Equipment

Tins of all types

Roasting tins

Solidity is the important thing here – the cheap, thin-gauge metal ones, when exposed to very high temperatures, simply buckle. Once the base of the tin has become uneven you might as well throw it away. A really solid set might cost you a bit more, but will save you money in the long run because it will last you a lifetime of roasting meat and vegetables. Oven-roasting vegetables, for example, involves using a very high oven temperature, which in turn calls for extremely solid roasting trays with shallow sides to prevent the vegetables steaming.Some ovens have a built-in solid shelf with shallow sides, which does the job perfectly. If yours doesn't have this, I have discovered a roasting tin made by Mermaid – the sides are ¾ inch (2 cm) deep, the quality is excellent and the tray can be used in winter for roasting potatoes and parsnips.

Baking sheets and trays

Sturdy baking sheets and trays are a lifetime's investment. Pre-heated in the oven and used as a base to put your pie or tart tin upon, baking sheets will ensure that pastry bases of pies and quiches will be crisp – just one of a multitude of uses. I use three sizes of baking sheets: 10 x 12 inches (25.5 x 30 cm), 11 x 14 inches (28 x 35 cm) and 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm), made by Mermaid.

Cake tins

This is where 99 per cent of cake making goes wrong. I have, over the years, struggled to encourage manufacturers to standardise tin sizes so that people like me, who write and test recipes, are able to communicate in such a way that as many people as possible can enjoy making cakes. Well, I'm sorry to report that until now I have failed, due, I think, to the unacceptable face of commercialism, which also seeks to undercut the competition.

Indispensable for making sponge cakes, for me, is a solid set made by Mermaid: a 7 inch (18 cm) tin makes a 2 egg, 4 oz (110 g) mixture, double-layer sponge cake, and the 8 inch (20 cm) one is for a 3 egg, 6 oz (175 g) mixture. But out there in the high street you may find 7½, 7¾ and 8¾ inches. Why? Because the way manufacturers undercut on price is to make tins fractionally smaller and thus cheaper. There is quite a lot of pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap rubbish out there that claims to be baking equipment, so my advice is to buy only the right-sized tins and, though quality is costly in the beginning, it will last a lifetime. The cheap versions, which need to be constantly replaced, work out to be a lot more expensive.

Depth of tin

This is also crucial. A sponge tin has to be at least 1½ inches (4 cm) deep because the depth of support at the sides encourages the cakes to rise up and be as light and airy as possible.

Larger cake tins

These seem more easily available. An 8 inch (20 cm) round cake tin is a good average size, but remember that if you use a square tin, the same mixture will fit 7 inches (18 cm). The rule is that square tins should always be 1 inch (2.5 cm) smaller than round ones.

Spring-form tins

These are equipped with a metal clip to release the sides, which is excellent for cheesecakes or anything that needs to be removed particularly carefully. For deep cake tins I would choose the same measurements as for the sponge tins (not least because most of my cake recipes fit these sizes)

Patty tins and individual tartlet tins

These are a must-have for mince pies, tartlets and mini quiches. I have 12-hole patty tins (don't go for less than 12) and mini-muffin tins and tartlet tins sized 3 inches (7.5 cm) and 4½ inches (11.5 cm).

Pie, tart, quiche and flan tins

Solid is still the name of the game, and it's good to have at least two sizes of quiche tin with loose bases: a 9 inch (23 cm) or 10 inch (25.5 cm) one for the larger, family-sized quiches, and a 7½ inch (19 cm) one for smaller quiches. I also like to have a sloping-sided, deep-rimmed pie tin – 8 inches (20 cm) is the size here.

Loaf tins

Good old-fashioned baking tins with pleated corners are thankfully still available in 2 lb/900 g (7¼ x 4½ x 3½ inches/18.5 x 11.5 x 9 cm) or 1 lb/450 g (6 x 3¾ x 2¾ inches/15 x 9.5 x 7 cm) sizes, which all my loaf recipes fit. Grease them well with butter first. I do think a non-stick version of the traditional tin is useful for bread making – although it still must be greased, it is much easier to turn the bread out.

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