Choosing Donabe

Hi all,

I recently interested in hotpot and nabe. The only tool I have is a 20cm iron cast pot which currently serve the purpose, but I heard donabe will give more depth of flavor. I saw some donabe priced quite affordable and some are very expensive. Thus, asking the fellow cooks here, do you have any advise on how to choose donabe? Of course I heard Iga-yaki donabe is the best but it's too expensive for me.

Thank you!

https://goo.gl/rIQ31P

1号(gou) = 1寸(sun) = 3cm
http://www.icoro.com/201512028586.html

Famous traditional pottery brand one is exactly good especially
for longer donabe life also good function as heating/keeping hot.
But if using not so many no need expensive one.
https://www.thespruce.com/basic-tips-for-using-donabe-2031002

Not only for Japanese recipes. (posted over 10000 recipes)
https://cookpad.com/search/%E5%9C%9F%E9%8D%8B
Also many vids on YouTube.
https://goo.gl/u8oUuj

You may cook like "Tai-Meshi/鯛飯" by yr country fishes.
https://goo.gl/f256gG
Tai/鯛 is "sea bream".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagrus_major

If it's your first donabe and you have no intention of spending too much money on it anyway, you should just buy a random one from your local supermarket or mall like every other local does.

Keep in mind that donabe is pottery which means that it's breakable. So buy something reasonable, get used to it, and by the time you accidentally break it you'll know what you really want next.

By the way, donabe doesn't cool down easily compared to ordinary modern pots made of steel. So don't heat it up too much, and switch the heat off sooner than you usually do.

I bought a random donabe from my local grocery store when I first came to Japan and used it occasionally for a few years, but it got a long crack in it after awhile, so I threw it out. Looking back, it's possible that I needed to cure it first but didn't know any better. I recommend doing a bit of research and either getting one that doesn't need curing, or making sure you know how to do it if you do get one that needs it! I think a website called justonecookbook has some good info on curing a donabe, and also lots of recipes to try.

Meanwhile, I switched to an IH stove so am planning on getting a donabe that works on it, but already sort of "missed" the nabe season, so I'll probably get one next year. I rather prioritize looks rather than "quality" when it comes to something I'll use so rarely.

Most notes that come with any donabe only tells you to wash it and then boil some "kome no togijiru" which is the white water you get when you wash uncooked rice. It's quite normal to get cracks in pottery after a few years, even if you follow that initial procedure.

After about 20 years of using a donabe I got as a wedding gift, the whole bottom part just fell and the pot became a "ring". So I turned it into a little flower garden fence, and bought a new donabe at a supermarket. The new one had the most beautiful lid I'd ever seen, but the lid broke in half after a few months. But this allowed me to use a glass lid I always had for my frying pan, so now I can see how the contents are cooking without having to open the lid!