What kind of process is 'refiring' mentioned in the donabe care guide?
While reading the donabe care guide, I came across the unfamiliar phrase 'refiring maintenance.' I asked this question because it was difficult to understand how it differs from repairing breakage.
Refiring is a process that burns away food residue and odors embedded in the fine pores of an earthen pot over prolonged use using the high heat of a kiln, restoring it to a clean state.
Refiring refers to the process of putting ceramics into a kiln and baking them again. A donabe shaped from clay has countless microscopic pores on its surface that are invisible to the eye. With long-term use, broth, oil, and food odors penetrate deeply into these small crevices, making them difficult to wash completely clean with regular cleaning. When the donabe is placed in a high-temperature kiln and fired again at this time, the organic residues trapped inside burn completely away, reviving the clay to its original state.
It is the work of emptying out by burning with fire. Igamono started this donabe refiring maintenance service so that users can continue using their well-worn donabe without throwing them away [1]. Unlike breakage repair that fills in cracked or chipped areas, it is a care method that refreshes the vessel by clearing away odors and stubborn stains embedded in the clay itself through high heat. hmmm, in helping people mend and reuse familiar earthen pots by putting them back into the kiln rather than replacing them with new ones, one can glimpse a sincere attitude toward everyday tools.
The specific application procedure for requesting the refiring maintenance service and the time it takes to rebake in the kiln have not yet been confirmed.