Like anything of quality, it costs a little more to buy, but everything carries a lifetime guarantee, so works out more affordable long-term. Also read the post on silicone reusable baking liners and quality kitchen gadgets.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many human foods including fresh dough, are unsafe around animal friends).
Mermaid is a quality brand of bakeware, designed to last a lifetime. Manufactured in Birmingham for over 200 years, this is the choice of professional chefs and home bakers everywhere. Just register items on purchase, to take advantage of the lifetime guarantee. So although the items cost a little more, you never have to buy another loaf pan, fluted flan tray or Yorkshire pudding tray ever again!
Cool bakeware before rinsing, to avoid thermal shock (cracking). For baked on stains, add 2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda and 1 cup white vinegar and soak for 30 minutes, then wash (by hand), rinse and dry as normal.
Ceramic bakeware retains heat well, so use silicone or soft wood utensils, a good pair of oven gloves and cork cooling trivets. Do not use with plastic wrap, as it will melt!
Most bakeware uses lightweight aluminium as it retains heat well. But cheap pans tend to flake and leach aluminium into food. This brand uses hard anodised aluminium, which means the coating will stay put, and provide a natural non-stick coating, without chemicals used in some brands (which have health concerns like hormone disruption, cancer and even low birth weight in babies).
These ‘forever chemicals’ never break down and are also found in some food packaging, water-repellent outdoor clothing and fire extinguisher foam. Residue makes its way into our food and even tap water, which is why around 97% of us now have it in our bodies. These chemicals are further released when heated (like in those frypans with the red dots). No matter what nontoxic brands say, heated cookware is one of many items not safe around birds.
classic earthenware mixing bowls
Mason Cash classic mixing bowls are iconic for bakers, and have been around for over 100 years. Featuring a high-gloss, chip-resistant glazed finish, these bowls are study enough for daily use, and the shallow shape makes for easy kneading in the bowl, while the exterior pattern offers extra grip. Made in Portugal, the 4-litre capacity is perfect for dough, pastry and cake mixes.
The distinctive pattern helps you grip and tip the bowl as needed, and the shallow shape handles dough within the bowl. Dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe. The bowls are also light enough to hold with one arm while whisking, yet sturdy enough to grasp. A go-to daily tool for professional and home bakers alike.
Mason Cash has been the choice of home cooks and bakers for several hundred years, beginning in a pottery at the Derbyshire village of Church Gresley (where there was good local materials and fuels, and good transport links). The design has hardly changed since 1901. The most colourful potter was ‘Bossy Mason’, which is where the company name comes from, and Tom Cash bought the company in 1901 and renamed it.
