I hesitated to buy this expensive piece of cookware. Now that I have it, I love it and use it almost daily. I bake a lot of potatoes, but they can burn in the oven so easily, or dry out. I had a hunch that maybe baking them inside a large ceramic vessel would prevent drying and protect from burning. That's turned out to be true! My potatoes come out moist and delicious. I mostly use this pot to bake batches of potatoes, but it's very versatile and also gorgeous. There is something sensual about the clay that invites touch, and the design is timeless, with small "imperfections" that add to the charm.

We love our La Chamba pots - this is our third pot! The other two (roasting pan) and smaller stew pot have been wonderful and we just wanted one for bigger cooking events - it's fantastic.

I love this cookware. it can be used in various heating sources--microwave, stove tops, ovens. looks great on your table and keeps the food warm. I gave it 5 stars but beware the 8 Qt. is really large. do not order if you don't have a large oven or a lot of people to cook for. it was too large for me. I returned it for a smaller pot and had no trouble with my refund.

I'd never seen one of these pots in person before, I'd only seen photos, so I was a little nervous about ordering the piece. I was also concerned about ordering a clay pot through the mail, fearing that such a fragile item might arrive damaged. My fears were unfounded. It was packaged very carefully and it arrived in PERFECT condition from Ancient Cookware. The piece is beautifully crafted, it is absolutely STUNNING. It is also quite hefty.

My wife and I already own 5 pieces of this cookware and I bought another piece for her recent birthday. This extra large pot arrived with a crack and a small chip. Because of these 2 faults I gave the product a "3 rating". I now give it a "5" for the following reasons. First, the chamba cookware is absolutely wonderful. Its even heat distribution and no hot spots assures that food cooks evenly. This particular pot maintains that tradition of excellence. Second, the cookware is aesthetically beautiful and can be used like an art piece. You can display it in your kitchen because it is so attractive. Third, when I explained my problem to the company they addressed the issue immediately and cordially. The replacement pot we received lives up to the quality of the brand. My wife recently made a special chicken stew in the pot and it was amazing. Fourth, the company wanted me to photograph the problem. When the company saw the crack and the chip, they told me to just throw it away and not return it. That said volumes to me. It says that the company's standard of excellence was so high that it would rather discard the pot than try to "fix" and resell it. We are very, very pleased and give the company our highest rating.