Stoneware

Stoneware is a durable ceramic fired at high temperatures until its body becomes vitrified or nearly vitrified. Its dense structure is generally impervious to liquids without glazing.

Vitrification: The formation of a glassy phase in a material as it is heated, reducing porosity and increasing density. Vitrification closes pores in stoneware’s clay body and makes it resistant to liquid penetration.
Ceramic: A material made from inorganic, nonmetallic substances hardened by heat. Stoneware is one kind of ceramic, shaped from clay and hardened in a kiln.
Crock (pottery): A sturdy, usually glazed ceramic vessel used for storing or preparing food. Stoneware crocks exploit the material’s durability and resistance to liquid seepage.
Chinese ceramics: Ceramic traditions developed in China, including early high-fired stoneware and porcelain. Chinese potters produced high-fired stoneware long before it became established in Europe.
Kiln: An insulated oven used to heat materials to high temperatures for processes such as firing ceramics. A kiln supplies the controlled heat that transforms clay into stoneware.
Clay: Fine-grained natural earth material that becomes plastic when wet and hardens when fired. Clay provides the workable raw material from which stoneware bodies are made.
Stoneware crock fermentation: The fermentation of foods in a ceramic crock, often under brine and a weighted lid. A nonporous stoneware vessel can hold brine while resisting food acids.
Rhineland stoneware: European stoneware made in the Rhineland, especially from the medieval period onward. Rhineland workshops became major producers of durable, often salt-glazed vessels.
Firing (pottery): The process of heating shaped clay in a kiln to produce a durable ceramic. Stoneware’s defining density develops during high-temperature firing.
Earthenware: Porous pottery fired at relatively low temperatures, typically requiring glaze to hold liquids. Its lower firing temperature leaves earthenware more absorbent than stoneware.

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