Cookware of the Earth

Living in southern France last winter and spring gave me a taste for the regional cuisine and the way food arrives at the table in the lovely earthenware pots it was cooked in. Emile Henry's extensive line of hand-made bakeware uses local Burgundy clay. Their beautiful glazes are lead- and cadmium-free, and the clay conducts heat evenly and retains heat at lower temperatures, for energy-efficient cooking. Moroccan clay tagines, which trap steam in their cone-shaped lids, are great for slow-cooking vegetables or meats at low temperatures. With their glazed, slick surfaces, both products offer healthy alternatives to Teflon, which, when overheated, releases the suspected carcinogen PFOA.

To re-create the pleasures of French bakeries, try unglazed stone and clay bakeware, which mimics the oven bricks used to evenly distribute moisture for crusty loaves and crisp pastry. The Pampered Chef's Stoneware collection has loaf and pie pans and pizza stones made from lead-free clay. Alfred Bakeware uses a patented clay particle coating for a natural non-stick surface. French bouillabaisse marmites may be rare, but domestic soapstone pots from Vermont, with excellent heat retention, are available for stovetop use (with a heat diffuser) for flavorful soups and stocks.

Product Picks: Emile Henry Artisinale casserole (from $33, www.surlatable.com). Handmade, lead-free tagine ($34, www.tagines.com). Pampered Chef loaf pan ($18.50, www.pamperedchef.com). Alfred Bakeware pie pan ($24.99, www.tuftyceramics.com). Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate & Soapstone 2-qt. pot ($89, www.vermontstonegifts.com).