There are several customers who have asked us about the tagines. They are very attractive, right? But people doubt how to use them, what they are really for and, very importantly, is the investment made amortized? And just this week we were discussing it with a client, and so many things came out that are worth sharing that here I am, writing about a topic that I think may interest you.

First of all I am going to change a thought that many of you have: The "chimney" that makes the tajine does not have a hole! The truth is that I'm laughing writing this, because until I had the first one in front of me (a long time ago!), due to its design, I was convinced that steam escaped through there. And no! In fact, if I had it, the tajine would no longer cook or stew as it does.

And good? How does tagine work? Well, in fact it is very simple but very intelligent: the steam that is generated, like all hot air, rises upwards. Going up, it meets the cooler walls of what I incorrectly call a "chimney" (having no hole, I should say it's a cap in the shape of a pointed hat) , so the steam cools and falls on the food in the form of drops of water, cooking or stewing food. It does so with its own juice, with a vapor flavored with the ingredients that you have included in the preparation, and for this reason the result is spectacular: the food is very juicy after the long cooking time with very little water.

I imagine that with this explanation the reason for the shape of the lid is also understood: that design, that chimney that draws the lid, is so that the upper part does not get hot, and to cool the steam generated to bathe the food .

We now know how the tajine is stewed and why that lid is like that. Now comes the next question... And what else is the tagine for? Am I going to amortize the investment? To resolve this issue, I am going to separate the two types of tagines that we have in the store.

We have the Emile Henry tagine , which is made of non-porous, glazed ceramic that retains heat for a long time to keep food warm. Ceramic is an excellent diffuser of heat, so you get a smooth and progressive cooking -what we expect from cooking in a tagine, which allows all the properties of the food to be preserved. It is a very nice tagine for glass-ceramic (or gas cookers), which gives you an excellent presentation on the table. But in addition, you can use the base to cook any other dish without the lid (such as a ceramic pot). You must think that you can cook in it what you want as long as it is in the oven, gas or vitro since it does not work in induction. It is a very nice and versatile tool.

On the other hand, there is the Le Creuset tagine . It maintains the ceramic top but its base is made of vitrified cast iron. I mean, it's like a cocotte! The investment is higher, without a doubt, but apart from that good presentation on the table you can use the base to cook anything you would cook in a cocotte; it can go to the oven, vitro, gas and induction; it doesn't scratch, you cook on a noble material (super healthy and super good results!) and you have a utensil for life, robust and shock resistant: It's iron!

My conclusion with all this? Both tagines are very pretty, they allow you a very elegant presentation with and without a lid, and they are a very versatile tool. Now, Emile Henry's is ceramic and, apart from using it as a tagine, it will allow you to cook any recipe without a lid as if it were a ceramic pot. And, on the other hand, the one from Le Creuset is a higher investment, but it is made of cast iron, which allows you to use it as a cocotte, it also works as a tagine for induction, and you will not fear knocks since you will have the base for life .

I would like to end this post with a little anecdote that our friend Stéphane always tells, when we talk about cooking with tagine. He always explains that the tagine, like the cocotte, is a slow cooker. When we let the meat cook inside for hours over a low heat, we get that flavored and tender meat that is so appreciated. In fact, traditionally the tagine was buried in the desert in the morning. So during the day the food was cooked while the family went about their chores. In the evening they returned to their camp and had a delicious tagine ready for dinner.