Cooking equipment
The tools of the Moroccan kitchen
From the conical clay tagine to the couscoussier, the mortar and pestle and the silver tea set — how the equipment works, how to care for it, and what is worth buying. 58 practical guides for cooks and souk shoppers.
Page 1 of 3 · 58 guides
Tagine & braising
Tagine & braising · 9 min
The Tagine Pot: A Complete Buyer's & User's Guide
Everything you need to choose, season, use and care for a real clay tagine — plus how to tell a cooking tagine from a decorative one before you buy.
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Tagine & braising · 8 min
Cast Iron vs Clay Tagine: Which Should You Cook In?
A clay tagine and an enamelled cast-iron pot both braise beautifully, but they behave differently. Here is what actually changes and how to choose for your kitchen.
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Tagine & braising · 8 min
The Tanjia: Marrakech's Slow-Cooked Pot
The tanjia is both a dish and the urn-shaped clay pot that makes it, cooked for hours in the embers of a hammam furnace. Here is how it works.
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Tagine & braising · 7 min
Electric Tagine vs Traditional: Is It Worth It?
Electric tagines promise tagine cooking without a diffuser or a watchful eye. Here is how they compare with a traditional clay pot, and who should buy one.
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Tagine & braising · 8 min
Clay vs Ceramic vs Cast Iron for a Tagine
Three materials make a tagine, and each cooks, cleans and lasts differently. Here is a clear-eyed comparison to help you pick the right one.
Read guide Tagine & braising · 8 min
Pressure Cooker for Moroccan Tagines: Fast Braising Guide
A pressure cooker turns a three-hour lamb tagine into a forty-minute supper. Here is how to braise Moroccan food under pressure without losing the flavour.
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Tagine & braising · 8 min
The Moroccan Marmite: Stockpot Guide for Harira & Big-Batch Soups
The tall marmite is the workhorse behind harira, bissara and Ramadan cooking for a crowd. Here is how to choose and use one for Moroccan soups and stews.
Read guide Tagine & braising · 7 min
The Clay Casserole (Taoussa): Oven-Baked Kalia & Gratins
Beyond the tagine, Morocco's flat glazed clay dish bakes kalia, m'qualli and gratins in the oven with gentle, even heat. Here is how to buy and use one.
Read guide Tagine & braising · 8 min
The Copper Pot (Nhas): Its Revival in Moroccan Kitchens
Hand-hammered copper once defined Moroccan and Fassi kitchens, then faded. Here is why nhas is coming back, what it cooks best, and how to use it safely.
Read guide Tagine & braising · 7 min
Slow Cooker Tagine Method: Set-and-Forget Moroccan Braising
A slow cooker braises a tagine while you are out, then you reduce the sauce to finish. Here is how to adapt Moroccan recipes for the crock pot without watery results.
Read guide Tagine & braising · 8 min
Dutch Oven as a Tagine Substitute: What Works & What Doesn't
A heavy Dutch oven can braise a fine Moroccan tagine, but the flat lid changes the game. Here is how to get authentic results and where the substitution falls short.
Read guideCouscous & steaming
Couscous & steaming · 8 min
The Couscoussier: Morocco's Two-Part Steamer Pot
A couscoussier is a wide stew pot topped with a perforated steamer basket — the one tool that gives couscous its light, separate grains. Here is how to choose one.
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Couscous & steaming · 7 min
The Gsaa: Morocco's Wide Wooden Bowl
The gsaa is the broad, shallow bowl used to work couscous, knead bread and toss salads. Here is how to choose one and keep the wood in good shape.
Read guide Couscous & steaming · 8 min
How to Use a Couscoussier (The Real Method)
Steaming couscous the traditional way takes three passes and a little patience. Here is the step-by-step method for light, separate grains every time.
Read guide Couscous & steaming · 7 min
Cooking Couscous Without a Couscoussier
No couscoussier? You can still steam couscous the proper way with a stockpot and a well-fitting colander. Here is how to improvise a steamer that works.
Read guideTea service
Tea service · 8 min
The Moroccan Tea Set: What You Actually Need
A complete Moroccan tea set is a teapot, glasses, a tray and a few small tools. Here is what each piece does and how to assemble a set you will actually use.
Read guide Tea service · 7 min
The Berrad: Choosing a Moroccan Teapot
The berrad is the curved-spout teapot at the centre of Moroccan tea. Here is how to tell a brewing pot from a serving pot, and which to buy.
Read guide Tea service · 7 min
Moroccan Tea Glasses: A Buyer's Guide
Small, colourful and heatproof, Moroccan tea glasses are made for hot sweet tea poured from a height. Here is how to choose ones that last.
Read guide Tea service · 7 min
The Siniya: Morocco's Tea Tray
The siniya is the wide metal tray that carries the whole tea service and catches the drips of a high pour. Here is how to choose and care for one.
Read guide Tea service · 7 min
Moroccan Tea Strainers and Accessories
A strainer, sugar tools and a few small accessories complete a Moroccan tea service. Here is what each does and which are genuinely useful.
Read guide Tea service · 7 min
The Sugar Cone and Tools of Moroccan Tea
Moroccan tea is famously sweet, and traditionally sweetened with a hard sugar cone broken by hand. Here is the cone, the tools, and how sweetening works.
Read guideBuying & care
Buying & care · 7 min
How to Season a Clay Tagine (Step by Step)
A new clay tagine needs seasoning before its first meal to strengthen the clay and guard against cracking. Here is the simple, reliable method and how to keep it seasoned.
Read guide Buying & care · 8 min
Choosing a Tagine for Your Stove Type
Gas, electric, induction, ceramic or open flame — your heat source decides which tagine will work and which will crack. Here is how to match the pot to your hob.
Read guide Buying & care · 7 min
Glazed vs Unglazed Tagine: Which to Choose
A glaze changes how a clay tagine cooks, cleans and lasts. Here is the practical difference between glazed and unglazed, and which suits your kitchen.
Read guideAnswers
About these equipment guides
What do these Moroccan cooking equipment guides cover?
The tools that make Moroccan food what it is — the conical clay tagine, the two-part couscoussier, the mortar and pestle, the tea set and pot, the charcoal brazier and more. Each guide explains what a piece does, how to use and care for it, what to buy, and the alternatives you can use in a home kitchen abroad.
Do I need special equipment to cook Moroccan food?
Not to start. A heavy lidded pot (a Dutch oven) will braise a fine tagine, and a large pot with a steamer basket can stand in for a couscoussier. But the authentic tools — clay tagine, couscoussier, mortar and pestle — change the texture and experience, and our guides explain when they are worth it.
How do I buy a real tagine in the souk without being overcharged?
Know the difference between a cooking tagine (thick, plain or lightly glazed clay) and a decorative one (thin, brightly painted — for serving only), agree a price before you commit, and check for cracks. Our buying and care guides walk through exactly what to look for.