How to care for your donabe

Cooking

Most of the Iga donabe products will need to be seasoned before first use—see How to Season Donabe section.
Ensure the bottom of your donabe is completely dry before setting it over heat. The moisture can be absorbed and it will cause the donabe to expand at the porous base and crack when heated.
Donabe should not be heated empty, used for deep frying, or pan frying—unless otherwise specified.
Be careful not to overheat your donabe.
Never add oil to a very hot donabe.
Most of the Iga donabe products are compatible with gas top, oven, and grill—not electric and induction tops. An option would be to use a portable butane gas burner.
Do not keep leftover food in the donabe overnight—transfer it to another container. The smell will be absorbed by donabe if food is kept there for too long.

Wash your donabe using mild dish soap and lukewarm water.
For burns, fill the donabe with water and boil for 10-15 minutes. Remove the water and let the donabe cool. Then scrub using non-abrasive sponge. Repeat as necessary.
Turn the bottom side up to ensure it dries completely to prevent mildew.
Store in a well ventilated area.

If mold has grown, use dish soap and a non-abrasive sponge or scouring pad to clean it. If the mold persists, it is still safe to use.
To remove moldy smell, fill 80% of the donabe with water. Add a few tablespoons of distilled white vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes. Then reapply seasoning step—see How to Season Donabe section.

If the inner bottom of the donabe has a small crack(s) or the donabe is leaking, repeat the seasoning step—see How to Season Donabe section.
If the donabe has a crack(s) that goes all the way to the edge or is visibly damaged, stop using it immediately.