Tajin: what are these dishes, materials and tips on choosing

Cooking exotic dishes according to all culinary canons often requires the use of special tools that give the food an authentic taste and the right consistency. This category also includes tajin - a special type of cookware that allows you to always get excellent results in the kitchen. It is especially common in African countries, where most of the dishes are cooked over an open fire.

Tazhinakh perfectly obtained meat, steamed vegetables. With such a device, both baking and other methods of long-term cooking will be available even to not-too-experienced housewives.

This traditional Moroccan cuisine The vessel consists of a cover of an unusual conical shape with a flat top and a base where the products are laid. Tazhins (tajins) of different capacity, sizes are produced. The main thing is one thing - the way of cooking, and it has been known since the times of the ancient Maghreb. And over the centuries of its use, tagine and the dishes prepared in it did not cause any complaints.

Traditional for Morocco, this type of cookware easily settled down in France, which for many years owned African colonies. Today, it prepares restaurant dishes, pampers homemade delights of healthy cooking. Tagin itself looks like pot with a wide base, made of ceramic or metal. The height of the cover is on average three times larger than the dimensions of the sides - this is necessary for the formation of a special microclimate inside. In the conical part there is a small hole that removes excess steam.

In the tagine it is customary to cook meat, poultry - it is here that they acquire a special taste value, become soft and tender. Due to the height of the lid, the process of cooking in a closed vessel is as follows:

• during cooking, boiling water rises;
• condensable steam flows along the walls into the base of the pot and evaporates again;
• cooking takes place immediately using two technologies: direct bottom heating and steam exposure from above.

Due to the continuity of the process, the dishes inside are not burned, they are cooked with minimal loss of taste, they are incredibly tender. It is not surprising that in France cafes that cook tajine dishes are considered among the most popular.

Tajin is needed to prepare most dishes of North African and Moroccan cuisines. Food in it is pre-fried in oil, and then left to languish over low heat. It is also possible to prepare by extinguishing, in this case, the ingredients piled inside are simply flavored with a small amount of water. Meat, poultry, fish, fruits or vegetables are most often used as starting products. Flawlessly harvested cereals, legumes and other vegetarian food.

Food cooked in a special vessel is also called tajin. In this method of heat treatment tastes of spices, dried fruits, spices and herbs appear brighter. Nuts, honey, ginger are well combined with tagine. It is important to understand that in North Africa this method of preparation is not everyday - the duration of heat treatment makes it inconvenient for constant use.

But on holidays or when preparing dishes for the future, it is absolutely indispensable. Tazhin allows you to master the creation of food using complex, multi-component recipes - due to the fusion of tastes and aromas, the result is always the way it should be.

Traditional tagine is completely ceramic vessel. In Morocco, it is used not only for cooking, but also for serving. Accordingly, it is customary to choose beautiful, original vessels with a national flavor. But other options are possible.

Classic clay tagine is the best choice for preparing Moroccan cuisine. Utensils made of porous burned, but not glazed clay have the ability influence the moisture level of a dish, absorbing and releasing moisture in a natural way. The finished product is obtained very rich juices. But good results can be obtained only if the vessel itself has been previously soaked in water for several hours.

The clay tagine has one, but a very significant drawback - they absorb odors. If the dishes are used to create different dishes, it will have to be soaked for a long time or have separate containers for meat, fish, cereals and sweet food. In addition, the hygiene of the clay tagine is also minimal.

Annealed glazed versions of dishes deprived of this defect, it is convenient to wash them, eliminating unpleasant odors. But the effect of natural moisture regulation is decreasing.

A special type of clay with admixtures of mineral origin is also used in the manufacture of modern Moroccan dishes. Ceramic tagine glazed, baked, acquiring a solid glossy surface. Cookware of this type is usually non-stick, it is suitable for direct installation on an electric stove.

But on the gas burner will have to use a divider, giving a more uniform heating. On induction surfaces, an adapter is used - a metal circle according to the size of the contour of the burner.

As with clay containers, ceramic ware is different:

• aesthetic appearance;
• environmental safety;
• long preservation of the set temperature;
• optimal conditions for quenching and languor.

Clay and ceramic containers are not suitable for open fire, they can break or crack, and are not suitable for frying. Otherwise, they are almost flawless and allow you to keep the authentic technology of cooking dishes of North African cuisine.

If there is only a gas stove, you can not refuse to use the original dishes of the Moroccan type. Cast iron tagine has excellent heat capacity, not inferior to ceramics. It can pre-fry meat or fish, caramelize vegetables and fruits. The lower part of the cast iron tagine is suitable for baking dishes in the oven.

The convenience of the cast iron tag is indisputable - it is convenient for cooking on the grill or in the oven, on any type of stove, can be used as a camping version of the dishes. For the induction hob, no adapter is needed: cast iron has ferromagnetic properties. Both all-metal versions of products, and combined, with a clay lightweight lid are produced.

Despite the status of non-ferrous metal, cast aluminum is quite suitable for making the base of tagine. The top of these models are made of ceramic, lightweight, preventing the weighting of the structure. The coating inside the bowl can be made of ceramic, stone, titanium for slower and proper heating.

European manufacturers relatively recently began to produce unusual stainless steel tags. Such dishes are complemented by an insert for cooking products for a couple. You can even lay the ingredients on several tiers, taking into account the desired temperature and cooking time. In a metal bowl it is convenient not only to stew, but also to fry, bake.

Ferromagnetic properties allow using induction plates to put steel tagine directly on the contour of the burner. So that the heat inside the tank is distributed correctly and evenly, the bottom is made in the form of a multilayer structure with an additional plate of aluminum inside the layers of stainless steel. But experienced chefs do not recommend replacing ceramic and cast iron tagine steel with steel: heat is lost faster, because of which the cooking technology is broken.

The main producers of regular Tajines are companies from Morocco and France.

• Brand Emile Henry manufactures high-quality ceramic tags. Products are distinguished by aesthetics (their heat-resistant walls are covered with multi-colored glaze), they are practical in their care. The ware is adapted for use with all types of plates, ovens.

• Staub - French company, which produces magnificent combined type tazhins. The heavy cast iron base has a non-stick coating of enamelled ceramics. The dome is ceramic, lighter. The cookware is suitable for direct heating on all types of stoves.

• Le creuset - French company producing thick-walled Moroccan-type cast-iron dishes. Ceramic dome allows to achieve the effect of traditional languor, as in a clay pot. Cook with such dishes can be on any type of stove. Aesthetic tagine can be served on the table without fear that the dish will cool.

• "Borisov ceramics" - products of the Russian manufacturer. Moroccan cooking vessels of this brand are notable for their affordable price, wide range of sizes. Products with a dome cover focused on baking in a microwave or oven. Direct heating is completely excluded.

• Vetta. The company produces stainless steel togins with steamer function. The ware differs in the small weight, universality, simplicity in leaving. But it is rather a saucepan than an authentic Moroccan vessel.

When choosing a tag for cooking in the Moroccan style, you should pay attention to the following points:

• sizes and diameter: portioned options are convenient for a restaurant, large braziers for the home;
• type of plate: for the induction and gas metal options are required;
• heating method: only dishes of the appropriate height are placed in the oven;
• type of heat treatment: in pottery it is impossible to fry foods before stewing.

Ceramic, clay containers and caps should be carefully checked for cracks and chips. It is necessary to take into account the manufacturer's recommendations for specific dishes. They affect the permissible heating temperature, determine the rules of care for the tagine.

Tazhin is not recommended to be used in the oven - the clay part just cracks, but there are special series designed specifically for this method of cooking. Cooking on a gas stove using such dishes is possible, but not too desirable, because it is difficult to control the heat.

The ideal option is an open hearth in which the coals smolder. Get the desired intensity of heating can be on the electric stove, suitable induction or classical with cast-iron, slowly cooling the burners.

Insofar as the food in the tagine is cooked for a long time exist specific rules for placing products inside the container. Mutton lay in it for 10-12 hours. For beef, half of this time will suffice, even if the meat is old and tough. For full readiness of fish and chicken dishes in the tagine 60 minutes are enough.

About why you need a tagine and how to use it correctly, see the following video.