodenthusiast 1 2220232 thanks so much for the feedback. I am going to call around locally and see if any of the So. Cal stores still have it in stock. Tue Jan 23 20:53:53 -0800 2007 2136119 12513 Divamac 1 3136041 Just to let you know we are going to be selling on line within the next few weeks. You can find us at Tierraroja.co.uk. All traffic will divert to this site from the Tierra Negra site within a fortnight. Sun Nov 18 10:56:09 -0800 2007 2136119 143923 gwb