Value Village ／ Food & living
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
The donabe (土鍋, earthenware pot) comes into its own in hot-pot (nabe) season, and is now known abroad by its Japanese name. Here we answer "what do I do before first use?" and "why does it crack?" from the nature of the ceramic itself.
| Situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First use | Medome: fill to 80% with water, add rice-rinsing water or leftover rice, simmer over a low flame to a porridge, let it cool, then wash | Starch fills the pores in the clay |
| Before heating | Wipe the base dry | Heating a wet base quickly causes cracks |
| Heating | Start on a low flame; never heat it empty | Sudden temperature change, overheating |
| Washing | After it has cooled, a little detergent, no soaking | Water on a hot pot cracks it; long soaking soaks in |
| Drying | Dry completely, base upwards | The base is bare clay; if damp, it grows mould |
| Storage | Only when dry. Put newspaper between pots | Humidity |
[Verify] The medome method is a general procedure based on guidance from pottery regions and makers. Check accident cases in NITE's product-accident information.
The effect fades with use. Repeat it when leaks or smells start to bother you.
Methods shared among people living in Japan include simmering tea leaves, or diluted vinegar, to reduce the smell. Doing medome again afterwards usually settles it.
Sudden cooling is the biggest cause of cracking. Wash after it has cooled.
A large donabe on a tabletop cassette-gas stove (kasetto konro) can overheat the gas canister, which is dangerous. Check the size limit in the stove's instructions (the Consumer Affairs Agency and NITE have issued alerts).
A donabe has cooking advantages — gentle, even heat and high heat retention — and with care lasts more than ten years. Most cracks come from three avoidable causes: sudden cooling, heating empty and a wet base.
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https://www.nite.go.jp/jiko/chuikanki/
https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/consumer_safety/caution/
https://www.banko.or.jp/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Some ingredients need thorough cooking. Eat raw only foods that are sold for raw consumption. If you have allergies, check the ingredients.
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