As clay cookware becomes increasingly popular due to its many benefits, both for taste and health, many people seem to equate clay pots and pans with terracotta cookware. While they are both a type of earthenware, there are some essential differences between the two, which make pure clay cookware truly unique. The reason why clay pots and pans have become more and more popular lately is that they provide a very healthy way of cooking, without the need for fat or liquid and preserving the nutrients in the food. Therefore, if you want to enjoy all the benefits of a 100% healthy kitchen, then you should know these differences so that you can choose and buy the right kitchenware.

Terracotta is usually glazed

Terracotta is slow-cooked and therefore must be glazed to provide items with a protective coating when exposed to direct sources of heat, such as flames. It also helps make the vessels watertight. In that sense, all the benefit of having a clay pot is canceled out because the glaze itself has lead and cadmium and all sorts of other toxins and chemicals. It is this type of toxin that makes regular cookware harmful because it leaches into the food. Therefore, having terracotta cookware that has been glazed is pointless and adds no benefit to your kitchen. Pure clay cookware, on the other hand, is heated over high heat (up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit) and burnished by hand, so it doesn’t need any polish.

Unglazed terracotta often has additives

Even if you find unglazed terracotta pots and pans, it is likely that many additives, such as extenders or plasticizers, were added to the compound during the processing of the clay. Other substances used when processing clay for terracotta cookware include dyes (terracotta pots have a red color), feldspar, talc, deflocculants, and mica. However, if you buy 100% pure clay cookware, you’ll benefit from pots and pans that have absolutely no additives, toxins, or chemicals that can leach into your food as you cook. In fact, to be absolutely certain that you are buying the best cookware, you should choose products made from proven pure clay. The orange-pink color of these pots is their own natural hue when fired.

Pure clay cookware retains excellent heat.

So the main difference between terracotta and clay cookware is the rawness and purity of the material. Pure clay pots and pans are made from pure raw materials, while terracotta pots are refined in one way or another. Because of that, the former retains excellent heat, which means you can cook all your food on medium heat. Not only that, but the food will stay hot much longer without getting soggy.