Someone gave us a Pottery Barn terracotta tagine. On the bottom it says that it’s terracotta and that it’s “dishwasher and microwave safe.” It says nothing about stove or oven. Can we use this thing on the stove and/or in the oven?

Hmm, no idea. I couldn’t find it at the PB website. I would guess oven yes, stovetop no, but I wouldn’t bet more than a dollar on that.

For all your tagine needs. I love Moroccan food, so await reporting back on your cooking adventures.

Thanks! It seems like our tagine most closely fits this description:

Other cooking tagines: We have a selection of ceramic tagines on the site in variety of colours and patterns. These are fully glazed and do not require seasoning before first use. They can be used in the oven but not on the hob, and are dishwasher safe.

Is a “hob” the same thing as a stovetop? It sounds like we could probably just do the stovetop steps in a skillet and then transfer the whole thing to the tagine. We do not own a dutch oven, although we do have an ovenproof skillet—would that work? I’m pretty much a novice at this sort of cooking.

Anyway, chickened out on doing the elaborate Moroccan cooking tonight because we’re going to cook a lot tomorrow (though we still don’t know what!) Also, the recipe calls for preserved lemons—do we need to find a middle eastern market for that or will a decent grocery store have them?

Hob = stovetop, yes. Make your own preserved lemons! (it takes time though). I’ve never done my own Moroccan cooking, so cannot help further, but I was *this* close to taking a tagine back home from Morocco after eating amazing lamb and chicken dishes while I was there. I might go buy one anyway now.

My cookbook says a dutch oven suffices in place of a tagine, although I imagine the conical shape of the lid has a special effect. As for preserved lemons—yeah, I’d like to make my own, but it means waiting four to six weeks.

Hurting, you’ll probably have to go to a middle eastern market for the lemons, though a grocery with an amazing olive/pickle section might carry them.

I cracked my Mum’s terracotta casserole thing by using it on the hob, so I reckon it’d be unsafe for tagine use too. The conical lid keeps what’s inside moist because it allows the condensation to run back down.