Magnifique Claypot Review: A Healthier Slow Cooking Option

Curious about a healthier slow cooking alternative?

For the past month, I have been testing the Magnifique Claypot— and I’m sharing all the details, every setting, and whether or not I think it’s a better option for your kitchen 👩🏻‍🍳

2 years ago, my slow cooker broke, and while researching to buy a replacement, I saw claims that many crockpots and slow cookers were being contaminated with heavy metals. Needless to say, I never replaced my slow cooker and have instead been just using a good ol' fashion pot on the stove. 

But I've recently been thinking it would be so nice to have a versatile appliance that allowed me the option for more "hands-off" cooking (especially as we gear up for my daughter to start school in the fall)! Not long after that, I was contacted by Magnifique, offering me the opportunity to try one of their Claypot Ovens. After asking them half a dozen questions to make sure it would be a good fit for my family (and you), I told them that I was excited to try it out!

This post will share all about my experience using the Claypot Oven by Magnifique and answer all your questions to see if it is right for your family, too.

TLDR: I'll just get right to it... I love this appliance. It filled all my needs for cooking, sauteeing, and slow cooking, and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly everything cooked! Not to mention the amazing customer service— when I asked for a copy of any third-party testing for safety, I immediately received a response with a copy of the full test results 👏

What is Magnifique?

Magnifique is a team of  ​people passionate about helping people cook healthier meals, while prioritizing sustainability, convenience, and aesthetic cookware… which are some of my favorite things 👏

They set out on a mission, “to find the answer for one “burning” question: Why do companies use or add harmful chemicals to make cookware?”

This led them to kaolin clay and designing the Claypot Oven!

What is kaolin clay, and is it even safe for cooking?

I'll be honest.. before being in contact with this company, I had no idea what kaolin clay was. I had heard about clay for face masks and armpit detoxes, but never for cooking. So, being the kinda crunchy health enthusiast I am, I was immediately intrigued and got to researching.

Turns out, kaolin clay is a naturally occurring soft white clay that has been used for centuries in everything from fine porcelain to skincare. It’s primarily composed of the mineral kaolinite, a gentle yet durable material known for its neutral pH, non-toxicity, and heat-resistant properties. While kaolin is most famous for its role in pottery and cosmetics, its unique qualities make it an unexpectedly perfect choice for a modern kitchen essential: the slow cooker.

Health Benefits and Unique Properties of Kaolin Clay

1. Naturally Non-Toxic & Inert
One of the biggest health benefits of kaolin clay is that it’s chemically inert. This means it doesn’t leach harmful chemicals or react with acidic or alkaline foods, unlike some metal or coated cookware. When used in a slow cooker, kaolin clay helps ensure that your food stays pure and free from contaminants like lead, cadmium, or PFAS. This was my big concern with heavy metals and leaching from conventional slow cookers. 

This is also why I so appreciate brand transparency and their sharing third-party testing results to confirm the quality of appliances we invest in!

2. Heat Retention & Even Cooking
Kaolin clay retains and distributes heat evenly, making it ideal for slow cooking. The result? Tender, flavorful meals cooked gently over time without hotspots that can burn or dry out food. This makes a kaolin clay slow cooker especially suited for soups, stews, and braised dishes where depth of flavor and moisture matter. 

On their site, they state:

"The innate self-insulating properties of our unique Kaolin Claypot, Lid, and Kaolin Glaze composition allow for consistent, even heating and a drastically longer heat retention rate, perfect for cooking meals 4X faster and keeping them warm during service." 

This is super important!! Not only for yummy meals, but food safety! When you have food in the temperature "danger zone" for too long, it allows bacteria (and subsequent foodborne illness) to thrive. Because no matter the mouthwatering recipes, if it results in your family being sick, it's a no-go for me.

3. Eco-Friendly & Sustainable
Kaolin is a naturally abundant material and requires minimal processing, making it an environmentally responsible choice. It is also extremely durable and this single piece of cookware can last you decades when well taken care of. 

In addition to the composition being sustainable, it is also an eco-friendly choice from an energy perspective. The Claypot Oven heats evenly and retains this heat for longer periods, allowing it to require far less energy - up to 70% less - than traditional slow cookers.

4. Aesthetically Beautiful
Last but not least, kaolin clay slow cookers are really beautiful. The claypots have a matte finish in beautiful earthy tones (I have the brown sugar option). It's the same reason this clay is used in pottery and ceramics-- it is functional and works great for design too!

My Experience Using the Claypot Oven

I made it my mission to try every single setting on this bad boy before giving it my stamp of approval-- and within the first couple of weeks of its delivery time, I made it happen! 

Testing out cooking corn in the ClayPot and leaving it on the warming setting. It turned out so good 🤤 (also ignore the leftover corn silk— my kitchen assistant is a 4-year-old 😜😍)

​The settings:

• Rice- I followed the measurements on the rice bag and put it into the Claypot. While it was cooking, I was browsing through the manual and realized that they recommend slightly different measurements for rice. My rice was almost already cooked, so I just stuck with it, and it turned out great! Maybe next time I will try the Magnifique recommended measurements with a half cup of extra water... but overall, I was impressed with how quickly the rice cooked. Definitely quicker than boiling water on the stove, adding rice, and simmering for 25 minutes.

• Sear and sautee- The second thing I tried out was the sear mode after seeing a recipe for seared halibut fish tacos 🤤 I normally wouldn't have even thought to cook fish in the Claypot, so I was glad I stumbled upon a new recipe that reminded me of that setting! I set the Claypot to "high" on it's "Sear/Sautee" setting and let it heat up for a few minutes. Then I placed 4 pieces of fish (my favorite Wild Alaskan Seafood) into the tray and was curious how it'd work. I ended up cooking the fish for ~8 minutes on each side with the lid on. The fish was flaky and moist, with a light sear on the outside ( I think I could have let the Claypot heat up a little bit more before adding the fish in, but for the first time using this setting, I was happy!)

• Slow Cook - In my summer meal rotation post, I shared how I have been on a corn kick. There is something about sweet corn on the cob with summer butter and salt that is just quintessential summertime to me, and I love every bit of it. That said, we typically grill corn, but given my mission to test out all the settings on the Claypot, I thought I would try it out. I have previously seen recipes for cooking corn in a crock pot, so I figured it was all the same. I turned the Claypot to the “Slow cook” setting on high and popped in the ears of corn. They cooked for about 30 minutes before I checked on them and gave ‘em a turn, and then cooked for another 30 minutes.

• Keep Warm- When I cooked the corn, I left it on the warming setting for about an hour while the rest of the dinner cooked. It was the perfect temperature when we were ready to eat it, and it still seemed like it was freshly cooked. My husband and I were chatting about other ways we could use this feature:

  • Saturday morning breakfast- this would be the perfect setting for keeping bacon and pancakes warm and ready for our Saturday morning family breakfasts

  • Freshly cooked tortillas- we love homemade sourdough tortillas (my fave recipe here in case you need it), but they tend to get a little stiff when they cool down. Using the Magnifique Claypot on the warming setting would be perfect to keep them warm and soft for Taco Tuesday!

Every Claypot Oven comes with a recipe cookbook— this Tuscan chicken Meatball with Gnocchi recipe is at the top of our list for things to try when the weather cools down in the fall 🤤

One Pot Cooking

Now, I am not always one to follow all the directions 👀, but I am all about efficiency. One thing I have been trying (and loving) is using it for one-pot meals! Here is how I made these rice, salmon, and broccoli bowls for dinner..

1. Turn the Claypot to the “White Rice” setting and add the appropriate amounts of rice and water

2. Sear the salmon on a stainless steel pan (okay, maybe it wasn’t quite a one pan meal… but the searing is optional!)

3. Add the salmon and raw broccoli into the pot and let it all cook

I kind of just watched it and let it cook until the broccoli and rice were tender, and the salmon was flaky and cooked all the way through. It took everything about ~25 minutes, give or take. The whole family loved it, and polished off all that I had cooked! It will definitely be a regular meal for our family.

Plus, one of the best parts was the super-easy clean up afterwards!

Final Thoughts

Over the years, I have really leaned into minimalism wherever possible. This means that I love products that are versatile and can be used all the time, as opposed to sitting in the back of my pantry for months on end. Since opening the box and starting to use the Claypot Oven, it has been on my counter most days— both because we are using it that much, and also because it is not like other kitchen appliances that are kinda an eyesore. It’s actually beautiful.

I also really appreciate the sustainable materials used in its design and construction, and know that this is a piece of kitchenware that I will be able to cook nourishing meals with for decades. One of my favorite things about this “job” is getting to be on the frontlines of new and innovative products within the health space, and I cannot wait to see what Magnifique continues to create!

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