Classic donabe

Mishima donabe for 1-2 people

Brand: Ginpo ceramic company

Price: 2640 yen

Place of purchase: Amazon Japan

Rating:

This is my third Ginpo ceramics donabe pot. The first one, a tiny one-person nabe pot with the signature gray glaze, got given away to a new arrival who needed a hot pot in a hurry. The second one lasted me nearly 15 years and succumbed when I cracked the pot against a hard surface. These things are durable, and likely future archaeologists won't find your Gachapon toys, but they might dig up the remains of these pots. They heat food evenly and grace the table in the winter months. I find that they're great for both cooking typical nabe hot pot dishes and cooking rice. These are workhorse kitchen items. I might spring for another one!

While they are durable, you still have to be careful not to use high heat or let the contents boil away. This is the demise of many a hot pot. I am about to season my pot. You can't just take it out of the box and cook in it immediately because of the porosity of the glaze. The cool part is that there are a number of ways to use starchy rice or flour to get them ready for duty. I usually alternate pots of rice and yose nabe to season mine. Now, some people say the porous glaze is a feature, and others a problem. Your donabe will take on flavors of food you cook in it because of this.