Confit Pot. SET OF FIVE. Antique Crock Pots. French Stoneware Crock Pots

  
A set of FIVE, early 1900's, French confit pots. They are gorgeous accent pieces for a period kitchen / rustic farmhouse. Excellent for storing kitchen utensils or as planters for herbs.

Dating from the early 1900's; they are handmade and therefore have a charming, slightly uneven, surface texture and rough glaze style. Hand thrown, they have all the original clay marks, and undulations - fabulously charming and unique! These pots are in excellent condition. The bottoms have "edge nibbles", a rough texture and a few "'grazes"' but nothing serious. They have flaws and gouges that were present at the firing and glazing stages, but no chips or cracks post firing.

All still perfectly watertight, they are utterly charming, with their "dints" and "indentations". They are all glazed on the inside, a couple of them have the beginnings of "aged hairline crackle" to the glazes. One pot has a clay drying line at the base of the inside, present at the firing stage, it has been glazed over, so does not effect the integrity of the pot in any way.

They are all perfectly clean and useable, some are dis-coloured and slightly stained from years of genuine use in French provincial kitchens, which is desirable for that "aged to perfection" patina! Their earthy colours makes them the perfect accessory for French provincial interiors. The largest pot weighs 1.5kgs/ 3.3lbs. It stands 15cms/ 6" tall, is 15cms/ 6" tall diameter (at the base) 20cms/ 8 wide to the handle. The opening is 12cms/ 4¾.

The second pot weighs 1.2kgs/ 2.6lbs. It stands 14cms/ 5½" tall, is 15.5cms/ 6¼" diameter (at the base) 21cms/ 8¼ wide to the handle.

The opening is 12.5cms/ 5. The third pot weighs 1kg/ 2.2lbs. It stands 12.5cms/ 5" tall, is 13.5cms/ 5¼" diameter (at the base) 19cms/7½ wide to the handle. The opening is 11.5cms/ 4½. The fourth pot weighs 700gms/ 1.5lbs.

It stands 10.5cms/ 4" tall, is 12cms/ 4¾" diameter (at the base) 16cms/ 6¼ wide to the handle. The opening is 8.5cms/ 3¼. The smallest pot weighs 400gms/ 14ozs. It stands 8.5cms/ 3¼" tall, is 9.5cms/ 3¾" diameter (at the base) 13cms/ 5¼ wide to the handle. The opening is 8cms/ 3. Confit is the French word that means "to preserve" and these pots were used for storing cooked meats for long term storage in stone-lined larders or underground cellars. This storage process preserved the cooked meat without refrigeration so it could then be enjoyed throughout the winter months. Cuts of duck and goose were dry-cured in salt before being rinsed, dried and then poached very slowly at a low temperature in lots of fat. Because the meat is cooked very slowly, the chemical structure changes, leaving it evenly tender all the way through.

When the meat is cooked, it is set aside to cool in the fat, so that it is completely covered and sealed from the air, and would have been stored in the pot it was cooked in, much the same as jugged meat of the medieval period. Confit d'oie is preserved goose and confit de canard is preserved duck. These two French classic dishes originated in "Confit country", the area of Occitan France. It will be fully tracked and signed for.

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