Bean pot · unglazed clay

This is a bean pot, which means it is slow on purpose. The walls are thick unglazed earthenware and they hold water; that water turns to steam through the whole cook and keeps the top layer of beans from drying into skins. The inside is glazed so the pot does not hold yesterday's garlic. Two things you must know before you buy it, because they are not optional. It goes into a cold oven and heats with the oven — put it into a hot one and the thermal shock will crack it, and that is not a fault. And it must be soaked in cold water for two hours before its first use, and for twenty minutes before every use after that. Wash it with hot water and a brush and no detergent, because unglazed clay absorbs soap and gives it back to your food. If those three rules sound like too much, buy the braiser instead; it is a better pot for a hurried week.