Our potteries are designed for daily use but nevertheless require a minimum of care. Although they are hardened in fire, they stay somewhat sensitive to shocks. They can chip and break under violent shocks but are otherwise very durable in normal use.

Before the first use, you must soak your new French clay cookware in warm water with oil for at least 6 hours. Dry and wipe it after the 6 hours and fill it with milk. If you have a lid we recommend placing it into another dish and filling it with milk as well. Then bake it with the milk in the oven at 355 degree F for 45 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature with the milk outside the oven then clean and rinse gently with just a drop of soap to remove milk odors.This process will seal the natural micro cracks of your pottery.

Over time these cracks will reappear, this a natural occurrence for these type of French clay cookware and does not alter the product at all. To keep the beautiful appearance of your cookware, you need to reseal it with milk from time to time depending on how often you use it. If you are strictly using your dish as a decoration item or for salad bowls (unless you will use them in the oven too) and planters, this process is not necessary at all.

Avoid any thermal shock. Rapid change of temperature from cold to hot and hot to cold could be fatal to your cookware. Do NOT drop your hot cookware directly on a metal trivet. The metal being cold by nature may crack the pottery due to the temperature difference. If you want to use your metal trivet, place a wood or cork mat on it before placing your cookware.

Let the pottery completely cool before placing it in the refrigerator to prevent thermal shock (and you will save electricity as well).

Do not use your pottery directly on any source of heat such as your stove. When a recipe indicates to brown vegetables or meat, you must do so in a pan or Dutch oven before placing the food in the clay cookware and not directly in it.

Never use any hard abrasive or sharp cleaning material or powerful or abrasive cleaning products as this could damage the enamel permanently. If you damage your cookware enamel, reseal it completely before next use.