Before any use, imperatively respect the cheese procedure.
Due to the characteristic porosity of the IGA clay, it is essential to "cheer" your donabe before the first use. This procedure, to be carried out only once, avoids the risk of cracks and guarantees the sustainability of your cooker.
Culottage procedure:
1. Make sure the bottom of your cooker is perfectly dry.
2. Pour water into the donabe up to around 70 % of its capacity, then add cooked rice (about 20 % of the volume of water). Mix well.
3. Place the two covers, taking care to align their ventilation holes perpendicularly.
4. Place the donabe on a low to medium gas fire.
5. As soon as the mixture begins to shudder (about 10 minutes), remove the lids and continue cooking over low heat, until a thick paste is obtained. Never let the rice boil, and mix regularly to prevent the rice from getting attached.
6. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool in the donabe for about an hour.
7. Empty the content (not edible), rinse and dry the Donabe.
Maintenance precautions:
1. Clean the donabe with a soft sponge, dishwashing liquid and lukewarm water (avoid any abrasive sponge).
2. Once washed, wipe it carefully and let it dry upside down.
3. Before any use, check that the bottom of the donabe is dry, because a wet bottom could cause cracks during cooking.
4. Use weak to medium lights and avoid heating suddenly. Never expose the donabe to thermal shocks (eg immersion in cold water).
5. Never place the empty donabe on the fire.
6. Avoid fries.
7. Do not leave the donabe immersed in the water for more than 30 minutes.
8. Before putting it away, make sure it is dry.
9. Be careful, the donabe can become hot during cooking. Always handle it with gloves or a cloth.
Recipe for cooking a rice in the donabe
1. Before cooking the rice, rinse 2 to 3 times in cold water until you get clear water.
2. Make the rice rest in a volume and a half of cold water during the time indicated, out of the donabe.
3. Bring the water to a boil then cook over low heat the time indicated by placing the hole on the upper cover perpendicular to the holes of the lid the interior.
4. Cut the heat and let the rice stand for 15 minutes, taking care to leave the lid.
Before any use, imperatively respect the cheese procedure. Due to the characteristic porosity of the IGA clay, it is essential to "cheer" your donabe before the first use. This procedure, to be carried out only once, avoids the risk of cracks and guarantees the sustainability of your cooker. 1. Make sure the bottom of your cooker is perfectly dry. 2. Pour water into the donabe up to around 70 % of its capacity, then add cooked rice (about 20 % of the volume of water). Mix well. 3. Place the two covers, taking care to align their ventilation holes perpendicularly. 4. Place the donabe on a low to medium gas fire. 5. As soon as the mixture begins to shudder (about 10 minutes), remove the lids and continue cooking over low heat, until a thick paste is obtained. Never let the rice boil, and mix regularly to prevent the rice from attaching. 6. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool in the donabe for about an hour. 7. Empty the content (not edible), rinse and dry the Donabe. Maintenance precautions: 1. Clean the donabe with a soft sponge, dishwashing liquid and lukewarm water (avoid any abrasive sponge). 2. Once washed, wipe it carefully and let it dry upside down. 3. Before any use, check that the bottom of the donabe is dry, because a wet bottom could cause cracks during cooking. 4. Use weak to medium lights and avoid heating suddenly. Never expose the donabe to thermal shocks (eg immersion in cold water). 5. Never place the empty donabe on the fire. 6. Avoid fries. 7. Do not leave the donabe immersed in the water for more than 30 minutes. 8. Before putting away, make sure it is dry. 9. Be careful, the donabe can become hot during cooking. Always handle it with gloves or a cloth.
Nagatani Seito is one of the oldest Donabe factories in Japan, founded in 1832 in the city of IGA, perpetuates the ancestral know-how of pottery. Located in Iga, in the prefecture of Mie, in Kansai, it is renamed for its rich clay resources, ideal for the manufacture of donabe. The tradition of Iga-Mono, or "the object of IGA", is based on an inheritance of more than 1,300 years of techniques and pottery.