How to prepare a clay / stone pot for first use

Preparation steps

• First let me note that there is a difference between clay and stone pottery. Clay dishes are more sensitive, easier to crack, while stone lasts longer (sometimes for generations) and is baked at a slightly lower temperature, because it holds heat better and longer. Earthenware is easier to find, while I only buy stoneware in Malsici near Gracanica, Tuzla Canton, Bosnia :) However, the instructions for preparation and use are almost the same, so I hope this will serve you well.
• First you need to wash the dishes well, with a sponge, a little dishwashing detergent and warm water. Do not use anything abrasive, such as dish wires or abrasive cleaners (vim, harp, etc.). Black leaves fell off my dish, but when I washed and greased it well, it became much smoother. Be sure to leave the dish to dry completely! (I put it on an old cloth, just in case, so as not to ruin the new one if any of this black material remained.)
• Now fill the bowl with water, somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of the bowl and add at least 150g of tallow. I wanted to make sure it was well greasy, so I added a little more oil and butter, but not necessarily. Cover the dish with a lid! If you wet it on the outside, wait for it to dry, if you haven’t, you can now put it in the oven.
• Prepare the oven so that you can place the pan on the wire, but it does not touch the heaters or the sides of the oven. If the pan is heavy and the wire bends, place it more towards the side of the oven instead of in the middle, but still not touch the oven. Place the pan in the COLD oven and turn it on to heat to 100 ° C. When it warms up, leave it for 30 minutes, then increase it to 120 ° C, and after 30 minutes increase it to 150 ° C. Leave the dish in the oven for 2-3 hours (approximately 1 hour after it starts to boil). There is no need to raise the temperature anymore. Do not remove the lid, as this will grease the entire pan. After this process, turn off the oven, open it a little to cool it quickly, but do not take out the pan. When the oven is cold, take the pan out, preferably on a wooden board (I put the wooden board on the cold stove, then the dish over it). Remove the lid - be careful, because hot steam will come out !. Leave to cool for a few hours.
• When it has cooled a bit all together, pour everything out of the bowl, and leave it to cool completely. When it is completely cold, wash it, again with dish detergent and warm water, including the lid. Allow to cool completely. Even after washing, the dishes will have the remnants of grease inside, which have stuck to it. That's how it should be!
• Just to note, after this preparation, use the dish as follows: 1. always put it in a cold oven 2. always take it out on a wooden board, not accidentally on something that is too cold 3. if you use it outside, should it be at least 10 cm away from the pan 4. the temperature in the oven should not be high, 150-180 ° C is enough; in these dishes the food is baked longer at a lower temperature (several hours)