First use and Caring
Have a new potjie? Not sure how to clean and prepare for your potjie’s first use? There are many different methods and ideas about the cleaning for first use and the maintenance and cleaning of thereafter .
Here is one of the many methods you can use. Or ask your Old Man, they will always have a good tip or two. Read on and learn how to clean a potjie pot.
Preparing Potjie Pot for First Use
Boil Some Water and give it a good wash inside, some say use washing up liquid, some say don’t.
Considering this is the fist wash , I used washing up liquid.
Clean with a normal dish scourer
Rinse a few times to ensure you get all the dish washing liquid out.
Dry over heat. Easiest is getting your gas bottle and potjie pot holder out and turn up the heat.
Wait for the pot to cool some.
With some cooking oil coat the inside of the potjie pot. Wipe all excess oil out. Heat the potjie pot again until its smoking. Take off the heat.
Wait for pot to cool and clean with paper towel.
Your now ready to use the potjie pot for the first time and cook your family and mates a lekka chow.
Cleaning and Storing your Potjie Pot.
No one loves cleaning the skottle, potjie pot or braai grid. Its just one of those things that has to be done. Follow these simple steps below and your potjie pot will last you many many years.
If you can, try not leave your potjie pot full of liquid overnight. Some have said, this has lead the their pot starting to rust. Lets be honest, very rarely will it ever be cleaned that nigh.
Boil some water and use a soft bristle plastic brush. Clean the inside of the potjie. Using dish washing liquid will remove the curing part you did in step one.
If you need to boil some more, give it another scrub. Dry the potjie pot over some heat. Lightly coat the inside with cooking oil. Wipe up the excess with a paper towel and create balls of crumpled up newspaper to keep inside the potjie while not in use. This will draw any moisture into the paper and prevent rusting.
If you don’t have a bag for your potjie, a handy tip is to get a strap similar to above , to keep your potjie secure during transport. The strap can also be used to keep your cooler box close,d if your at a camp with monkeys.
Another good tip is to always carry a spare black bag or two aswell. They will always come in handy.
If your looking a recipe, have a look at Just Easy Recipes or try out this easy oxtail potjie recipe