caja china

caja china

English

Etymology

Borrowing of (Cuban) Spanish casa china (especially into American English).

Noun

caja china (plural cajas chinas)

1. A metal or foil lined wooden box for roasting pigs (etc) via indirect heat from charcoal in a tray on top, originating from Cuba.
   • 2007, Deborah Krasner, Michael Krasner, The New Outdoor Kitchen: Cooking Up a Kitchen for the Way You Live and Play, Taunton Press (→ISBN), page 74:

     If big parties that feature cooking whole hogs are your thing, a caja china is a must. And if you're dreaming big, maybe you'd like to have a setup that includes both a charcoal and gas grill as well as a woodfired oven.

   • 2014, Ben Ford, Carolynn Carreño, Taming the Feast: Ben Ford's Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking, Simon and Schuster (→ISBN):

     The main difference between a Cajun microwave and a Caja China has to do with workmanship. Cajun microwaves are made of cypress or another hardwood, and are often decorated with carvings. A Caja China, on the other hand, is made of plywood.

   • 2008, Steve H. Graham, Eat What You Want and Die Like A Man, Kensington Books (→ISBN), page 121:

     The guests were moaning as if in a trance. Now, if you make one yourself, you don't necessarily have to have a caja china or make a temporary oven, and you don't really have to turn it. If it's small enough, you can cook it in a regular oven.

See also

• Cajun microwave

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Spanish

Etymology

Literally "Chinese box".

Noun

caja china f (plural cajas chinas)

1. a Chinese box
2. (Latin America, especially Cuba) a caja china (“outdoor oven: box for roasting pigs etc”)
   • 2007, Telemundo, Maria Alecia Izturriaga, Telemundo Presenta: Celebraciones: En casa con las estrellas de Telemundo, Simon and Schuster (→ISBN):

     Como le gusta la cocina, es la encargada de preparar el lechón y asarlo en la caja china. “La receta es un secreto que no voy a revelar tan fácilmente”, confiesa riendo, con esa sonrisa de cubana franca que parece un arrullo de palmeras.

   • 2011, Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, La cocina de los Estefan, Penguin (→ISBN):

     (PUERCO ASADO AL ESTILO CUBANO) En la mayoría de los hogares cubanos, el lechón asado se sirve siempre en […] Primero, ella cocinaba la carne en algún medio que conservara el vapor, bien fuera en una caja china o, si se trataba de […]

   • 2019, Fondo Editorial USIL, Perú, Sabor & Saber: Bases y técnicas de la cocina peruana, Fondo editorial USIL (→ISBN), page 616:

     1 LECHÓN A LA CAJA CHINA

     Rendimiento: 10 porciones / Ingredientes 1 lechón entero limpio sin vísceras • 10 g de […]

     Procedimiento: Mise en place de los ingredientes y preparación de la caja: lechón e insumos para sazonar, caja china y carbón.