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Beanpots have traditionally been created by potters. Beans require a long cooking time, and since early American potters needed to stoke their wood-burning kilns for 24 to 36 hours in preparation for firing, many used the kiln's radiant heat to cook beans.
Shape
The shape of the beanpot was the result of the potter's need to move the pot away from hot spots in the kiln, according to Rowe Pottery Works. Having a looped handle made it easy to move.
Material
The beanpot is traditionally made of stoneware, allowing it to bake evenly, retain heat, and withstand long hours of cooking.
Color
Beanpots traditionally have a brown coloring. This is because they were originally made with a "slip glaze", common on earthenware and stoneware pottery throughout the 1800s.
Interior
The slip glazing of traditional beanpots is also used on the interior, giving it an impermeable smooth coating, making it both easy to clean and good for food storage.
Contents
Baked beans were a food staple in early America. The first written recipe for pork and beans, says Mark Zanger in "The American History Cookbook", appeared in an 1829 book called "The Frugal Housewife" by Boston resident Lydia Maria Child. (Child was also the author of the famous poem "Over the River and Through the Woods.")
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