5 Reasons To Ditch Your Pots & Pans for a Tagine

The tagine is a unique piece of cooking equipment that no kitchen should be without. In fact, it’s so incredibly useful that you can create a variety of different meals without having to touch any other pot or pan in your kitchen. With vessels used for both cooking and serving, tagines offer a unique yet traditional way to cook any meal. Here are several reasons why we think you should ditch your pots and pans and purchase an exotic Moroccan tagine.

1. Tagine dishes are easy to throw together. They often include readily available ingredients that can all be tossed into one cooking vessel. You don’t have to worry about cleaning more than one dish and you can enjoy a flavorful meal that fits your taste.

2. A majority of tagine dishes incorporate olive oil, a healthy option that offers a variety of health benefits. Tagine dishes are not fried and use minimal oils and fats for a healthier dinner option.

3. Meals cooked in a tagine offer a unique earthy flavor that doesn’t hold true for meals cooked in a regular pot or pan. Its rich aroma brings a freshness to the dish, which offers an exotic take on your meals.

4. You can serve your meal in the same dish in which it’s cooked. If you prefer, there are many beautiful tagines that are created specifically for the purpose of serving rather than cooking.

5. Tagine dishes and their recipes have a history dating back centuries, which offers a traditional and cultural richness that is difficult to find in many dishes. It encompasses the Moroccan culture in both the dish and the method of cooking.

Tagines are a simple and functional piece that can be used to create your next exotic Moroccan meal. Make this piece of earthen cookware an integral part of your kitchen by purchasing a cooking or serving tagine at 655 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, or by ordering online.

How To Cure a Tagine

WHY CURE A TAGINE?
Curing clay pots is as cultural as the cooking itself. If you look up curing clay pots, you will find a variety of processes using a multitude of ingredients ranging from spinach to buttermilk to mustard oil. In order to strengthen (less susceptible to thermal shock) your cooking tagine and get optimum taste that tagine lovers seek at every use, it is necessary to use the process explained below. The use of olive oil has a dual effect. It is as important for sealing clay as it is for flavoring Moroccan cooking. 

HOW TO CURE A TAGINE?
It is necessary that it is seasoned before initial use. Please follow these simple instructions below for maximum results:

1. WATER: The new tagine needs to be first submerged in water for at least 1 hour. If you can’t submerge it, place it in a clean sink bowl and slowly fill the base of the tagine with water until it stops absorbing it. Place the tagine lid on top and fill it as well. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow full absorption of water into the clay. Empty excess water and set to dry for 5 minutes.

2. OLIVE OIL: All you need is 3 table spoons of olive oil, 2 for the base and one for the lid. Spread the olive oil throughout the base and lid with your hand.

3: HEAT: While the tagine is still wet with the oil applied to it, place it in the oven as shown in the first or second photos, and set temperature at 350 F and leave for 45 minutes. The evaporation of moisture creates a vacuum effect to pull the olive oil into the clay which glazes and seals it. Then leave the tagine cool down in the turned off oven.
The last photo shows a cured tagine ready for use. 

TAGINE CLEANING
It is recommended that you hand wash your tagine, as it has not been tested for dishwashers. Do not leave submerged in soapy water.