I’ve got some (partially glazed) clay dishes, the kind that are used often for Spanish tapas or as containers for some soft French goat cheese:
The problem: the clay draws in a lot of moisture when cleaning and they are continually damp. As a consequence, they mould very easily (both on the glazed and the unglazed surfaces). I’m already storing them on an open shelf and stack them shifted to let air enter but that doesn’t prevent the mould.
Surely there must be a way to store them safely – after all, they are used quite commonly in some kitchens.
Best Answer
The trick is not storage, but washing. These types of dishes soak up loads of water if you dip them in. I wash these types of dishes in an empty sink and then try them right away. I would also never put them into the dishwasher.
If they get too damp you need to dry them our, the best way I've found is to warm an oven, turn it off, and then to put the dishes in leaving the door cracked open. The heat will drive the moisture out and the open door will allow the moisture to escape.
As for storage a dry cupboard should do just fine.