Care & Materials
What goes in the dishwasher, and why the painting does not come off
Everything Ferzalon makes is glazed earthenware, painted under the glaze and fired. All of it is dishwasher and microwave safe. None of it is ovenproof. That is the short version; the detail is below.
The one rule that matters
Avoid thermal shock. Earthenware does not like a sudden change of temperature — that is what cracks a glaze, not washing it. So do not take a plate out of the fridge and run hot water over it, do not put a chilled platter under a grill, and do not set a pan straight off a flame onto a plate.
Follow that and these pieces will outlast most of the things in your cupboard.
By material
Glazed earthenware
All plates, bowls and platters. Dishwasher safe, microwave safe, not ovenproof. Soak rather than scour if something has baked on — a scouring pad will dull the glaze over time even though it will not remove the painting.
Under-glaze colour
The decoration sits beneath the glaze and is fired with it, so it is sealed in glass. There is no transfer, no decal and no surface film, which is why there is no edge for a dishwasher to lift and why the colour does not go pale.
Unglazed foot rings
The base ring of some pieces is left unglazed, which is normal for earthenware. It holds a little water after a wash, so dry the base before setting a piece back on a wooden worktop.
Microwave and oven
Microwave: yes, for all of it. There is no metal or lustre anywhere in the range, so nothing sparks.
Oven: no. These are tableware, not bakeware. Earthenware is fired at a lower temperature than stoneware and is not built to go from a cold kitchen to a hot oven. Use it to serve what you cooked in something else.
Freezer: we would not. Not because it damages the piece immediately, but because the cycle from freezer to hot water is exactly the thermal shock described above.
Marks, stains and cutlery
Steel cutlery can leave faint grey lines on any glazed surface after a few years of use. They are metal deposits, not scratches in the glaze, and they come off with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and a little water rubbed on with a finger.
Tomato, turmeric and red wine do not stain a fired glaze. If something looks stained, it is sitting on the surface and will wash off.
Variation is not damage
Because every piece is painted freehand, expect the motif to sit slightly differently on each one, the rim strokes to vary in width, and the number of dashes round an edge to differ. On the langoustine plate the number of langoustines itself varies. Small pinholes or specks in a glaze are normal in earthenware.
What is not normal: a crack, a chip, a rough sharp edge, or a piece that arrives in more than one part. If any of that turns up, email info@ferzalon.com with a photograph and we will replace it or refund you — and we will not ask you to post broken ceramics back to us.