The Jambalaya tradition is alive and well and spreading far and wide, far beyond its Cajun origins in Louisiana. If you are thinking of starting to cook in Jambalaya, there are a few things that are good to know.

Jambalaya pots are multi-purpose; They’re great for stews, soups, gumbos, popcorn, and much more. You can cook almost any type of food with cast iron cookware, making these pots the ultimate example of “anything goes” large-scale kitchen equipment.

Cast iron pots are an excellent cooking medium with near perfect heat conduction and retention, are highly efficient and heat evenly and consistently with no hot spots.

There is a piece of advice that is essential, do not buy cheap. A Jambalaya pot is an investment your grandchildren’s children will enjoy, so shop well. Remember, by comparative standards, they are not expensive, and when measured over their long life, they are unbelievably cheap.

As a simple piece of advice, we have found the Bayou Classic range of Jambalaya pots to be excellent, they represent the very best in Jambalaya cookware.

Jambalaya pots are ideal for outdoor cooking but can be a bit heavy, especially the larger models. That being said, the common advice from users is that if you feel you have chosen the correct size, go for the next size up as there will surely come a time when you need it. With that being said, also keep in mind that going from a 7 gallon pot to a 10 gallon pot will go from being able to serve 60 people to being able to serve 100.

It is really healthy to cook with cast iron Jambalaya pots because you can cook without fat as a properly seasoned Jambalaya pot will be non-stick thus no oil required for cooking.

Jambalaya pots are easy to clean:

1. once the pot has cooled, wash it with regular liquid detergent, then rinse and dry with a paper towel; don’t listen to those who say just delete it; this is not hygienic.
2. after washing, place pot on stove/burner to dry completely; then, before it cools, grease very lightly with a vegetable oil; then leave it on the stove for a few minutes; then remove it from the stove and wipe up any excess oil with a paper towel;
3. After drying your cookware, you should never store it with the lid on, as this can allow moisture to accumulate inside and cause rust. To help prevent this, it may help to put a paper towel inside the pot to absorb moisture; and
4. If you experience rust, scrub with steel wool, until the rust is gone, wash and re-season.

Finally, here are some do’s and don’ts when cooking with your Jambalaya pots:

1. Do not use your pot to boil water.
2. Always preheat your pot before you start cooking. The temperature is right when the water droplets sizzle and then jump. It’s too hot if the water immediately turns to steam and too cold if the water just bubbles.
3. Never pour cold water into a very hot pot, as it may break. AND
4. Never touch the jambalaya pot when cooking as it gets very hot. Have a good, heavy-duty pair of oven mitts handy if you must touch or move it.