Chapter 373 The First Iron Pot

The new territory of the Teng tribe, the smelting workshop.

“Dang…dang…dang…”

A warrior from the Teng tribe placed a red-hot iron plate on a large stone with a dent in it, then swung a hammer and hit it hard.

He wanted to use the good ductility of the iron plate to hammer it into the shape of a pot bit by bit.

The iron pot was what the leader Jiang Xuan specifically requested, saying that it could make food more delicious.

Since the appearance of iron, smelting workshops have been working day and night to make various iron tools for the tribe.

The first batch of ironware was iron knives made by Jiang Xuan and others, and the second batch of ironware was various practical tools including hammers, iron felt, and iron chisels.

Compared to bronze, which easily cracks under stress, iron has much better performance and is naturally suitable for making various tools.

With these tools, the smelting workshops were able to forge iron tools much faster than before. In addition to weapons, they also began to create various daily necessities.

Compared with bronze ware, which was mainly made by casting, the manufacture of iron ware was obviously much more difficult.

The warriors of the Teng tribe often need to heat a piece of iron repeatedly and then hammer it thousands of times before it can slowly take shape.

Of course, all the hard work is worth it. Ironware is not only more durable, but also much easier to repair than bronze. It is a truly good thing.

"How's the fight going?"

Just as the soldier in charge of making the iron pot was hammering it hard, Jiang Xuan walked over with a smile, and it was obvious that he was very concerned about the iron pot.

The soldier said embarrassedly: "Chief, we have never made an iron pot before, so we are a little slow."

Jiang Xuan squatted down and looked at the large piece of iron that was still slightly reddish. He saw that a dent had been knocked out in the middle of it, but the shape was irregular and it was still far from being a formed iron pot.

Not only that, due to limited conditions, the iron sheets were not cut into a very round shape, so it might be a bit difficult to make a round iron pan.

Jiang Xuan did not blame the soldier. After all, everything has a first time, and a good product often requires a lot of failures to be made.

Jiang Xuan said: "Throw the iron sheet into the furnace and heat it up again. I'll give it a try."

"yes!"

The soldier immediately used a pair of tongs to throw the dented large iron sheet into the furnace, and then tried hard to shake the windmill-shaped blowing device to make the charcoal fire burn more vigorously and the temperature in the furnace higher.

When the large iron sheet was heated again, he took it out and placed it on the large stone with the round pit.

"Watch it."

Jiang Xuan picked up the clamp in his left hand and the hammer in his right hand. The totem pattern on his arm quickly emerged, and then he hit the iron sheet with the hammer according to the blacksmithing method he had seen when he was a child.

He was extremely strong and struck at a rapid speed, causing the red iron sheet to deform rapidly in the pit and drop layers of black impurities.

When the temperature of the iron sheet drops, its middle part has initially taken the shape of a pot.

Jiang Xuan asked the soldier to heat the iron sheet again and then keep hitting it as he remembered.

Half a day later, after repeated heating and countless hammering, the piece of iron was finally hammered into the shape of a pot.

Although it looks rough, not round, and has uneven edges, it is indeed a complete iron pot with preliminary cooking capabilities.

However, such a pan obviously cannot meet Jiang Xuan's cooking needs, because it is too rough, extremely easy to stick to the pan, and it is difficult to turn over the food after putting it in.

"Change the hammer!"

Jiang Xuan reheated the rough iron pot until it was red, then chose a suitable small hammer and kept hitting the uneven places, smoothing the inner wall of the iron pot bit by bit, and knocking the uneven edges outwards.

This is a job that requires a lot of strength and patience. Without strength, one cannot swing the hammer, and without patience, one cannot endure the repeated calcining and forging movements.

When the sun was about to set, Jiang Xuan finally knocked out the first iron pot in the Teng tribe, and even the entire continent! "Finally done!"

Jiang Xuan wiped the sweat from his face, put down the hammer, and picked up the iron pot to look at it carefully.

No one knew how many times this iron pot had been struck; every part of it was covered with dense hammer marks. However, because Jiang Xuan had good control over the strength, no cracks appeared.

The uneven edges of the iron pot were originally a flaw, but Jiang Xuan knocked them into outward-turned handles. Although they were not as convenient as hollow handles, at least there was absolutely no problem in carrying the pot by wrapping it with animal skin.

"Chief, this pot is so beautiful."

"Yes, it's smooth and round, so it must be delicious when cooking."

The iron pot is a rare thing. After Jiang Xuan made it, the soldiers in the smelting workshop came to watch and expressed admiration.

Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "If you want, you can make an iron pot for yourself in the future. It would be best if it has a long handle or two handles on both sides that look like the ears of a tripod. This way, it will be much easier to carry the pot after the food is cooked."

After hearing these words, the soldiers in the smelting workshop immediately began to imagine what their own iron pot would look like, and they used their imaginations to think about carving all kinds of beautiful patterns on the iron pot, or simply making it into their favorite shapes.

"Let's go back and cook."

Jiang Xuan left the smelting workshop with the brand new iron pot, and went to the riverside to polish it carefully again with fine sand. This not only cleaned the dirt, but also made the inner wall smoother.

Then, he used a plant-based cleaner similar to soapberry to thoroughly clean the iron pot and took it back to his residence.

He first burned the iron pot in the fire pit, little by little, until it turned dark blue, which is commonly known as boiling.

After the iron pan cooled down, he cleaned it carefully again, then heated it up again and evenly smeared animal fat on the inner wall of the pan.

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This step can form an oil film on the inner wall of the iron pan, which has a certain anti-stick and anti-rust effect.

Then, he poured some vegetable scraps into the pot, fried them and poured them out, allowing the vegetable scraps to absorb the impurities and odors from the new pot.

After doing all this, the new pot can be officially used.

“Stir-fry, stir-fry!”

Jiang Xuan happily prepared oil, animal meat, wild vegetables and some spices, then heated up a new pot and began to stir-fry according to his memories of his previous life.

Ever since he crossed over to this world, he has been tired of all kinds of barbecues and stews, and now he just wants to eat a plate of stir-fried meat with wild vegetables.

The iron pot provides a steadily rising heat over a high fire, and the aroma of the vegetables and meat is stimulated and blended.

Not long after, a plate of stir-fried meat with wild vegetables was finally ready.

Jiang Xuan picked up the chopsticks and took a bite impatiently, his eyes suddenly lit up.

“Yeah, that’s the taste!”

Although there were relatively few seasonings, the dishes cooked in the iron pan had a strong aroma. Coupled with the good quality of the raw materials, Jiang Xuan almost cried after eating a plate of stir-fried meat with wild vegetables.

"It would be nice if Chishao was here."

Jiang Xuan wanted to share this delicious moment with others, and red peony root was the best choice.

Unfortunately, as a witch, she has to stay in the Teng tribe’s nest and cannot go out easily.

Just when Jiang Xuan was feeling quite regretful, Jing Jie ran in with a pottery jar in his arms, looking excited.

"Chief, Chief, look at these round potatoes."

Jiang Xuan put down his chopsticks and said nonchalantly, "What's so good about round potatoes? Come and try the dishes I made in the iron pot."

"Made in an iron pot? Then I have to try it."

Jing Jie's attention was attracted by the iron pot, and for a moment she forgot the purpose of her coming here. She put the pottery jar aside, took the pottery bowl and chopsticks, and started eating with Jiang Xuan.

After the two of them had eaten and drunk their fill, Jingjie saw the pottery jar and finally remembered why he came here.

"Chief, this round potato is really different, look."

Jingjie picked up the pottery jar and opened the lid.

A rich and strange fragrance suddenly wafted out from the pottery jar and quickly filled the entire wooden house.

When Jiang Xuan smelled the odor, his eyes widened instantly and he looked like he had seen a ghost.

Because the aroma from the pottery jar was actually wine! Thanks to the book friend "閒看苑" for the reward.