Cookware · Hearths
Römertopf
A lidded clay baker soaked in water: German roasts that steam and brown in the same pot.
The journey
The Römertopf is a twentieth-century revival of a much older idea — clay that holds water in its walls, then gives it back as steam. German home kitchens still soak the lid, pack a chicken or a joint, and leave the oven alone.
A Dutch oven needs fat and attention. This pot asks for water and patience.
In the kitchen
Soak the lid thirty minutes. Do not add much liquid. Start in a cold oven so the clay does not crack. Uncover at the end if you want skin.
The German volume's Sunday roasts assume this steam. A covered casserole is the stand-in.