Kitchen Essential

Tinned ware

Tinned ware is mild steel coated with tin, and is used for cake tins, ring moulds, baking tins, wire whisks, etc. The tin is silvery when new but darkens with use. Don’t use abrasive cleaners which will scratch the tin coating. Soak off burned-on food. If pieces get really dirty, soak in weak solution of bicarbonate of soda or boil up in a solution of washing soda. Rinse. Always dry very thoroughly so there is no chance of the base metal rusting.

Flameproof

If a cooking pot is flameproof it can be used on top of the stove. The commonest are cast iron, enamelled steel and enamelled cast iron, glass ceramics, porcelain, stainless steel with an applied base. Sometimes ovenproof glass, earthenware and stoneware can be used on top of the stove but it is very likely that a heat diffusing mat should be used, and extra care taken.

Read manufacturers’ instructions carefully. Always heat gently, avoiding extremes of temperature.

Casseroles

Casseroles can be made of many materials: cast iron, glass, earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, patent ceramic, etc. The important difference is whether they can only be used in the oven or whether they can also be put, for the initial browning, on top of the stove.

Fireproof or ovenproof

Ovenproof dishes can be used in the oven but unless they are also flameproof, they cannot be used on top of the stove — see Pottery.

Ovenware dishes should not be subjected to high temperatures unless they contain fat, food or liquid.

Don’t take dishes straight from the oven and put them onto a cold working surface or plunge into the sink for washing. They won’t stand up to sudden changes of temperature. Allow to heat and cool gradually.

A dish cannot be put in the oven if the handles are plastic or any other material that won’t stand up to the heat. This is most likely to apply to stainless steel pans.

Cast iron

Cast iron conducts heat evenly and can be used on the stove, with gentle heat, or in the oven. It is a tough, durable material if treated with reasonable care, but may fracture if dropped on a hard surface. Because cast-iron pots are heavy, they should not be chosen by people who have real difficulty in lifting heavy weights.

Most cast iron is vitreous enameled (see Enamel) or has a ground coating of enamel, usually black or grey, which gives it protection against rust and, if applied inside the pot, gives an almost non-stick finish.

If cast iron is untreated — rare these days — it should be seasoned before use as follows : pour a good measure of olive oil into the pan. Heat it well and then leave to cool. Pour off the oil and wipe with kitchen paper. Wash well with liquid detergent, scour with a soft nylon pad if necessary. Dry thoroughly and coat thinly with olive oil before putting away.

After use, wash in hot soapy water, scrub with a stiff saucepan brush. Always dry thoroughly (in a still warm oven is fine), then lightly oil against rust before tidying away.

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It is not inevitably the case, of course, but it is frequent enough to justify the generalization. Normally the blame can be apportioned retrospectively in equal parts to just about everyone involved; consequently everyone feels wronged, but none more so than the client — you.

After all, it is you who has had to fork out all the money, it is your home that has been bashed about and trampled underfoot for weeks and you are going to have to live with the result.

Appropriately enough, whether or not you suffer escalating acrimony and aggravation throughout the project is also largely up to you. For the foresight and attitude of the client is the make-orbreak factor in any situation which involves employing other people to improve your home. You can end up all friends together, regardless of whether you are simply knocking two rooms into one or tackling a major conversion. It depends, to a large extent, on how you plan to go about it.

First you need to know what you want to do, and second you need to be able to communicate your plans to whoever is going to execute them. Simple enough? No, not really.

More about: Essential Kitchen Cutlery Part 5

• THE ABC OF COOKWARE Part 3
• Essential Kitchen Cutlery Part 3
• Essential Kitchen Cutlery Part 4
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• Practical storage in the Kitchen, Pots, Pans, Bags of Groceries and Delicious Comforting Aromas
• Kitchen Health and conservation
• The Fine China Cutlery Collection
• Storage and Ideas and Simple Solutions
• THE Perfect Kitchen Layout (Major Traffic Position)
• Conquering Clutter (continue...)

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