Ceramic pan baptism of fire

Once upon a time, I swore to myself I wouldn't turn into one of those people who constantly post their lunch photos on social networks. However, autumn is here, with all its wonderful, fresh produce, and I'm very much in the mood for experimenting with new dishes and cookware. And you know what they say: if it didn't appear on social media, it didn't happen. So, here's a little report on my latest feat.

Last week I bought a dreamy, rustic ceramic pan by Tognana, from its Linea Vulcania collection. It was a bit pricey, but it was love at first sight. As I'd never used ceramic cookware before, it felt like an extra challenge.

Photo: tognana.com

To try it out, I decided to make a simple dish, with seasonal veggies that I already had in my kitchen, based on Giada de Laurentiis' Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, and Brussels Sprouts. Actually, the name of the dish says it all - you just add olive oil, salt and herbs to the above ingredients, mix them all together, place in a pan and bake. For up to 40 minutes, said Giada. Easy peasy!

Well, for whatever reason, it took much, much longer than that. As I had to leave for a meeting, I had to turn off the oven after over an hour, and leave it all unfinished. Instead of enjoying a delicious lunch, I only had time for a quick peanut butter sandwich before I had to dash off. Frustrating business!

Once back home, I continued baking, slightly worried about what would become of it. Within an hour, my roasted potatoes were finally ready. It will take me another try or two to figure out whether baking took so impossibly long because of the pan, or the brand of potato that I used. I'm hoping for the latter, obviously, as I definitely intend to continue using this pan.

The dish itself turned out unbelievably delicious! Parsnips and carrots gave it that earthy, autumnal taste that I love so much. Equally important, nothing exploded, as ceramic ware is apparently prone to. So, I must count this as a double success - energy efficiency notwithstanding...