5 Latest Tips for Choosing Clay Pots for Your Family

Hung Thuy Home Appliances presents a guide on how to choose clay pots for cooking at home. Learn which size and capacity suit your family best, what dishes to cook with clay pots, and how to use and maintain them for maximum durability—all shared below by Hung Thuy.

What is a Clay Pot?

Clay pots, also known as earthen pots or “niêu đất” in Vietnamese, now come in modern variations like enamel-coated ceramic pots due to advances in manufacturing technology.

Difference between ceramic, earthenware & porcelain pots:

Earthenware pots are made from red clay and fired at low temperatures, making them slightly porous.

Porcelain pots are made from white clay, fired at higher temperatures, and coated with enamel inside and out, making them non-porous.

Clay Pot Sizes & Choosing the Right Size for Your Family

Clay pots come in small, medium, and large sizes.

**Small-sized clay pots** (500ml – 1500ml): Perfect for 1–2 servings; ideal for dishes like clay pot rice, porridge, and spicy noodles.

**Medium-sized clay pots** (2L – 3L): Best for families of 2–4 people. Great for daily meals like braised meat, stews, pigeon soup, and dishes like pork belly with tofu & green bananas.

**Large-sized clay pots** are 4–5L or more and cater to bigger families or larger portions.

What Dishes to Cook with Clay Pots

Top 8 delicious dishes perfect for clay pot cooking (recipes can be searched online):

• #1 must-try: Braised fish or fish with pork—classic Vietnamese flavors
• Carp with pickled mustard greens (or catfish sour soup) with chilled beer
• Banana and tofu stew—thick, flavorful, great with rice
• Herbal chicken soup with lotus seeds—great for health
• Vietnamese-style mock dog meat stew
• Hong Kong-style braised squid
• Singapore-style frog porridge
• Oxtail stew with Chinese herbs

Clay pots are ideal for slow-cooked dishes due to their excellent heat retention and even distribution.

How to Use a Clay Pot

Using a clay pot is simple:

**Step 1**: Wash and dry the pot. (For standard clay pots, soak in water for 10–20 minutes.)

**Step 2**: Add food and liquid. (Never cook without ingredients or water—it may damage the pot.)

**Step 3**: Start heating on low (15–30%) with gas, charcoal, infrared stove, or oven.

**Step 4**: Once warm, increase to 70–80% heat until the food boils.

**Step 5**: Reduce to 10–20% when bubbling vigorously and steam appears.

**Step 6**: Keep the pot on the stove for 5–10 minutes—clay retains heat, so food keeps cooking even when the heat is turned off.

**Step 7**: Use a dry cloth to remove the pot. Avoid placing it on wooden or metal surfaces.

How to Maintain a Clay Pot

Similar to other kitchenware, clay pots require proper care:

**Step 1**: After use, wash off all grease and food residue.

**Step 2**: Air-dry the pot completely. In damp weather, briefly heat it for 15–20 seconds on low to remove moisture.

**Step 3**: Store in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place. Avoid humidity.

How to Choose a Good Clay Pot

**Tip**: Tap the pot with a metal object (e.g., a key). A loud, clear sound indicates high quality. Also, scratch it lightly—if it doesn’t chip or lose color, the enamel is good.

The clearer the sound, the more durable the pot is under high heat.

Premium vs. Low-Quality Clay Pots

Benefits of Cooking with Clay Pots

Clay pot cooking brings several advantages, especially for health:

• Requires less oil—good for heart health.
• Food cooks evenly and retains full flavor and nutrients.
• Natural materials (clay, kaolin, feldspar) don’t leach metals into food, unlike metal cookware.