Hey pottery lovers, Morgan here. I’m sharing a A-Z list of our pottery. This is cribbed from our cookbook, Cookin’ with the Coyotes: Friends in Your Kitchen.
If you ask any of us what our favorite pot is, you’ll get a different answer. I feel like naming your favorite pot is like picking your favorite child. Easy peasy right?
Sometimes the best meals are more about who you share them with, than the pot you used or the food itself. Sometimes the best pot is the one you have on hand. Or the one that was given to you and holds important memories. Or sometimes the best pot is the one that you enjoy cooking with the most.
Yes, there are some pots for some recipes that aid in the cooking process. And we do specifically design a pot for a certain functionality. But the joy of cooking is in the journey from ingredient to meal—from many individual things to one beautiful bite. So remember, you do you.
Now, on to the main question, “what’s the best pot for you, at the moment?”
Bread Baker, No Knead: We make our No Knead Bread Baker out of our Stoneware clay. It’s designed to mix, rise, and bake the bread. You can go all in with delightfully-named sourdough starters, use yeast, or even go gluten-free. Since the baker is made from Stoneware, it doesn’t like to be shocked and experience extreme heat changes. Let the baker warm up from a cool oven, after that it can take heat up to 400 F (some customers say they’ve gone higher, but we don’t recommend it).
Cassole: a cassole is a French pot that goes in the oven and makes a dish called cassoulet. For years, I’ve had a post-it on my desk that says, “cassole = pot, cassoulet = meal.” Our Clay Coyote Cassole was designed to be an American made version of a French design. The cassole has a big, wide open top so that there is more surface area at the top. My non-technical description for this is: then you get more crunchy bits.
We make two versions of the cassole. The yellow version which was designed with Paula Wolfert to pair with her cookbook, The Cooking Of Southwest France: Recipes from France’s Magnificent Rustic Cuisine. In 2021, we worked with travel and food author, Sylvie Bigar, to create a cassole to pair with her memoir, Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family and the Stew That Saved My Soul (released by Hardie Grant in 2022). In Sylvie’s research the vessel heralded by Paula is more commonly called a grésales in France, where the cassole is a flat-bottomed, rotund shape.
We make both. There are reasons to like each style. Some prefer the conical grésales because there’s room for the pig skin and juices at the bottom. Other’s skip the skin, and like the wide shape throughout to keep the juices evenly distributed.
In the backstory of conical versus rotund, there’s a rumor that the conical was preferred because you can fit more in a kiln. In our experience that’s not the case. We can fit many more rotund vessels in a kiln at one time than conical ones. In fact, we fire our kiln around every seven days, because of the heat, flow, and physics of the kiln; we can only safely include three conical vessels in each weekly firing. At our current production levels, that limits the number of conical vessels to 150 max per year. Where we can fit upwards of 10 or more rounded ones in any given firing.
To make a traditional cassoulet you need time and stew ingredients. We have shared the traditional, Toulouse-style cassoulet recipe for the meal that takes multiple days to prepare, and results in 22 cups of French stew.
We also make mini-cassoulet serving bowls that have the same Yellow Salt or Midnight glazed inside and with a bare clay outside. Many of our ‘cassoulet die-hards’ order a cassole and then a set of 6-8 cassoulet bowls for serving. It’s a party meal. It’s meant to be shared, savored, and celebrated with lots of delicious bread and French wine.
The Cassole doesn’t have to sit around gathering dust between Bastille Days … it’s also great for Summer salads, blending large quantities of salsa, stuffing for your turkey, mixing up a big batch of chocolate cookies, as a punch bowl. And, of course, any other stew-like recipe in the oven.
Cazuela: Paula Wolfert nicknamed it the “workhorse.” It does everything. I use it for stir fry, poaching eggs, pasta boiling and then baking, sautéing, and more. It’s the first pot I grab when it’s time to cook. If you’re looking to start a Flameware collection, the Cazuela is a great option.
Chicken Baker, Beer-Can: These are amazing, originally creative grill masters who would just crack open a beer and put it into the chicken cavity and sit the bird up on the grill. We’ve taken this concept to a new level and brought the recipe indoors. Just pour whatever liquid you’d like (beer, wine, broth, herbs, lemonade, etc) into the center cup and prop up the chicken. Put it in the oven at 350 for 90 minutes and voilà you’ve got dinner. We prefer to use broth and garlic so that the juices can be repurposed as gravy … beer juices = beer gravy = yuck.
Other uses for this unique pot are as a bundt pan (we love monkey bread) and as an appetizer dish. We mailed it in at a dinner party by dumping a bag of frozen meatballs around the edge, pouring some bbq sauce on them and heating them in the oven for 20 minutes. Then we put those cute toothpicks with the frilly stuff on the end in the center and served it warm.
Chip & Dip: No chip is complete without a dip, and this set allows you to present both in style. We like the separate platter for serving other things. And we love the little dip bowl for ice cream.
Dutch Oven: Another artisanal kitchen staple is the Flameware Dutch Oven. A 3-quart, pot-bellied, slow stovetop or oven baker. It’s best for stews, chilies, and soups. I recently roasted a whole chicken. Then, once dinner was over I turned the rest into stock and soup. At under 6 pounds, our Dutch Oven is a fraction of the weight of cast iron alternatives.
Fish Tray: At the time of writing, this is the newest addition to the Clay Coyote Flameware line! Designed for use on the grill or in the oven, the Flameware Fish Tray is perfect for the home chef, grill master, or expert angler.
Grill Basket: The perfect outdoor cooking pot. The small handle is so that it fits on more grill surfaces, but still has something to grab with your hot pad. The holes are to let the flame up and the moisture out.
There are many commercially produced grill baskets made of metal. We think ours is better. Metal is forged and changes over flame. It conducts heat. Our Flameware Grill Basket has already been fired up to 1800 F once and then in the second firing up to 2300 F. It’s not going to warp, rust, or flake on your grill. The Flameware clay also spreads the heat out evenly. When you do the foil packet on a grill there’s a steam component. And we can’t stress this enough, our pot is created to grill your food, not steam it.
The Flameware Grill Basket is perfect for grilling fish, veggies, potatoes, fajitas, meatballs, stir fry, shrimp, and anything else you can dream up.
Little Dippers: Small bowls that are great for anything … like spices, soy sauce, ring holders, soap dishes, candles, paper clip holders, tea bag drip catchers … you get the picture.
Mixing Bowls: Big bowls that are great for anything … salads, doughs, out on the table with fruits and veggies. Or use it as a “garbage bowl” when cooking, pop your scraps in this perfect companion for meal prep.
Microwave Omelette Baker: Clay dishes that are for making microwaved individual sized omelets. They have a center cone to spread the heat and make a little hole perfect for flipping the omelet onto a waiting bagel. They also work for baking apples in the oven and making mini-bundt cakes.
Pizza Stone: In 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, our Coyote family, like your family, spent a lot of time at home cooking. We decided that it was the year to develop a new Flameware pot as a team. After about ten different prototypes, we landed on the version that we currently carry. We had many heated discussions about the design and functionality. Though not as heated as our topping debates once the pot was in action. The Pizza Stone is awesome. The glazed center helps the pizza slide on and off. It’s great on the grill, but you can use it year-round in the oven, just adjust the cooking time up to combat the oven air circulation.
I’ve also made cookies, naan, and other appetizers on the stone. It’s great as a stand-in sheet pan.
Saucepans: Another great everyday pot. Great for a quick soup, rice, or side dish.
Savory Pie Dish: I often recommend the Savory Pie as a great starter pot. And, now we’ve added a mini-Savory Pie to the collection, it’s great for 2, even 4 people. One of my favorite things to make in the regular Savory Pie was crustless quiche or “egg bake” as they call it in the Midwest . In all honesty, the smaller size is better for us, because we can’t eat quiche that many days in a row.
Savory Pies are also great for other dishes like: mac & cheese), Shepherd’s pie, pot pies of any flavor, cinnamon rolls, fruit crisps, open-face casseroles, and so much more. Since there’s no handle it’s a little harder to maneuver on the stovetop, but gives you plenty of extra space in the oven. And the low height profile means you can place it on a short shelf in the oven under other, bigger space hogs.
Savory Pies are also the bottoms of Tagines, so if you already have Tagine (see below), congratulations, you also have a Savory Pie.
Serving Trays: Initially for serving. Also great hostess gifts with cookies, cheeses, crackers, donuts for brunch, candles, and more. Use it on a long coffee table as a super coaster. Or centerpiece for a large rectangle dining room statement. We have ones at home for keys, mail, cell phone, and remotes.
Skillets: I use these daily for eggs in the morning. Wash it and leave it out on the stove all day. It’s also great for sautéing veggies when I want a smaller footprint on the stove, in the oven, and under the broiler.
Square Bakers: We also make a quick bread pot, we call it the “Square Baker” around here, but it’s not really square (more rectangular). It’s the same volume of a loaf pan, but shorter and wider. Anyways, it is perfect for banana bread … and any other quick bread you want to whip up. It also fits a box of brownies perfectly, not everything has to be from scratch, we’re human.
Both the No Knead Bread Baker and the Square Baker also double as a casserole dish. And sometimes I use them for warming and serving. I’ll put the Bread Baker in the oven at 200 F with tortillas for taco night. I’ll fill it with veggies or mashed potatoes and place them in the oven on 170 F to keep them warm while other things are finished. And the Square Baker is great for a small lasagna, chicken breasts with honey mustard, and spinach dips.
Sushi Plate: Square plates that are designed to serve sushi, but great for sandwiches, cheese plates, cookie trays, etc.
Tagine: A tagine is a Moroccan stovetop pot that makes a dish also called tagine. Our Clay Coyote Flameware Tagine was designed to be an American made version of the North African pot, able to go on the direct stovetop.There are other domestic, commercially made tagines. Some out of cast iron, enamel-coated, and even clay. The majority of the domestic clay options are not stovetop safe; you would need a heat diffuser and many of those also call for soaking and seasoning in advance of use. The enamel-coated can go on a stovetop, but they are heavy and not the traditional clay experience of Morocco. That’s why we made a Flameware Tagine, no-diffuser, no-seasoning, no-soaking necessary, stovetop option. The tagine is a stovetop stew maker’s dream. It has a Flameware bottom and a Stoneware top that is designed for self-basting. The moisture goes up the side of the top, hits the cone and drops back down. Essentially breaking up the ingredients with constant moisture. Chicken, lamb, and beef will completely fall off the bone; veggies are extremely tender. It’s lovely for taking slow roasting out of the oven to get more space. The reason we are able to make the lid out of Stoneware is because it doesn’t touch the direct heat. On our end that means we can use different glaze colors.
Veggie Steamer: The Clay Coyote Vegetable Steamer is a 3-piece set consisting of a lid, steamer, and base plate. The Vegetable steamer is a versatile kitchen tool that can be used as a steamer, a strainer and serving bowl, all while matching your style.
You place the steamer and lid over a pan with an inch or two of water, then add your veggies, top with the lid and turn on the water to medium-high. You will have beautifully steamed veggies ready for dinner. And you can serve them at the table with the plate to catch any drips and the lid to keep in the warmth.
One of our most handy pots! This vessel also works great for steaming fish, and when you add a cheesecloth to the bottom, it can be used for steaming pearl couscous among other things. It also doubles as a berry bowl and everyday colander.
Whisky Bowls: They’re bowls that come with a whisk … we like puns. They’re also great as ramen noodle bowls (replace whisk with chopsticks), salad bowl, pasta bowl, soup bowl, oatmeal bowl, you get the picture. They’re amazing. And great gifts too.
Yunomi: Traditional Japanese tea cups, we like them for water, wine, bourbon, and they’re great for the cup that you use to take your vitamins. We also use them to separate eggs before we drop them into the water to poach on Sunday mornings. And as toothpick holders.
A note about lids: We don’t make lids for the skillets or saucepans because of the pour spouts, they won’t sit right. I use multi-sized silicone, BPA-free lids because they work on all of our different pots. The only lidded Flameware pieces are our Dutch Ovens and our Tagines. In our Stoneware line the Bread Bakers and Veggie Steamers have lids.
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Side Note: Some of my recommendations for pots + recipes may be a little controversial. There’s an argument that using a traditional French Cassole for anything but Cassoulet is sacrilege. Or that modifying cultural staples is appropriation. My kitchen is my happy place. I love experiencing new cultures, trying new recipes, and when possible getting as many authentic ingredients as possible. But I’m also a realist. We live in central, rural Minnesota.
One example, I love Indian Saag Paneer (any leafy green), also known as Palak Paneer (when spinach is used). While I have access to tons of leafy greens, I do not have access to paneer, an Indian cottage cheese. So I use Bread Cheese. It has a somewhat similar texture (not perfect). I have tried tofu, but meh, it’s still tofu. Bread Cheese is traditionally Finnish. Called leipäjuusto in Finland or juustoleipä in other parts of Scandinavia … not even remotely Indian. But it’s what I have and I like it. That’s okay. You too can, and should, be creative when cooking.