The bacteria scare is largely myth. What you can encounter is a oven with to much seasoning applied and improperly stored go rancid. A little used trick is to give the pot a splash of apple cider vinegar before storage to balance the PH and never store with the lid fully on. For new users a bit of insurance against scorching is a tortilla placed on the bottom. If you see Doug Ritter in the tortila remember to send 50% of the EBAY proceeds to the website.