- 27 cm wide Holds 2.1 litres
- Portion size 4-6
- Cast Iron base with black interior which is hard wearing and easy to clean
- Stoneware funnel lid
- Suitable for use in the Dishwasher Freezer and Hob
Manufacturer`s Description
A Tagine is as significant to the cooking of North African food as the wok is to Chinese cuisine and its design is not by accident. Fuel and water are two precious elements in this region and both have to be used frugally. Charcoal fires are almost the only form of “cooking equipment” they have and the wide shallow base of the Tagine can be pushed down among the coals to take full advantage of the heat.The tall conical lid was not designed on a whim. It allows the smallest amount of water to be used to moisten the ingredients in the base and the steam it produces on hitting the tall cool conical side re-condenses to trickle back down over the gently simmering food. Just a few tablespoons added at the beginning of a recipe will produce sufficient liquid to serve a number of people when the Tagine dish is cooked.
The Le Creuset Tagine has been modelled very closely on the traditional design. However as terracotta is not suitable to use directly on our hobs the base has been recreated in cast iron. This allows for the very slow and even heat transfer which a Tagine needs to provide for the food. The conical lid which is made from glazed Stoneware allows just the same pattern of re-condensation of the steam but the glazed finish makes it less porous and therefore cleaner and easier to use.
The enamelled cast iron base is one of the best materials available for cookware and unlike stoneware can be used on any heat source. The thickness of the base gives good heat dispersion and retention and the very best results for long slow tagine cookery will be achieved on low settings. medium heats should only be used for pre-browning of ingredients and high heats not used at all.
The Tagine can be used for a wide variety of meat vegetable and fruit dishes. Fruit cooked with meat and vegetables is commonplace and provides a natural sweetness to many dishes. The timing for cooking in the Tagine is intended to be slow and hours of cooking rather than minutes should be expected.
