You’d be forgiven for thinking that the two-tone earthenware vessels on display in SingleThread’s open kitchen are for decorative purposes only.
The more than 60 donabe (traditional Japanese clay cooking pots) that line the walls of the Healdsburg, CA, fine-dining destination (and one of our 2017 Top 50!) are striking in their handmade beauty, lit from below like precious relics. Admire them for long, though, and you’ll see a cook take one and put it to work.
“Most extremely functional cooking tools aren’t particularly sexy,” says chef-owner Kyle Connaughton, “but donabe represent that rare object that is so functional and so elegant at the same time.”
Handcrafted from fossil-filled Japanese clay, the thick-walled pots retain and diffuse heat evenly, allowing for gentle, delicate cooking. The team uses different purpose-built donabe for preparing everything from steamed rice to braised guinea hen.
They’re one of the pillars upon which the chef’s 11-course tasting menu is built but also serve as a metaphor for it. “I mean, it starts as a lump of clay and water, but it’s infinitely complex in its craftsmanship,” he says. “We approach cooking in that spirit: simple food that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Here's what to know before you buy:
Craftsmanship
Surprise: An artisanal donabe will be more durable and retain heat better than a mass-produced one. SingleThread’s are handmade by Nagatani-en, eighth-generation master potters from Japan’s Iga prefecture.
Material
The most prized donabe are made with coarse clay filled with tiny fossils that vaporize in the kiln, creating little holes that are key to heat retention. The unglazed portion of the donabe should look rough and pockmarked.
Dimensions
There are lots to choose from. A standard deep and round one with a 2½–3-quart capacity is a good place to start. Even if you don't do much Japanese cooking, Connaughton recommends donabe for anything you’d make in a Dutch oven, like braises and other long-simmered dishes.