Beatifying the Baking Tray

Yeah, yeah, so there's nothing wrong with bigging up a nice bit of dinner... but a whole post praising a piece of pressed steel; macarizing a metal tray?! C'mon!

Well, let me convince you.

I took this picture!

These have just arrived from Nisbets. Aren't they beautiful?  I've been using four of their little brothers for years. They cost £15 each. You can buy something similar in Tesco or Morrisons for a couple of quid so why would you cough up the extra?

BECAUSE: these babies are hard anodised, heavy and thick. The coating won't peel off in six months. It's there for life. They don't buckle or warp. You can use them on the stove top. In the oven they won't suddenly get all annoyed and angular - tipping your goose fat into one corner. This means your carrots, tomatoes or potatoes won't be half confit and half dry-roasted. It means all your veg willl cook at the same speed and in the same manner. Tuiles and escoffier paste will stay circular. Macaroons (macarons for the fastidious) will have no argument (they will, they always will. I'm just kidding myself here). And I'll still be using these in twenty years time. I bet you I will.

OK, in the grand scheme of things a flat baking tray doesn't really feature. In the world of austerity and terror and heartache having two dozen equally bronzed roast potatoes won't add up to a hill of beans (sorry!). But we don't live in the grand scheme do we? We are more concerned with the little pleasures, the tiny triumphs; the daily bread. And if it's bread you're making - these are just the ticket. Ha.