Pottery Care
Caring for your Pots
Stoneware pottery;
It is food safe, and is thicker and heavier
than fine china. It is meant to be used and loved
every day, not just for display.
It may be put in the dishwasher, and microwave.
However, pottery is breakable and should be protected from obvious shocks like dropping it and from sudden changes in temperature.
*Note; Pottery with gemstones or metal decoration cannot be placed in a microwave and should be hand washed.*
Uneven heating can cause it to crack. Think about the stresses you may be asking it (unreasonably) to endure.
There is no warranty on Pottery. It is a natural product made of clay, silica, and other materials made from scratch, and like glass, is not immortal. With proper care, it should last until you want something new. Plates especially, will get scratched over time with lots of love and use. Many collectors treasure their pottery and are back for a new set of dishes with no complaint, because they don’t want to use anything else.
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DO NOTS:
This is not a complete list of the creative ways people have come up with to stress the pottery. You may invent your own.
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Do not put on a stove burner or open flame.
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Do not put in a preheated oven. Put the food in the dish, place in a cold oven, then turn on the oven, The pottery will heat up with the food.
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Do not throw a hot baking dish in cold water. Make sure the pottery is half full of food or liquid before you use it in the oven or microwave. Plates and flat pieces can crack if used in a microwave or oven with prolonged baking. Gentle heating should be fine, especially if with a full plate of food.
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When you remove pottery from the oven, do not set it on a cold or wet surface.
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If you have stored leftovers in the refrigerator, don’t put the cold dish in the oven without letting it come to room temperature first. Better yet, re-heat the leftovers in a different dish.
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Do not ladle boiling hot stew or pot roast onto a plate without warming it first under running hot tap water.
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Heat water in a mug for tea for 2 – 2 ½ minutes in the microwave, not 5-6 minutes!
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Dark clay heats up faster due to iron content, every microwave is different, test in short time intervals.
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Do not put frozen food on pottery and microwave it or put it in the oven.
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Do not take pottery out of a cold cupboard in winter and put hot food or liquids in it.
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Do not take hot pottery out of the dishwasher, put a cup of ice in it and fill it with ice water.
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Safety first; if your pottery has been soaking in the sink, or dishwasher, allow time to sufficiently dry out before placing in your microwave.
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Borrowed from Campbell’s Pottery Care