A one-pot wonder for shabu shabu and other hot pot dishes, traditional donabe (Japanese clay pot) is made of special earthenware and is one of Japan’s oldest cooking vessels. Today, I‘ll show you how to season and care for your new donabe.
Once you purchase your first donabe (土鍋), a traditional Japanese clay pot, it’s time to season it before the first use. If you haven’t found a donabe yet, check out my donabe purchasing guide first. Since I received several questions from my readers about how to season and care for donabe, I’ll be covering some key points today.
Table of Contents
What is Donabe?
Traditionally made of special clay, donabe is a centuries-old cooking vessel from Japan. It is a highly versatile tool for today’s kitchen. Because it holds heat exceptionally well, it’s ideal for cooking hot pot dishes, soups, stews, and braised dishes. They’re also wonderful for steaming, roasting, and cooking the most delicious rice! Read more about this one-pot wonder in my post How to Choose the Best Donabe.
Why Season Your Donabe?
Clay pots have different characteristics depending on the material used. If you purchase a brand-new traditional donabe, you will need to season it before using it. In Japanese, we refer to this seasoning process as medome (目止め). Why does it need seasoning? Because the pot is made of clay, which is naturally porous.
To address this, starch from rice or flour will fill the microscopic pores in the pot, helping prevent breakage and damage from heat. Seasoning also helps prevent odors and stains from the food cooked in it. Therefore, the medome process helps extend the life of your donabe, as does proper care.
Donabe that need seasoning:
Traditional earthenware types of donabe pottery that you must season before first use include:
- Banko ware or Banko-yaki (萬古焼): Popular brands include Ginpo and Kagetsu.
- Iga ware or Iga-yaki (伊賀焼): The most popular brand is Nagatanien.
- Shigaraki ware or Shigaraki-yaki (信楽焼): Some popular brands are Kanefusa Seito, Hechimon, and Kumoigama.
Donabe that do not need seasoning:
Unlike earthenware donabe, ceramic pots (セラミック鍋) do not transfer odors and they absorb almost no water. Therefore, you do not need to season ceramic donabe before first use, including the following:
- Ginpo Brand’s Kikka Blue Donabe comes in No. 9 size (4 people) and No. 8 size (2–3 people).
- Hario Gohangama is a donabe rice cooker that I love. It’s quite sturdy, so I don’t worry about chipping.
- KINTO carries modern-style donabe pots like the KAKOMI IH donabe 2.5 L (3 people) and KAKOMI IH donabe 1.2 L (1–2 people).
How to Care for Your Donabe (Must Read!)
Take good care of your donabe and it will last a lifetime. Donabe is fragile, especially with rapid temperature changes. There are a few things to remember when you care for your donabe.
- Make sure the bottom of the donabe is completely dry before using it on the stove. It will crack if you don’t dry it.
- DO NOT heat an empty donabe without liquid or food inside.
- Avoid rapid temperature changes, such as using high heat or soaking the hot donabe in cold water.
- Start from medium-low heat, then gradually increase to medium heat. Once the liquid starts boiling, reduce the heat to low to maintain the cooking temperature.
- DO NOT leave any leftover food in the donabe. Transfer it to a container to store.
- Let the donabe cool completely before washing.
- Wash the donabe with warm water and a soft sponge. You can use a small amount of gentle soap but immediately rinse it. NEVER soak the donabe in (soapy) water.
For more details, see the Troubleshooting section following my Donabe Seasoning Guide below.
Donabe Seasoning Step-by-Step Guide
Donabe seasoning takes time but all you need is uncooked (or cooked) rice and water. Read the instructions below to season your donabe before the first use. You can also use the same seasoning technique to fix hairline cracks. I talk more about this in the Troubleshooting section below.
How to Season Your Donabe (Japanese Clay Pot)
Materials
- 2 Tbsp uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (alternatively, you can use cooked rice; read the instructions below)
- water
Instructions
To Season the Donabe
- Fill 80% of the donabe with water. Add 2 tablespoons of uncooked short-grain white rice or 1 rice bowl of cooked Japanese rice.
- Slowly bring it to a boil on medium-low heat. Stir the water and rice thoroughly.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the porridge on low heat for 1 hour. Tip: If repairing hairline cracks in your donabe, simmer for 2 hours, but make sure the bottom of the pot does not burn.
- Turn off the heat. Leave the donabe with the thick porridge to cool to room temperature. It will probably take more than 1 hour to reach room temperature.
To Wash the Donabe
- Your donabe must be at room temperature before washing; otherwise, it may crack. First, discard the thick porridge. Then, rinse the donabe with a sponge and warm water. You can use a small amount of gentle soap, only if needed, but rinse quickly. DO NOT soak your donabe in water (or soapy water) as the donabe has good absorbency.
To Dry the Donabe
- Immediately dry the donabe with a clean towel. Allow it to air dry completely, keeping it upside down overnight, before the first use or storage.
Donabe Troubleshooting
How to fix hairline cracks:
It is normal to have hairline cracks. When you observe these cracks, you will need to re-season the pot. Using cooked rice works best, as it contains more starch and is thicker, effectively filling in the pores. If the water still leaks, you may need to consider purchasing a new one.
What to do when the donabe is burnt:
No matter how careful you are, the pot may end up burnt from the food you’re cooking inside. Here’s a helpful tip to remove stains or burns.
- Add water and bring it to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and let the pot soak, cooling naturally.
- Once cooled, discard the water and gently scrub the burnt area with a soft sponge.
- Repeat a few times if the stains or burns remain.
How to remove odors:
Donabe has many small pores that may absorb smells from cooking certain foods. Here’s what you can do to remove them.
- Tea leaves: Put water and used tea leaves in your donabe and bring to a boil. Let it sit for 30 minutes and rinse under warm running water.
- Baking soda: Bring water to a boil and then turn off the heat. Add baking soda and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse under warm running water.
Delicious Donabe Recipes
Here are some of the hot pot recipes that you might enjoy!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 9, 2016. It was republished with more helpful information on March 5, 2024.
[…] noodles AND the big chunks of meat. If you have a single serving donabe or any-size donabe (How to use donabe?), it’s also fun to scoop out individual portions at the table as shown in the pictures […]
I recently purchased my first donabe and was so greatful for your article to know how to take care of it properly. I seasoned it based on your instructions. The other night I tried cooking fondu in it on a butane burner since I didn’t have a fondu pot anymore. It worked beautifully and actually better than my old fondu pot. The cheese didn’t stick to it at all. It just rinsed right out with water. So if you ever want to try fondu I highly recommend using the donabe 😉
Hi Mei! No, I’ve never tried fondue in a donabe before! That’s a cool trick! Thanks so much for sharing your tip. And I’m glad this post was helpful. Thank you very much for your kind feedback. 🙂
[…] How To Season Donabe (Earthenware Pot) […]
Hello Nami,
I currently live in Japan and have been using your website since I first got here 2 years ago and I love your recipes. A staple of mine is your gyu don with egg recipe.
So i have a question. I bought a donabe recently and want to season it with cooked rice. In your instructions you wrote discard after making the porridge. Do we have to throw away the porridge? Or is it edible?
Thank you!
こんにちは、ジャスミン! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy trying my recipes and thank you for reading my blog!
Yes, the porridge is edible; some people eat it some people don’t (because the consistency is different from their preference). 🙂
Hello Nami, could you please tell me what is the hight of this 12 inch donabe pot without the lid? The only information I could find was on its total hight including the lid. I’m desperate to start cooking but I need to use something else like a tagine pot, since getting real donabe shipped to Poland where I live seems very expensive:)
Hi Ania! I currently use 2 10-inch donabes (see below) and the height these pots are 3 1/2 inch and 4 inch without a lid.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/monkfish-hot-pot/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/kimchi-gyoza-nabe/
Hi Nami, thank you so much for your reply. I decided to start saving money for a real donabe pot:)
Good quality donabe lasts for a long time. I think it’s a very wise choice. 🙂
Wonderful Page. I’ve had my Nabe for over a decade and I’ve not used them because I was not sure how to care for them. With your advice, I’m feeling much more confident to use them now, and often. I just need to purchase a gas stove because everything is electric in this part of the U.S. , and I don’t know if these pots would be safe on electric coil or glass top stoves.
Hi Valeria! Thank you so much! I think it would be fun to have a pot at the dining table and cook while you eat. In my shop page, I’ve shared what I use for my table.
https://amzn.to/2lV73un (Iwatani brand is excellent)
https://amzn.to/2mc7mDy
Where to you place the metal disk that comes with the bowl. My bowl came from Japan with no instructions. Does the metal plate go on top of the stove and the bowl on top of the metal plate? Thank you.
Hi Carole! The donabe you have can be used for IH stovetop – if you use IH, then you have to put that plate INSIDE the donabe to use it. 🙂
Nami, I have an electric stove with glass top. Can I used donabe on that?
Hi Leena! I think I’ve heard that it depends on the donabe (and its material). I remember it works with coil type, but glass top one, you might want to check. I highly recommend checking with each donabe instruction. Have you seen a website https://toirokitchen.com/? I bought some donabe from her store. Maybe you can ask her questions about donabe as she’s an expert in this field. 🙂
Hi Nami! I know hairline cracks are normal but I’ve only used my donabe once after seasoning it and it already has cracks on the bottom! I heated it medium while making Mille feuille nabe. Should I be concerned or should I just reseason? Thank you!
Hi Lillian,
We are not sure how many hairline cracks you see. But we normally reseason it with rice.
If we notice the water is leaking, we stop using it.
However, if you are concerned, we recommend contacting the store that you purchased from.
We hope this helps.🙂
Hello! After the first seasoning, how often should I re-season the donabe? Thank you!
Hi Sophie! It really depends on how often you use it, too. If you feel you use your donabe quite a bit, it doesn’t hurt to season your donabe. 🙂
can i use a dianne for bibimbap
Hi Ena! Do you mean you want to use a donabe for bibimbap, right? Both earthenware so I think you can? For Japanese donabe, you can’t use more than medium heat. If you need to use higher heat for bibimbap, maybe donabe is not the right kind of earthenware to use. 🙂
Very useful information. Thank you.
Hi Jayashri! Glad to hear this post was helpful. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I’ve been lusting after a donabe for a while, but I get often times overwhelmed by the different choices available. And as originally italian, I am not familiar with them.
I usually cook for 3-4 people (2 adults + 2 kids) and I wonder if it would be better a larger one, or 3-4 small ones. From the “presentation” point of view, the small ones seem better, but if I’m cooking for everybody, is it ok to use a big one and then split into 4? What do japanese families do?? 🙂 I realized there may not be a “one-size-fits-all” answer, but just to get a better idea of how things are usually done, and since it would be my first one, I don’t know which way to go, before committing to several of them (which I am tempted already to do, but I live in a small place!).
Thank you for your great recipes!
Hi Barbara! I highly recommend one big one for the family. 3-4 small ones means that you will need separate cooking stove for that. And it’s fun cooking hot pot at the table and you just need one pot to enjoy with everyone (like fondue).
And your question made me realize that I should share how we enjoy hot pot. So here is a picture of how I set up a hot pot (not the best photo)… basically hot pot and ingredients in the center of the table. Then you have a small dipping bowl and a plate/bowl to collect food you cook in the hot pot.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/taiwanese-hot-pot-and-homemade-meatballs/
Hope that helps!
HI Nami,
thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! Yes, it does help! I look forward to buy one and try more recipes 🙂
Very useful tips!
Just a doubt. What happens if I use it to microwave food and then eat it directly from it?
I’ve read it can’t be used in microwaves.
I don’t own one yet but when I hear rice I put a ceramic plate on the ceramic plate that contains the rice itself and the rice heats so well. I thought this could be a good option but I’m not sure the reason it can’t be used in microwaves.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Omi! Thank you for reading my post. I believe the pot should be heated gradually to reduce the possibility of cracks due to heat stress. I don’t recommend, unless specifically said microwave-safe. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing the cleaning methods! I am so glad that I can finally remove the smell of my donabe!
Hi Jane! Hope that works! 🙂
Hi Nami, thank you very much for sharing tips about donabe. I recently grew a liking to Japanese hotpot and thinking to invest in a donabe. Currently I’m using Le Creuset pot for everything (hotpot, cook rice, etc), but I wonder why the food arrangement always gets messy when the soup boils and turned the ingredients upside down. Will this be better with a donabe? Also, if the donabe is used for multiple purpose (cooking rice, hotpot, stew), will the flavor get mixed up? Hope to have your advise 🙂
Hi Sherly! I had time that I wanted to cook everything in my Le Creuset, but because of the similar situation, I went back to cooking my hot pot in donabe. 😀
Simply, at least in my case, I put way too much ingredients and liquid when I was cooking in Le Creuset. So when the food is cooked, it float to the surface and so much space in the bottom that food just rotate and swim around… Now if you put less liquid, it might not be too bad, however, when we cook at the table with a portable gas burner, Le Creuset pot is tall and I can’t see anything what’s being cooked. So the less liquid option didn’t work for me.
Donabe is shallow, and there is curved around the bottom too, so the food kind of snuggle and stay at the place, especially in the beginning when you have quite a bit of ingredients it it. You’ll notice this right away.
If you love donabe, I’d definitely suggest to get one. If you take good care of it, it last long time (seasoning, no high heat, no dish washer etc etc). I mostly use for hot pot for a big donabe. I use small one for porridge when one person is sick (I use rice cooker to cook rice). Donabe creates crispy rice when you cook in donabe which is signature. I love it… but I just don’t have time to keep an eye on it while I cook other dishes, so I rely on my rice cooker to do the job.
As for the taste and smell… I never felt it’s “mixed up” using ingredients I put in. It’s like cast iron frying pan. If you cook something strong… I’d think about using donabe as it absorbs colors and smells. For example, after kimchi nabe, slightly red, but it doesn’t bother me. It goes away. It’s food after all. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Will i be able to use this on Electric coil (stove top)?
Hi Bharri! Please check each donabe. I’ve read coil is okay on some products, but maybe not for all of it. So just in case. 🙂