Over the last century and a half, Emile Henry has positioned itself as one the world-wide leaders for premium ceramic bakeware. Each piece goes through a proprietary kilning process that brings the wet clay piece from zero to 2200 degrees in less than three hours. This results in an extremely tough piece that is resistant to thermal shock. The ceramic glazes are guaranteed not to scratch, and are strong enough to withstand cutting directly on or in an Emile Henry piece. Since they can go from freezer to microwave or oven, making meals ahead of time is not a problem. Plus, since the color of the glazes are so deep and vibrant, table-service is especially impressive. The virtually non-porous glaze is effortless to clean, and all pieces are dishwasher safe as well.