Handmade Stoneware Chicken Cooker - Made in the USA

Description

A hand thrown stoneware chicken cooker, made for us by Martinez Pottery in Texas. One of the most useful, and most underestimated, pieces in the collection.

Why it’s here

There's a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from finding a piece of stoneware in an antique store. Something heavy and well-made that clearly dates back decades, used daily and none the worse for it. That's exactly what Martinez pottery feels like, except you don't have to go looking for it.

Martinez have been hand throwing stoneware in Texas for twenty-five years. They are one of the last operations in the United States that still throws ceramics by hand at scale. A small family workshop producing pieces the same way they always have, because there isn't a better way. The forms haven't changed much. They didn't need to.

The brown stripe glaze is our own, developed with Martinez to sit more quietly in a rural interior. Inspired by the earthy tones of old wood and worn plaster, it's designed not to stand out, but to belong.

What you’re getting

Fill the central column with water, fresh herbs, and a halved lemon. Lower the chicken over it vertically. Roast. What comes out is a bird cooked evenly from the inside and the outside simultaneously: moist, flavourful, and considerably better than anything roasted flat in a pan.

The large bowl at the base catches every dripping as it cooks, and a spout makes pouring them off for gravy straightforward. It is, in short, a roasting vessel that does several things at once and does all of them well.

Pick it up and you'll notice the weight immediately. Thick walled, substantial, and reassuring in the hand in a way that lighter ceramics simply aren't.

Look closely and you'll see the evidence of how it was made. The subtle ridges left by the potter's hands during throwing. The stripes painted by hand with a brush, each one slightly different from the last. No two pieces are exactly alike. These are not factory ceramics that happen to look handmade. They are handmade, and they look it.

Sizes

Care

Oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Fired at 2,200 degrees, this stoneware is built to last. Like all ceramics, it doesn't appreciate sudden changes in temperature. Don't take it straight from the oven to a cold surface or run it under cold water while hot. Let it cool naturally and it will serve you well for a very long time.