Stewed dishes in a clay pot have a unique flavor, and boiling them in a clay pot will not change the original flavor. Therefore, clay pot dishes are a popular daily consumer product among consumers. However, the enamel of clay pots contains a small amount of lead, which is easily dissolved when cooking acidic foods and harmful to health. Therefore, it is best to choose a clay pot with natural inner walls. If the inner wall of a clay pot has color, it is not suitable for storing wine, vinegar, acidic beverages, and food. The newly purchased clay pot can be soaked and boiled in 4% vinegar water first, which can remove most harmful substances.
From the perspective of the quality of pottery, the pottery used in good clay pots is very fine, mostly white in color, with high quality surface glaze, uniform brightness, and good thermal conductivity.
2. Look at the structure. A good clay pot has a reasonable structure, flat layout, round pot body, smooth inner wall, no cracks, and no protruding sand particles. The buckle is tight and the shape remains unchanged. You can try rotating the lid to see if it is tightly attached to the pot body, and there should be smooth friction when rotating.
① Take a look at the surface of the pot. The surface of the pot is smooth, but it doesn't need to be as smooth as a mirror. Irregular light colored lines on the surface are normal, but if the lines are too dense, it is a defective product.
② Observation point. Small bumps can be removed with a grinding wheel. The quality of the 'small pit' is very poor. Some pot vendors often fill their "eyes" with graphite, which is not easy to detect. Only a few small brushes can reveal them.
③ Check the bottom of the pot. The smaller the pot bottom, the faster the fire burns, thus saving fuel and time.
④ Check the thickness. There are thin pots and thick pots, thin pots are better.
3. Listen to the sound and gently tap the pot with a lid or coin, whichever is clear, bright, and crisp. When identifying, face the bottom of the pot towards the sky, press the center of the concave surface with your fingers, and strike with a hard object. The louder the sound of the pot, the greater the vibration of the fingers, the better.
4. When purchasing, fill the clay pot with enough water and check for leaks. You can also tap the pot body with your hands to see if the sound is crisp and if there are any overtones. If the voice is hoarse, it indicates that the clay pot has cracks and it is best not to buy it.
5. Purchase clay pots as needed. Generally speaking, decoction does not require a good clay pot, just buy a cheap clay pot. The stew pot has high requirements, it is best to choose a high-quality white clay pot.