Thursday, June 11, 2009

Teapot Use and Care

P2070306 - Copy - Copy

These suggestions for teapot use and care are from  Mrs. Isabella Beeton’s Book of Household Management, published in 1860.

-  have several teapots for different occasions

-  avoid using aluminum or enamel; aluminum may discolor the tea; chipped enamel may effect the flavor of the tea

-  ceramic or bone china teapots retain the heat best

-  check the glaze inside the pot for cracks and crazes

-  check the handle for finger and knuckle room to avoid burns

-  look for a hole in the lid to allow air to pass into the pot to avoid dribble and a mess from the teaspout

-  a lug should be part of the lid to hold it in place so the lid doesn’t crash into the cups as the tea is poured

-  avoid using detergent inside a teapot as this will affect the taste of the tea

-  remove tannin stains inside the teapot by filling and soaking the pot over several hours with a solution of hot water and four tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda – rinse thoroughly.

Funny how this advice was given nearly 150 years ago, but it is just as relevant today as it was then.  The only thing I do differently is using a paste of baking soda to clean the inside of my teapot, instead of soaking it and this is only because I don’t want to wait for several hours.

7 comments:

Marilyn Miller said...

That is a great list. I love the teapot in the picture too.

parTea lady said...

Thank you. I call this my beach teapot. It is the Seascapes pattern from Portmeirion.

Angela McRae said...

What a pretty teapot, and what great tips! I especially like the first one! ;)

Martha said...

Teapot care is important -- but I read once that the reason your don't use detergent in your teapot (which affects the taste) is that the British don't rinse their dishes!

There are many teapots at Linderhof -- all are well taken care of.

Lisa said...

Cute teapot! After reading the comments, I do see the seascape pattern! :)

Jocelyn said...

Wonderful suggestions for the care of teapots. I have several that I use and it is good to know about proper care. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that.
And he just bought me lunch because I found it for him smile Therefore let
me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!

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