Purchasing a Romertopf in Chicago?

Does anyone know where I can buy a Romertopf clay baker in Chicago? Also, any size recommendations? I'll probably mostly be using it to cook boneless legs of lamb, and maybe the occasional chicken...

I'm sure I've seen them at Sur La Table.

wanna buy mine?
I never use it-
and it sits- lonely
waiting for some attention!

I have a big one and a smaller one. The smaller one is #111 and it's a good size for whole chickens. I would start with that and see how much you use it. If you really like it you might want to get one more.

There is a metal piece that fits in the pot to go under the chicken or whatever you are cooking. If you google "Romertopf browning grill" you will see it. This is worth getting.

You're probably already aware of this, but the pot (top and bottom) have to be fully immersed in water for 15 minutes or so before use. I used to have a double sink and I had a hard time getting the top to fit in the sink since it is a little bigger than the bottom piece. Also, you can't use much soap when you clean the Romertopf (they tell you not to use any but you can use a little, just be careful). Over time it develops a patina and that is normal.

Take the warning not to avoid temperature changes (hot plate to a cold surface and vice versa) seriously. If you take this out of the oven and put it right on a granite countertop you will be asking for trouble. This also means you can't wash it in really hot water.

All in all, it's a bit of a pain to use the Romertopf but it makes good chicken. I would use it only for chicken about the first five uses. You are supposed to season it a bit before moving on to anything else.

Happy Romertopf-ing!

I make a pot roast in it that is spectacular. You just pile everything in there in layers and put it in a cold oven, 3 hours later, I'll post the recipe if I can find it.

dukesdad wrote:I make a pot roast in it that is spectacular. You just pile everything in there in layers and put it in a cold oven, 3 hours later, I'll post the recipe if I can find it.

Please do. This sounds wonderful.

Thanks everyone for all your info. HdA I wish I'd seen your post sooner, I went and bought an "off-brand" version at Sur la Table.

I'll post again after I've used it, I'm trying an "indian spiced" leg of lamb recipe that was in a recent issue of Saveur.

geli wrote:I'm trying an "indian spiced" leg of lamb recipe....

See my earlier post. I know it's hard but I'd cook a plain chicken the first few times unless you want to taste those Indian spices for a long time. The clay needs to get seasoned a little bit.

geli wrote:
I'm trying an "indian spiced" leg of lamb recipe....

See my earlier post. I know it's hard but I'd cook a plain chicken the first few times unless you want to taste those Indian spices for a long time. The clay needs to get seasoned a little bit.

For good or for evil I think that everything I cook in there will be Indian/Malaysian/Burmese etc so I don't mind the lingering spices. Thanks for the warning, though!

geli wrote:

geli wrote:
I'm trying an "indian spiced" leg of lamb recipe....

See my earlier post. I know it's hard but I'd cook a plain chicken the first few times unless you want to taste those Indian spices for a long time. The clay needs to get seasoned a little bit.

For good or for evil I think that everything I cook in there will be Indian/Malaysian/Burmese etc so I don't mind the lingering spices.

That sounds pretty good right about now actually.

Hey, did you get the Schlemmertopf with a glazed bottom but unglazed top?

Hey, did you get the Schlemmertopf with a glazed bottom but unglazed top?

I did indeed, having just checked--the outer packaging didn't say anything about the bottom half being glazed...hopefully it will still turn out a tasty roast.

This recipe came from a man named Ray O'Leary, since deceased, who was a hunting guide down on the Illinois River back in the day when there were lots of ducks flying. It's very easy and damn good on a Winter night. Adjust the amounts to fit your particular clay pot, I have 2 sizes, seems to work best when you fill the pot.

Clay Pot Pot Roast

Green, red, yellow peppers
Yellow onion
Green onions
Garlic
Red potatoes
Carrots
2 bottles Heinz Chili Sauce
3 pounds round steak
Salt and pepper to taste
Red wine

Soak the clay pot for 2 hours, completely immersed. Coarsely chop all ingredients. Evenly distribute half the ingredients in the pot then cover with one bottle of chili sauce, rinse the bottle with a bit of wine. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Place in cold oven, set oven to 450 for 2 hours.

geli wrote:

Hey, did you get the Schlemmertopf with a glazed bottom but unglazed top?

I did indeed, having just checked--the outer packaging didn't say anything about the bottom half being glazed...hopefully it will still turn out a tasty roast.

You might want to check the instructions to see how long you can cook in this before you use it. I saw something that said you can't cook as long in this because the bottom is glazed. That doesn't make much sense to me but maybe it's because it can't soak up as much water.
http://www.epinions.com/review/Schlemme ... 9867258500

grits wrote:I have a big one and a smaller one. The smaller one is #111 and it's a good size for whole chickens. I would start with that and see how much you use it. If you really like it you might want to get one more.

I've been using the Romertopf about once a week for the past month and have some different advice now. When I cook I put small potatoes, carrots, and onions in the bottom of the pot and then put the chicken or turkey on top. I've been having a hard time fitting more than about a 4-lb chicken in the #111. I did get a 5-lb chicken in but it stuck to the sides and the top. I think now the #113 is probably a better size for most people. It's kind of like that Seinfeld episode with the "wide lanes"--it gives you more breathing room.

I got a 9-lb turkey--barely--in the #113 for X-mas. Again, this is with vegetables on the bottom. I'm considering ordering the largest size (6 1/2 quarts) for a 13-to-14-lb turkey with vegetables but I'll have to think about if there are other uses (maybe bread) for the largest size first.

FYI, I've seen advice that you have to add time to the overall cooktime for Romertopfs but I have not found that. It seems to be about the same as other cooking methods. I took the 9-lb turkey out after 2.5 hours (I thought it would take 3 hours from looking at the internets) and it was pretty done. Two hours would probably have been adequate. Luckily the Romertopf is forgiving and doesn't dry out meats too badly, especially Butterballs that have been injected with who knows what.

Posting into the ether...I tried the America's Test Kitchen "chicken in the pot" recipe in an enamelled dutch oven on Sunday. It was pretty good, but my husband and I both independently decided the Romertopf chicken is better.

The Romertopf has much less of a steamed quality, but is still moist, and really picks up the flavor of the vegetables added to the pan in a way that the dutch oven chicken did not. You also don't have to brown first with the Romertopf--you just soak the pot, load it up, and stick it in the oven, but the skin will be nice and brown by the time you are done.

Some people might prefer the enamelled dutch oven chicken because it was very juicy. Here is the ATK chicken in the pot recipe:
http://www.recipezaar.com/French-Chicke ... hen-349883

I've baked about three loaves of bread in the Romertopf as well. I used the "one perfect loaf" recipe method in the booklet that comes with the Romertopf, which involves soaking the bottom, lining the bottom with parchment paper, letting the bread have a final rise in the lined pan, soaking the top of the pan, then putting the whole thing in the oven. You can use whatever bread recipe you want. If anyone else has tried bread in the Romertopf, I'd love to hear about any techniques you used and if you think the soaked Romertopf makes a difference in the crust.