This tajine (tagine) tutorial is my introduction to using this special piece of Moroccan cookware. It helped me a lot, so I thought you’d should benefit from it too.
I met Amanda of MarocMama last year and we’ve had lots of long distance fun ever since. We bond over big events in our lives and silly little things. We trade stories and ask after each other’s families. But most of all, we learn from each other.
Although I have owned a Moroccan Jewish Cookbook for at least a decade and love Moroccan food, I’ve been intimidated by the prospect of cooking in a tajine (also spelled “tagine.”) But with Amanda’s encouragement, I finally bought a beautiful tajine and I’m going to start using it.
She graciously agreed to explain the basics of tajine cooking and to provide a recipe to get me started. This post is Part One of her two-part guest post. On Friday, I’ll post Part Two – her recipe for Chicken Tajine with Carrots and Potatoes.
MarocMama’s Tajine (Tagine) Tutorial
Tajines are Moroccan cooking vessels that have existed for hundreds of years. Consider them the first slow cookers. Most cultures throughout the world have a similar vessel or cooking technique. I’ve know many who bought a tajine on vacation in Morocco or from a U.S. retailer, intending to cook with it, but who are stymied once they get it home. So, they leave it sitting on the counter wondering, now what? If you’re one of those people, or if you have seen tajines and been puzzled by how to use them, here is a guide to get you started.
There are two main kinds of tajines – glazed and unglazed. A glazed tajine is shiny; it looks like it has a coat of clear nail polish over the top. Glazed tajines are often painted with decorative patterns. Before purchasing this kind of tajine, check with the seller to make sure that it can be used for cooking and is not purely decorative. An unglazed tajine looks like raw clay that’s been hardened, with no shine at all.
Most tajines that are purchased in the US are safe to cook in and have already been prepared for cooking. [Note from Laura: The French-made Emile Henry glazed tajine I bought did require seasoning. I followed the manufacturer’s instructions to simmer 1” of milk in the tajine for 5 minutes.] If you buy an unglazed tajine from Morocco (which I really think cooks the best) you do need to do a bit of work to get it ready.
First, rub down the bottom of the tajine with olive oil, making sure to rub everywhere, including the lip where the cone sits. Next, add warm water and let it sit in the tajine for at least 24 hours. Then air dry the tajine. Finally, fill the bottom with salt water and place the tajine into a cold oven. Turn the heat to 250F and leave the tajine in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove it and allow the tajine to cool. At this point the tajine is ready to use.
A note on cleaning, do NOT use soap on an unglazed tajine – the soap will get stuck in the clay no matter how much you try to wash it out. A tajine’s flavor deepens with age and use, and you don’t want soap included in the mix! Instead you can use just water if possible, or a mixture of salt and water to scrub out any charred bits. If you have a glazed tajine, it is fine to use soap, as the glaze prevents the soap from seeping into the material.
Tajines can be used either on the stovetop or in the oven. If you have an electric stovetop, you should use a heat diffuser – don’t place the vessel directly onto the coils. Cook food in a tajine at low temperatures for longer periods of time. Increasing the heat to shorten cooking time can lead to cracks.
It couldn’t be easier to cook in a tajine. I’ll give you an easy recipe (to be posted on Friday), but here are a few pointers.
Tips for Cooking in a Tajine (Tagine)
- First, place some type of fat, e.g. olive oil or butter, in the bottom of the tajine.
- Then add any vegetables in the order of cooking time; vegetables that take the longest to cook should go at the bottom of the tajine, with quicker-cooking vegetables on top. You can put items that don’t need cooking, such as olives, on the very top or you can add them during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- After adding the vegetables add the meat, followed by spices and finally liquid. While you may not think that the liquid specified (in a recipe meant to be cooked in a tajine) seems sufficient, keep in mind that steam and condensation will build up inside the tajine during cooking. You will see that the liquid is more than enough and that the meat and/or vegetables will be beautifully cooked.
cc says
so common in usa for writer to assume the reader is too stupid to understand anything vaguely technical, so she writes “A glazed tajine is shiny; it looks like it has a coat of clear nail polish over the top” , luv it, out stupid american cousins
Laura says
Oh come on – give her a break. She’s writing for someone who has never seen a tagine.
James McGrath says
I agree with you Laura. My question really was glazed or unglazed? My suspicion is unglazed cooking and glazed for pretty serving dish.
Laura says
My own is glazed (as I mentioned in the post) and it required seasoning.
Fred Ager says
Laura, I recently bought a Tagine in Morocco. Yesterday we used it for the 1st time. A couple of points. Never ever wash an unglazed Tagine with soapy water. The soap will penetrate the clay and will flavor all cooking from then on.After asking many Moroccans re glazed versus unglazed the answer was always the same.If you intend to use it for cooking always buy an unglazed as the flavors are better.The glazed are more appropriate for decoration or serving.All the restaurants i visited in Morocco used unglazed Tagines for cooking.
Laura says
Fred, So interesting – thanks.
Cassie says
We just got back from Morocco and bought a Tajine. I’ve been searching the internet to see if they use argon oil when preparing them. We have a glazed one and a niece with tree nut allergies, so I want to be cautious.
Laura says
In Amanda’s tutorial, she refers to using olive oil to prepare a tajine. Argan oil is not common outside of Morocco and olive oil is a common substitute. http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/02/28/in-morocco-argan-oil-makes-things-better/ Paula Wolfert is the expert on Moroccan cooking I would consult on a matter such as this. In her book “The Food of Morocco” she also recommends using olive oil to prepare a tajine (assuming it is unglazed and needs seasoning.) Hope that helps.
Stephanie says
I have about four glazed tagines that I have never used – I bought them in Morocco and never thought to ask if they are safe for cooking. Is there a way for me to know whether I could cook in them or if they are just for serving?
Laura says
I would definitely ask my friend Amanda who lives in Morocco – she blogs at Maroc Mama . See https://marocmama.com/best-moroccan-tagine-pot/. Another good source of information is the Facebook group for Moroccan cooking https://www.facebook.com/groups/moroccanCooking/
Fred Ager says
If they are glazed they might be able to be used for cooking IF they have a hole in the lid. It might be on the side of the cone or in the top. If there is no hole then they cannot be used to cook in as they will break–the steam needs to have a way to vent.
Laura says
Fred, Good point. Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you around here again soon.
Joyce says
This is not a comment but a question. I have read that you can put a tagine in the oven but cannot find out what temperature to cook it at. Also, would you put it in a cold oven with all of ingredients in it, then up the temperature?
Laura says
I don’t know the answer, but I’ll bet my tagine mentor, Maroc Mama would. Check out her blog and ask her via a note there https://marocmama.com/ or through instagram where she is quite active. Another resource is Paula Wolfert, a Moroccan cooking expert who has written several books with tagine recipes, and the Facebook group for Moroccan cooking.
Satch says
Emile Henry sells very nice tagines. They are are able to be used with any heat source, or frozen, or microwaved, and even used on the grill. They don’t have a hole in the lid.. You pay some serious money for them too. After seasoning them before first use, they are good to go. I recommend a visit to their site. Check out their info. Read their recipes. Worth your time, and can be educational. I really enjoy my tagines that I bought the from them. I have a kitchen full of their red ceramic stuff, and really enjoy it all. I do have one black fish baker and one natural colored deep pie pan.
Cheers!
Laura says
I love Emile Henry – as you could see from the (terrible) photo of my gray tagine. Their stuff is expensive, but worth it.
Satch says
🙂👍
I love their stuff too. Hate the prices, love the products. I have never understood why EH suggests curing their tagines with milk. I don’t get the science of it. I understand why to cure cast iron and unglazed tagines, but not these glazed EH tagines. I still do it, because they say to. I just don’t understand what simmering milk will do. I like your tagine too.
Laura says
I should ask Maroc Mama what the deal is with curing a tagine with milk. If anyone outside of Paula Wolfert and the folks at Emile Henry would know, she should.
Cathy P says
Hi Laura,
I have just recently begun cooking in a tagine and really enjoy it. I have an unglazed one. The last time I cooked with it , a couple of darkened areas appeared inside it. Previously, no blackened marks appeared after cooking. They did not come off easily when I washed it with hot water. They are not crusty or loose. They are tightly adhered to the terra cotta. Should I leave them in the tagine or should I scrub them off?
I know that we want our tagines to become more and more seasoned over time, but I am not sure if this blackening of the inside is part of that seasoning or not.
Laura says
I’m not really a tagine expert. If I were you I would ask marocmama or join the Moroccan food facebook group and pose the question there. Hope that helps.