Roasting tins

One of my faults, if it is a fault, is that I like to get as close to perfection as possible when it comes to my cooking equipment. Whatever it is, it must function really well, and the maker doesn't matter very much to me, so long as the item looks good, is easy to use, and endures. Sadly, all too often my purchases fall down on that last attribute: durability. 

And it doesn't seem to matter much what the make is. There is a rough correlation between cheapness and early failure. But some inexpensive things will do their job for donkey's years, whereas I have bought some middling-expensive items that quickly look tatty. No more so than when it comes to roasting tins.

After a lot of experimentation, I have developed a strong preference for black enamel roasting tins above all other kinds that I've tried. I've been tempted over and over again to buy nice-looking non-stick tins, but have always been disappointed. For instance, this Le Creuset tin, bought four years ago.

The finish was of course excellent. It felt very solid. I rather liked those orange silicone grips, too. But those grips were a magnet for grease, and within only a few months the grips became permanently sticky, even after a good wash, suggesting that the oven heat had been working on the silicone, which also became discoloured. By now the tin looked tatty, and there was the suspicion that hygiene was being compromised. I junked the tin.

Here's another example, a much cheaper Prestige tin I saw on special offer, just a year ago.

Another non-stick tin, it didn't have the obvious quality of the Le Creuset, but still seemed solid and well-finished. Now, after only a few months, much of the non-stick coating has worn away. It's the tin on the right:

The tin on the left is one I bought today, from a shop in Horsham that was closing down shortly and was selling its stock off at a discount. It cost me £11.20, marked down from £14.00, so I got for 20% less than usual. But it ticked all my boxes, and I would have happily paid more, because good enamel tins are getting hard to find nowdays. They have fallen out of fashion. Enamel is hard-wearing, but needs to be treated with some care. You can chip the surface if you bang an enamel tin around. And they are not non-stick, so after cooking you may need to soak off any food that has stuck to the surface. That said, I've consistently found them to be better at actually cooking the food than most non-stick tins. And if looked after, they most certainly last a lot longer.

Here are more pictures of the tin I bought today.

I'm not condemning all non-stick tins. I looked today at a variety of very expensive high-tech non-stick tins, and their sheer quality made me half-believe the manufacturers' claims for their longevity. But a non-stick coating simply can't be as durable as vitreous enamel. I have faith that my new £11.20 enamel tin will be good for a long time ahead, and will represent very good value for money.

If you are staggered at the wear that Prestige tin suffered, bear in mind that I use a roasting tin (the same favourite one) most days, whether at home or in the caravan. Which means the tin is washed most days, and although I don't use anything abrasive, all that regular rubbing and scrubbing in hot water takes a lot of standing up to. The Prestige tin wasn't tough enough to take it.

I have a suspicion that in these days of ready meals in packets, traditional pots, pans and tins are not used nearly so much, and people aren't in general so knowledgeable as they used to be when buying them. Some are definitely designed for show, rather than use, especially if manufactured by a posh name. And there are plenty of fancy tins that claim to be what a professional chef would use. Well maybe, maybe not. Me, I think you don't have to buy an expensive Jamie Oliver endorsed pan or tin to cook a great-tasting meal. 

In fact, so long as it cooks well, and cleans up pretty much as new, anything will do. I am still using stainless-steel pans I inherited from Mum and Dad ten years ago, and have never yet felt the need to replace them.