Once you start something it's hard to stop, and after the cupboard tidying of the other day I continued on the baking tray drawer. Everything was hoiked out and the drawer wiped out.
The difference with this one was that not one single thing is not in use ..... alright I don't make gingerbread men that often ... but I do make them :-)
After piling the baking trays and tins out on the worktop I stopped for a minute to admire them. It has taken me years to acquire this lovely lot. I would have given my eye teeth for them back in the day when I baked for my two boys, back then I had to manage with cheap tins bought from discount stores that made us jump out of our skins when they warped with a loud bang in the oven, often flinging fish fingers or chicken nuggets off with the ferocity of the buckling metal.
Now I love my tins, yes I do have some older and more battered, much loved ones that reside in the drawer above this one, which will be tidied next, but this drawerful of matchy, matchy tins, scrubbed well after each use and looked after tell me something important .... that I have moved forward to a good place in my life. Where paying off debts and living within our means meant we could afford to invest in the very backbone of what we are doing, and having the right tins, quality tins, mean making our own food from scratch is just that little easier and satisfying.
I only went in the drawer for this tin .... see how one thing leads to another with me ;-)
Sue xx
I totally understand where you are coming from here Sue :-) Its nice to have quality items to use when its something you love doing ie baking I feel the same way about my collection of vintage saucepans and pots I get such a quick from using them every day :-) dee x
ReplyDeleteI have alot of baking tins some more expensive than others, and many from the 99p shop but after they have been used they get a good clean and still look like new, i wonder how long they will last!, the sight of baking pans and mixing bowls brings a smile to my face everytime- :) x
ReplyDeleteSo right about cheap baking tins being annoying, I've been gradually buying decent ones too.
ReplyDeletethe buckling is enough to make you jump off the sofa isnt it...i love heavy gauge tins...yours look very nice...you should make some gingerbread men the cutters look so cute
ReplyDeletetess
I have some nice expensive baking sheets but they still have a tendency to slightly burn the base of things so I have to use a silicone liner.
ReplyDeleteAs mine warp or wear out I'm replacing them with better quality ones when they're usually on sale on 2 for 3 offer.
ReplyDeleteI meant 3 for 2!!!
DeleteI'm so jealous of you tin collection. I bought all sorts in the past too, sometimes I've been as disappointed with the expensive ones but then I probably expected too much.
ReplyDeleteGood quality tins are a must here too Sue. I'd had enough of the cheap tins nearly giving me a heart attack every time they buckled.
ReplyDeleteI'm baking today as I have done my shoulder in with all the scrubbing and reaching onto cupboard tops.
I have been building up better tins over time too, as you say those warpy ones, gosh they can give you a fright can't they! In fact on my walk this morning I was thinking about my visit soon with a friend to a certain kitchen ware shop and the two baking trays that I am going to replace with better quality - non warping, non rusting! - ones. We seem to be on the same wavelength today, tins and tins of tomatoes! xx
ReplyDeleteMust be the first time you've opened a cupboard and not put anything in your car boot box. xx
ReplyDeleteI used to do a lot of baking and had amassed a lot of tins, both cheap from the dim and distant past and more expensive ones bought later. I don't do much baking now, so I had a declutter of my tins last year. I got rid of a lot and the remainder I will not part with. I have one baking tray that should go, but it's like an old friend having used it countless of times. Silly really, because I have three or four other baking trays which are better quality.
ReplyDeleteJoan (Wales)
I have one that is so bad I have to line it with foil, but it still gets used almost daily so I know what you mean :-)
DeleteI am in awe of your tin collection, mine are much more battered and scratched. And yes, I know exactly what you mean by the loud bang when a baking sheet warps in the oven!
ReplyDeleteLove my cooking tins. Although I don't use it now I still have my mums madeleine tin, I bought a new one because how much I loved the tin the cakes would stick now matter how much they were greased It is nice to have quality tins and like you have replaced mine over the years from the cheaper ones to better quality ones
ReplyDeleteJulie xxxxxxx
I absolutely agree about the quality of baking and cooking tins. We used to buy the really cheap ones but were continually replacing them as the non stick wore off really quickly. Also, they tended to look rusty quickly. Over time, we have replaced them with quality cookware and they've lasted for years. I love my stainless steel oven trays which seemed to cost a fortune at the time, but they clean up like new. My mum in law bought us one for our anniversary 24 years ago and it's immaculate x
ReplyDeleteCan you recommend a brand of cooking tins as i too have been managing with cheap ones that stick then buying some that said they were non stick and wasn't , I really need to invest in some tins now , I would apriciate your advise , Eileen x
ReplyDeleteAll my best ones are from Lakeland, I had to grit my teeth as I handed over the cash, but it's been worth it, and most of them were bought in their 'buy two get one free' sales :-)
DeleteThanks sue will take a look x
DeleteI hear you, when it comes to quality cookware! It took a quite a few years into marriage before I had a really decent set of pots, and what a difference it has made! It's also a good idea, like you said, to keep only those items that we use regularly. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI hope you get inspired to bake something now that everything is out of the cupboard!
ReplyDeleteLovely collection of tins & things. Like you say, it now shows how far you have come in life and in a way it is also lovely to remember the old times. By, the way, I loved John Gray's comment on the previous post - He was SO right! That guy always makes me laugh. (I'd love to comment on his blog, but he doesn't have an "anonymous" button!!). Good luck with the cupboard cleaning - it always makes you feel so much better when the job is done, doesn't it? Regards, Louise S Cheshire.
ReplyDeletegreen with envy! love your collection of baking trays! ohhh & well done on the tidying up!
ReplyDeletehope you are well & not making yourself anymore sick by doing so much work? must admit though, sometimes a kitchen tidy up makes me feel better too!
thanx for sharing
Great job. They all look like new. I daren't show mine in a pic!
ReplyDeletexx
Good job, Sue...I do have a few backing items that need to be replaced, but I use the seldom anymore, unless we have to take an item to a potluck. Can't make myself buy new ones.
ReplyDeleteDid it put you in the mood for baking? Now I'm craving fresh, warm muffins or a slice of banana bread!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Jake
I do wish my baking tins looked as lovely as yours. Mine are battered and blackened from use. Maybe it is time to invest in some more expensive and easier to clean tins.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I haven't used a baking tin since I was 13. Another sad gulf in my "rubbish with hands" skills. Paul Hollywood won't be bothered by me any time soon
ReplyDeleteNoooo - they all look so clean. Making this slut feel guilty..... (maybe people who you feel slag you off do so because they feel guilty? Or envious of your life, your energy, your baking tins.....)
ReplyDeleteI too have gradually replacing tins etc with good quality ones, cleaning is so much easier and I don't miss the clangs and bangs of the cheap ones.
ReplyDeleteGood idea to qualify the difference between blogs and forums, no excuses for people from now on.
Alison from Shropshire.
They look good tins - isn't it lovely to have efficient equipment so that baking becomes a pleasure?
ReplyDeleteGorgeous tins--they look brand new. Mine are mostly hand-me-downs from my mother, but they do the job. I think I'd like to bake in your kitchen to see what it is like to have the proper tin and the proper utensils.
ReplyDeleteI need to purge my baking tins..............
ReplyDelete