Oven Pot
General
Overview
What is the Oven Pot?
The Oven Pot is Vermicular's original cast iron pot, featuring our signature precision seal developed after years of iterations and relentless pursuit for design excellence. The contact area between the lid and pot has less than 0.01 mm of variance. This incredibly tight seal, combined with the pot's ridged base and hand-applied, triple-layer enamel coating, create the optimal internal environment for heat conduction, radiant heat, and steam convection.
As a result, the inherent flavors of ingredients are drawn out and intensified, without ever compromising texture or nutrient density. The Oven Pot excels in all types of cooking, including, steam-roasting, rice cooking, and musui "waterless" cooking.
The Oven Pot was purposefully designed to capture and expand upon every benefit of cast iron cooking, enhancing everyday meals and delighting at occasions. Available in five sizes and four colors, the Oven Pot is perfect for chefs of all levels and blends seamlessly into any kitchen.
The Oven Pot vs. the Musui
The Oven Pot and the Musui are essentially the same—both are enameled cast iron pots designed with Vermicular's signature precision seal to intensify the inherent flavors of ingredients.
The Oven Pot:
- Classic design with stainless steel top knob handle
- Available in five sizes (including a shallow shape) and four colors (including two pearl options)
The Musui:
- Minimal design without top knob handle
- Can be used on its own or with the Kamado induction stove (which provides greater temperature control for precision-cooking techniques, like sous-vide)
- Available in one size and three colors
The Oven Pot vs. other cast iron pots
The key difference between traditional Dutch ovens and the Oven Pot lies in our signature precision seal. The contact area between the Oven Pot's lid and pot is meticulously hand-machined to fit with a gap of less than 0.01 mm. This incredibly tight seal helps to retain moisture, lock in nutrients, and most importantly, enhance the inherent flavors of ingredients.
The Oven Pot was engineered to harness heat to distill and intensify the natural flavor of food. When cooking, the ridged base, three layers of enamel coating, and precision seal work as one to create a perfect balance of heat conduction, radiant heat, and steam convection.
Compatibility with the Kamado
The 22cm Oven Pot can be used with the Kamado in COOKING mode only.
The Kamado will provide the same precision in temperature control as to when using with the Musui. However, the Oven Pot is slightly smaller than the Musui, creating additional space between the pot and Kamado's inner walls. You may not be able to achieve the same uniform heat distribution as when using the Musui, which was designed specifically for use with the Kamado.
Do not use the Oven Pot with the Kamado in RICE COOKING mode. The Oven Pot does not have the Musui's floating lid design, and this may result in water boiling over.
Compatible heat sources
The Oven Pot can be used with all gas, electric, and induction stovetops, as well as ovens (oven-safe up to 570ºF).
When using outdoors, do not place the pot directly on charcoal, as this may damage the enamel coating.
Choosing the right size
The Oven Pot is available in the below five sizes.
14cm (5.5")
This mini cocotte is perfect for cooking sauces, desserts, or single-serve portions with fewer ingredients. It can also be used as serveware, keeping food warm on the table, thanks to the cast iron’s exceptional heat retention properties.
18cm (7.1")
This easy-to-handle size is just right for serving 1–2. Whether crafting small batches of soup or baked beans, the 18cm Oven Pot is perfect for cooking appetizers and side dishes to brighten any meal.
22cm (8.7")
Our standard, all-purpose Oven Pot is great for a smaller family of 3–4 and is ideal for various cooking methods, like braising and stewing. The dishes in the enclosed recipe booklet are based on this size.
26cm (10.2")
Great for cooking for 5–6 people, this size is the sweet spot for most home cooks. Whether roasting a whole chicken, making big batches of soup, or baking homemade country bread, it is large enough to serve a small crowd, but small enough to be used as everyday cookware.
26cm Shallow (10.2")
The shallow sides of this size make it ideal for braising, searing, and sautéing, just as you would in a frying pan. Best used for one-pot meals and dishes like sukiyaki, paella, and casseroles. Serves 3–4.
Click here for the size comparison chart.
Made with safe, non-toxic materials
The safety of our customers and our craftspeople is of utmost importance to us. We never use toxic materials, like cadmium, to coat any of our products. This is why we offer our cookware in a range of safe, neutral colors.
Available recipes
A purchase of the Oven Pot comes with a recipe booklet with four featured recipes to help get you started. Visit our Recipes page for more ideas.
Features
Signature precision seal
Our signature precision seal is designed to lock in and intensify the inherent flavors of each ingredient.
In our casting process, our proprietary mix of vermicular graphite iron is melted at 2700ºF and carefully poured into sand molds. As the pots cool from such high temperature, they inevitably warp, which creates a gap between the pot and lid. Vermicular is the only cast iron brand with an additional manufacturing process called "precision machining," which eliminates much of this gap. Utilizing over 85 years of cast iron mastery, our craftspeople carefully hand-machine the contact area of each pot and lid to fit with a gap of less than 0.01 mm in variance, creating a precision seal that helps retain moisture.
Because all of the ingredients' juices are retained in the pot, there is no need to add excess water or broth. As a result, the flavors and nutrients are less likely to leach out. This makes a noticeable difference in taste and texture, resulting in a superior quality of finished dishes.
Visit the Oven Pot Technology page to learn more.
Ridged base
The ridges on the base of the Oven Pot create the ideal distance between the ingredients and heat source, ensuring they are not overheated while evenly distributing heat throughout the pot.
Sizes with circular ridges:
- 14cm
- 26cm
- 26cm Shallow
Sizes with vertical ridges:
- 18cm
- 22cm
Both circular and vertical ridge types result in even heat distribution and equally delicious results.
Visit the Oven Pot Technology page to learn more.
Enamel coating
The final step in manufacturing the Oven Pot is a triple-layer enamel coating process. The application of our proprietary enamel by hand—a task demanding a great degree of specialized skill and craftsmanship—is unique to Vermicular and crucial in helping distribute heat while cooking, heating ingredients from their core. Our enamel coating—which is composed of glass particles fused at extreme temperatures—improves durability so the Oven Pot can be passed down for generations to come.
The safety of our customers and our craftspeople is of utmost importance to us. We never use toxic materials, like cadmium, to coat any of our products. This is why we offer our cookware in a range of safe, neutral colors.
Visit the Oven Pot Technology page to learn more.
Triple thermal heating
The Oven Pot was meticulously engineered to control how ingredients are heated, distilling and intensifying their inherent flavors. The precision seal, ridged base, and three layers of enamel coating unite to create the perfect balance of heat conduction, radiant heat, and steam convection.
Visit the Oven Pot Technology page to learn more.
Self-basting lid
The lid is designed to self-baste ingredients in their own delectable juices. When steam rises and condenses during cooking, the soft spikes on the inside of the lid allow water to slowly and evenly drip onto the food, creating a moist environment while enveloping the dish in flavor.
Double handles
The Oven Pot's ergonomic double handle design—including the handles on both the pot and lid—is unique to Vermicular pots. Having two handles gives you greater control, stability, and ease-of-use when setting or removing the lid.
Quick-Start Guide
Read the Oven Pot | Quick-Start Guide for helpful tips before your first use.
Cooking
Cooking techniques
With the precision-sealed lid capturing and intensifying the inherent flavors of ingredients, the Oven Pot is excellent for a wide variety of cooking techniques.
Steam-roast
The Oven Pot’s precision seal gives you the best of both worlds by steaming and roasting in tandem—tender insides and caramelized textures on the outside. Add 1–2 tablespoons of water for ingredients with less water content.
Musui “waterless” cooking
In Japanese, musui simply means “waterless.” This type of cooking is made possible because of the Oven Pot’s precision seal. By gradually heating ingredients, the precision seal locks in natural juices while intensifying each ingredient’s inherent flavors. You can shorten cook time by preheating the pot over medium heat for 2–3 minutes before reducing it to low or very low heat.
Braise & stew
Whether you’re talking fork-tender short ribs or fall-off-the-bone pork shoulder, enameled cast iron pots excel at building flavors by first searing meat directly within the pot, then cooking low and slow. When braising with the Oven Pot, be sure to use less braising liquid, as its precision seal retains moisture and complex flavor profiles.
Rice cooking
You can make perfect, fluffy rice with the Oven Pot, which sets a new standard for traditional rice cooking with its superior heat distribution, working every grain for perfect sweetness and texture.
Visit our Recipes page for more ideas.
Never use high heat
Do not use the Oven Pot with high heat or preheat it while empty over medium heat for more than 7 minutes. Doing so may cause permanent damage to the enamel coating.
If you heat an empty Oven Pot over high heat by mistake, never add water to cool it. Wait for it to cool to room temperature on its own.
Cleaning & Care
Preventing & removing rust from the rims
Preventing rust
In order to achieve the precision seal, the contact area between the Oven Pot's body and lid has intentionally not been coated in enamel. As a result, it is subject to rusting. Here are a few tips to minimize the formation of rust:
- Always dry the pot immediately after washing. Make sure the rims are dried thoroughly with a dry cloth.
- Season the rims of the pot and lid by coating with a thin layer of cooking oil, especially before the first several uses.
- Lightly apply cooking oil on the rims before braising and/or stewing, or when cooking with acidic ingredients.
- Lightly apply cooking oil on the rims when storing food inside the pot for a long period of time.
Removing rust
In the event that rust appears, you can easily remove it by using mild dish soap on the affected area. If rust persists, you can either:
- Sprinkle baking soda on the rims and scrub gently with a wet sponge.
- Apply Bar Keeper's Friend Soft Cleanser on the rims and scrub gently.
Once cleaned of rust, coat the rims with a thin layer of cooking oil to prevent it from developing again.
Watch our Removing Rust video for a visual guide.
Removing burnt food
If excessively high temperatures are used to cook, or there is not enough moisture in the pot, food may burn and leave a residue. To remove burnt food, we recommend using baking soda to clean.
See here for step-by-step instructions.
Removing discoloration
The Oven Pot can develop discoloration when cooking with ingredients that contain high levels of pigment, such as tomato sauces or certain spices. To clean your pot of any discoloration that may have developed, see here for step-by-step instructions.
Removing white spots
The Oven Pot can sometimes develop white spots, which are stains caused by cooking with starchy ingredients, like beans, or mineral deposits from water. To clean your pot of any white spots, see here for step-by-step instructions.
Dishwasher use
The Oven Pot will last a long time if properly and gently cared for. We recommend washing with mild soap and a soft sponge, as the enamel coating is easy to clean. However, if you do plan to use a dishwasher/dryer, please note the following points:
- Be sure the pot is not in contact with other kitchenware to avoid damage upon potential impact.
- Be sure your detergent does not contain abrasives and bleaches.
Repair service
We currently only offer a product repair/recoating service in Japan; it is not available for the US market.
Warranty
We hold all of our cookware to the highest standards for safety and quality, and stand behind our promise to excellence in craftsmanship. Therefore, we do not set a warranty period for any of our enameled cast iron cookware. We will replace any item found to be defective in material or workmanship when put to normal household use and cared for according to the instructions provided.
Vermicular cookware is warranted to you by Vermicular USA to be free from defects in material and workmanship at the time of its purchase.
- You must follow the use and care instructions provided with the cookware. Damage from any use not in accordance with the provided instructions is not covered.
- This warranty covers normal household use only. Damage from commercial use or other non-consumer use is not covered.
- This warranty does not cover any damage due to normal wear and tear, damage due to misuse or abuse, improper cleaning or negligence, or any damage resulting from use other than the intended purpose of the item.
- Over time, oil stains may appear. This is considered normal wear and tear and will not affect the performance of the cookware.
To make a warranty claim, please contact VERMICULAR USA at support@vermicular.us.
