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I have a ceramic Tagine that I used regularly to make Middle Eastern dishes.

However over the last few months I didn't use it and it sat outside on the balcony for a while, collecting rain water and dirt.

I took it inside and cleaned it thoroughly but I am still not sure if it is a good idea to use it.

Will the rain / dirt / etc. have any lasting effect that may not be visible and ruin any dishes (e.g. having absorbed a foul taste) or am I fine after cleaning the Tagine?

Fnguyen
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    What type of ceramic is it made of? and is it enameled? – LightBender Mar 24 '21 at 17:41
  • @LightBender it is a ceramic pot that isn't glazed/enameled. – Fnguyen Mar 24 '21 at 18:09
  • If it isn't enameled, it will probably depend on how porous the ceramic is, there are many materials that can be used to make ceramics ranging from fired earthenware to high quality porcelain. If the surface is non-porous it should be trivial to get it cleaned. – LightBender Mar 24 '21 at 18:38

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If all the tagine was exposed to is water and dirt then you should be fine as long as you clean it off and bake it to drive out any water. Tagines are generally unglazed on one side so will absorb water, if you don't dry it out it could crack when you try to use it. the process would be put it in a cold oven and turn it up to 170°C (350°F) for 2 hours, then turn the oven off and let it cool overnight with the door closed. The baking may tell if you have problems, if it smells nasty you'll probably want to get rid of it, if it's a normal clay smell you should be good.

If your tagine has been exposed to significant amounts of weed killer, bug killer, liquid fertilizers or other chemicals then it may have absorbed them in which case you'd want to think twice about using it. If there's been a couple of sprays around it there's nothing to worry about.

GdD
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    I'd be a little more cautious with the baking/drying as it's saturated: cold oven, 80°C for 2-4 hours, then up to 170°C or the max it will be used at for another hour or so. There may be a brief unpleasant smell early on, that clears. If so, simmer water in it before first use. I think we both assume inside glazed, outside not, which is mostly what I've seen. A few are completely unglazed – Chris H Mar 25 '21 at 12:59
  • I did it very close to how you said (cleaned, soaked and then re-seasoned with oil in an oven). The dish came out fine and I couldn't taste any hint of anything that shouldn't be there. – Fnguyen Mar 25 '21 at 13:56
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    Speaking as the potter on SA, GdD's advice here is solid. – FuzzyChef Mar 25 '21 at 22:40
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One additional piece of advice to GdD's excellent procedure: if the tagine is terracotta or other porous clay, you're going to want to get any absorbed grime out of the clay itself. This means soaking it in hot soapy water, scrubbing it, then soaking it in a couple of changes of hot water with no soap for a few hours to get the soap out of the clay. Then follow his advice for drying it.

FuzzyChef
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As it's not glazed I'd first consider what other than water & 'dirt' it may have been subject to & ask, "Would you eat from a plant pot in similar circumstances, no matter how well-scrubbed?"

I'd seriously consider a new tagine & somewhere indoors to keep it this time.

Tetsujin
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  • While I sympathize with the point, I think the OP is asking precisely because one's intuitions aren't necessarily reliable – I wouldn't be that surprised if it turned out that a well-scrubbed plant pot is perfectly fine to eat off. If the danger is that it absorbs something that can't be removed, *that* is the problem, not the 'ick factor'. – dbmag9 Mar 25 '21 at 15:54
  • Sure - just don't ever invite me round to dinner ;) – Tetsujin Mar 25 '21 at 15:58
  • Soup in a watering can, main off a spade, dessert in a flowerpot, cheese on a leftover roofing tile. – dbmag9 Mar 25 '21 at 16:03
  • Sounds good, but unless you're going to make nachos on the outer surface of that 10-year-old oil-drum BBQ smoker, you know.. the one the birds sit on, I'm still reticent. Oh… I'll bring the wine; it's been maturing a couple of years now in an old wellington, should be just about ready… ;)) Cheese on a slate - https://i.stack.imgur.com/xG5pY.jpg - some people think it's posh;) – Tetsujin Mar 25 '21 at 16:11
  • If you're talking terracotta, it's porous, so you'll need to soak it, and then you'll need to dry it. Once you've done that, though, it should be fine. GdD gives some advice below. – FuzzyChef Mar 25 '21 at 22:42