Clay Cooking......EVERYONE is Doing it!!

There was a time when cooking with clay cookware was only for devotees of the Slow Food Movement, those preparing foods in traditional ways or those wanting to use eco-friendly utensils. Now as more cookbooks and cooking shows feature clay cooking these are joined by the rest of us who want the food we prepare to be more moist and tasty.

As you search for just the right clay cookware you will encounter La Chamba, a stunningly beautiful hand-crafted cookware made with black clay.

La Chamba cookware is renowned in Colombia and used in the preparation and serving of many traditional dishes, both in restaurants and in homes. Its origins can be traced back at least 700 years to vases and pitchers found in pre-Colombian archaeological sites. La Chamba cookware is still made in the traditional manner, mostly by women in the village of La Chamba in central Colombia. Each piece is molded into shape by hand rather than spun on a wheel. This complex process—along with the natural materials—give La Chamba dishes a beautifully distinctive and authentic look.

La Chamba is a complete collection of cookware, serveware and tableware—casseroles and roasters, pans and griddles, soup and stock pots, bowls and plates and baking dishes that are as sophisticated as they are practical.

There are absolutely no toxins or glazes applied to La Chamba cookware. The sleek finish of each piece is the result of meticulous hand-burnishing with very smooth river stones. The skill and time spent in polishing La Chamba distinguishes it from the ordinary.

Even the most discerning chef will fall in love with how evenly heat is distributed with La Chamba cookware and how well that heat is retained. And, because of the mica found naturally in the clay, it stands up to direct heat from a microwave, stove or oven.

Due to its superb functionality and elegant appearance, La Chamba cookware can move from cooking surface to tabletop and cleans in a flash after a quick soak and wipe down with a sponge or cloth.

The Toque Blanche store in Half Moon Bay, Ca was named the Bay Areas’s best Kitchenware store by SFGate.com's Bay List in 2010 and has been providing quality cooking tools and gourmet food items for the home chef who is serious about amazing food since 2006. For more information about Toque Blanche and La Chamba Cookware please visit www.mytoque.com.