FAQs

“Earthen Browns” is a team of qualified artists, professional artisans and potters engaged in the making of premium quality earthen cookware and other handicraft products.

It is located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in the quiet and serenity of the outskirts of Bengaluru, India.

“Earthen Browns” is the result of many years of passionate research to develop healthy cookware and many other unique terracotta products. Earthen Browns is traditional yet compatible with modern ways of cooking. The cookware is made up of high quality Indian clay which is rich in minerals and collected from specific non-contaminated areas. The purity of clay is ensured and no chemicals/ colours/ adhesives are added during the process. Earthen Browns cookware ensures 100% natural and healthy cooking.

a)100% Pure & All-Natural Clay: No Metals, Chemicals, Glazes or Toxins, No Lead, No Cadmium or other Contaminants

 b) Alkaline food is best for our body but in today’s fast world we prefer more acidic food which produce toxins. Clay is alkaline in nature and hence when food is cooked in it, it neutralizes the PH balance of the food and thereby acts as a natural detoxifier.

 c) Cooking in Clay pot is same as the process of steaming and hence retains the nutrition in the food. The clay content allows moisture and heat to circulate through the food that further helps in retaining nutrients. These utensils preserve complete nutrition of food.

 d) No extra oil is needed for cooking which helps to maintain cholesterol levels.

 e) Reheating the food always leads to loss of nutrition but if you cook in clay pot it retains the temperature for a longer time and hence there is no necessity for reheating.

 f) Our products can be used for both cooking and serving.

 g) Clay does not react with food like metals do. So the food cooked in earthen pots is 100% free of toxins and no metal reactions occur, leaving you with the pure taste of your food alone. It does not leach into your food.

 h) Clay Pots are Eco-Friendly. Pure Clay is 100% Natural, fully bio-degradable and renewable resource.

 i) Each piece is unique, individually hand crafted by professional potters and artisans.

It is not mandatory to season these utensils, as after 1-2 uses they get seasoned by themselves. For the first time, cook rice and allow the starch water to remain in the pot overnight. This is the easiest method.

In order to reduce the porosity and increase the durability of these pots, seasoning is recommended.

1. Immerse and soak the pot and the lid in a vessel full of water for 3 hours.
2. Rinse the pot with plain water.
3. Sundry the clay pot for 2-3 hrs.
4. Apply any edible oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil to all over the pot and set aside for an hour.
5. Fill the pot with water and put on a slow simmer flame.
6. Add 5-6 teaspoons of wheat flour/ rice flour/ all-purpose flour or any other flour that is available into the boiling water and simmer for 15-20 mins.
7. Turn off the flame and let the pot sit for 5-6 hours.
8. Thoroughly wash the pot with water and behold your pot is ready to be used for the best cooking experience.

1. Clean with a soft brush or scrub pad and wash with warm water.
2. Use only mild / non chemical soaps / detergents as the Clay pot is porous and will absorb the cleaning agent which might get into the food when you cook in the pot again.
3. For stubborn stains, take rock salt/ cooking soda in a scrub pad and scrub nicely. Fill the pot with hot water and wait for half an hour. Discard the water and wash it again.
4. After washing, the pot should be dried well before keeping it it back on the shelf and using it again. If not, the left over moisture will lead to fungal formation. In case that happens, there is no need to worry as the pot can be used again after a proper wash.
5. Pots should be washed and dried thoroughly in order to remove the odour of the food that’s cooked.

1. While cooking, use wooden spoons/ silicon spatulas and avoid metallic ones as they may scrape the mud off the pot.
2. Clay pot cooking needs more care than normal vessel cooking as it tends to break or develop cracks if you don’t handle properly.
3. Avoid sudden, extreme temperature changes. For instance, while using a pot kept in the fridge, wait till it comes to room temperature before putting it on the stove for reheating and vice-versa.
4. For best results, use separate pot for making yogurt, one for tea / coffee & other herbal decoctions, all other types of cooking can be done in the same pot. Using separate pots for vegetarian and Non-vegetarian cooking is advisable.
5. Cook your food in medium heat or less for best results and longer durability of the pot.
6. Avoid heating an empty pot.

Curd pots have a limited lifespan when compared to cooking or serving ware vessels due to the repeated use of making a heavily alkaline food like curd. Users should expect the pot to degrade with frequent and repeated use. You will notice changes in the wall texture becoming rough. At this point, you can continue to use the pot, however, we recommend replacing the pot. Another cause for rapid degradation can also be due to temperature changes while storing the pot in the refrigerator and while consuming at room temperature. White patches tend to appear on the exterior when the pot contains the curd, this happens due to the water content in the curd and is a common occurrence, it is not a cause to worry about. Once the pot fully degrades, you could use the pot for growing herbs and ornamental plants.

Earthen Browns cookware is fired at 900 degrees centigrade using electric/ LPG kiln which gives them their beautiful natural brick red colour. To make them black, another round of firing is done using fire wood (smoke firing) and the smoke is arrested in the furnace at a particular temperature for 48 hours continuously. The areas which are missed by the smoke accidentally create a wonderful blend of red and black shades, resulting in the creation of these fascinating products! The extra hours of time, fuel and effort put into the making of the black utensils render them a bit more expensive than the red ones.

Some of our customers have been happily using the products for more than 5 years. Like any other product the life span depends on the way it is handled and maintained.  J

No chemicals/ colours/ adhesives are added during the entire process of crafting Earthen Browns products. Hence they are safe.

Earthen Browns products are microwave/ OTG friendly.

Yes, they can be used in dishwashers (gentle mode), but we recommend washing them by hands.

The life span of these products lasts even after they crack, but once there is leakage then they can be put for various other uses. We suggest using them for storing pulses, cereals or other dry food items, gardening and various other craft works. These products are biodegradable and hence do not pollute the environment.

Yes, they can be used directly on the flame for cooking, preferably on sim and medium modes in order to increase their life span. Being natural products they may not withstand sudden thermal variation, so it is advised to avoid pouring water / oil into overheated pots, so be a little cautious while using for tempering /thadka purposes. Avoid keeping empty pots on the high heat for longer time.

• Terracotta cookware takes more time and fuel for cooking

Not exactly. It does take a longer time to get heated, but once the food is cooked, the heat is retained for longer hours and so there is no necessity of reheating for a shorter period. Hence slow cooking is promoted by the use of these products ensuring the retention of nutrients in our food.

• Terracotta pots explode while cooking

No, they do not burst while cooking. However, while these products are being crafted, minute stone particles in the clay / air gaps may lead to cracks. Earthen Browns ensures that their products are carefully made and go through proper quality checks before reaching our customers.

• Terracotta utensils can be reused for cooking after patching the cracks

Yes, though they can be patched again, they cannot be used for cooking again.

• Black Terracotta utensils are stronger than red terracotta ones.

Not really. In the case of Earthen Browns, both the red and black varieties are equally strong.

• Seasoning of these products is a must and is tedious.

No, it gets seasoned on its own after 3-4 uses, till then due to its porosity, it will absorb water and your gravy will become thicker. To avoid this, it is advised to season them. Our seasoning process is an easy one, the details of which are explained here above.

• Terracotta pots will always have an earthy odour.

No. Once they are rinsed in water for 3 hours as a part of seasoning, the odour goes away.

• Terracotta pots do not retain the odour of food

Being porous, they do retain a mild odour of the food which will get enhanced if they are not washed or dried properly after use.