tin - ProWare Kitchen

Our Food Cupboard Essentials

January 18, 2023 2:11 pm Comments Off

Whether its an essential cooking ingredient or a dinner time emergency fall back, we all have those ingredients that we keep on hand at all times. We asked the ProWare team what their food cupboard essentials were and why they always have them in.

Faye – Peanut Butter

wholeearthfoods.com

“Great at breakfast or for a quick snack! We have it by the spoonful, in smoothies, on toast, spread on to a rice cake, or served with an apple. Mix with lime juice, smashed garlic, chilli flakes and a bit of soy makes a quick, versatile satay sauce – great for dips or poured into the wok over a stir-fry. It is protein packed, full of fibre and monounsaturated fatty acids, potassium and vitamins E,C & A. What’s not to like?”

Fiona – Sardines

essential Waitrose Sardines in Olive Oil

waitrose.com

“They are cheap, nutritious and very tasty. Tinned sardines are great on toast for a quick lunch or mixing into some pasta with tomatoes for dinner, they are full of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.”

Danielle – Chopped Tomatoes

morrisons.co.uk

“I make either bolognaise, chilli or lasagne at least once a week so always use a tin with these! I also add them to curries a lot or just have them as they come in a fry up. A very versatile ingredient and healthy too.”

Robert – Anchovies

waitrose.com

“Tinned anchovies have an intense savoury and salty kick. I use these all the time to add flavour to stews, pasta and roasts. They really round things off beautifully.”

Rachel – Sweetcorn

Tin of Green Giant sweetcorn

ocado.com

“A regular feature in our house. A tin of this is a great healthy back up when the fresh stuff has run out and can be added to pasta dishes or salads. It’s also great with a roast or the kids favourite quick meal– chicken nuggets and wedges!”

Jayne – Chickpeas

ocado.com

“They have a high fibre content and are a great source of protein for vegetarians (like me). They also provide essential vitamins and minerals while being easy to throw in to all sorts of dishes. I buy them tinned for convenience but you can also get them dried in bags.”

Lawson – Smoked Paprika

ocado.com

“I use this on all sorts. It brings a smokey spice to tray bakes, hearty soups, stews and casseroles. Its also an essential ingredient for me when making chilli.”

Corin – Udon Noodles

sainsburys.co.uk

“Udon noodles are such an easy versatile ingredient. You can fry them in a simple sauce with soy, sesame oil and peanut butter or in a simple stock topped with steamed baby corn/pak choy and a hard boiled egg for a quick and easy meal.”

Eliza – Couscous

tesco.com

“If you want to bulk up a salad, or add a small amount of carbs to a meal, couscous is perfect! It takes on the flavour of whatever you spice it with. I love to serve it with good quality olive oil, salt and pepper alongside a salad or piece of fish for a really healthy lunch! It’s also really quick – I pour boiling water and olive oil over a bowl of couscous and it’s ready in 5 minutes.”

Get in touch!

We would love to hear about what your cupboard essentials and why you love them. Please leave a comment below, email or tweet us.

Cooking with Copper: A Brief History

March 13, 2018 4:15 pm Comments Off

It is no secret that copper is currently experiencing a huge upsurge in popularity. This is mainly thanks to its beautiful colour featuring heavily in the ranges of countless homeware retailers. There is, however, far more to this lustrous metal than just its appearance.

For example, it has a greater level of thermal conductivity than any other metal (except silver); roughly 60% higher than aluminium and 3000% higher than stainless steel. This means copper is capable of heating up very quickly when compared to other metals.

Perhaps a less commonly known property of copper is it being inherently antimicrobial. A wide range of harmful microbes are unable to survive for more than a couple of hours when in contact with a surface made of copper or one of its alloys (brass and bronze). This has led to it often being used for frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs, push plates and taps.

A seemingly perfect material for cooking, it is therefore no surprise that it has been used in kitchens for millennia. But exactly when did we learn to utilise copper and its valuable assets?

Origins

It is hard to pin down an exact date when copper cookware was first introduced. Pieces discovered in regions of the middle east were dated as far back as 9000BC, suggesting cooking with copper began during the Neolithic period (≈10000-2000BC). As civilisations became increasingly capable in metallurgical techniques, metals such as copper became more widely used. It would have been around this time that copper replaced stone as the material used for making tools and cooking vessels.

The use of copper is also well documented in Ancient Egypt. Not only was it used to produce water and oil containers, but it was also used to in medical practices. The antimicrobial nature of copper was exploited long before the concept of microorganisms was fully understood. The Smith Papyrus, a medical text written between 2600 and 2200BC records the use of copper in sterilising wounds and drinking water.

Tin Lining

Although copper is essential to many processes within the human body, it can become toxic if consumed in excess. It was this knowledge that gave rise to lining cookware with tin, a technique used for hundreds of years to prevent copper leaching in to food.

These tin linings would eventually wear out and during the 18^th and 19^th century, it was common for people to send pans away to be re-tinned. This practice is becoming increasingly rare, as are the craftsmen who perform it. Despite this, there are still manufactures producing tin-lined copper cookware who also offer a re-lining service. Perhaps the best known of these is Mauviel, a French manufacturer who have been making this type of cookware since 1830.

Tin has now largely been replaced by stainless steel as an interior cooking surface. Not only is it more cost effective, but the high grade of stainless steel used in premium cookware (typically 18/10) is highly resistant to corrosion and more durable than tin.

Copper Base

Another way in which the virtues of copper have been combined with those of stainless steel is in copper base cookware. A base plate made from a layer copper and aluminium is fused to a stainless steel body. This is done using a process called impact bonding using 600 tonnes of pressure.

The high conductivity of copper means the base of the pan will heat much more evenly, reducing the formation of hot spots. Modern 3 ply copper cookware effectively extends this base construction up the sides of the pan also.

ProWare Copper Base Stockpot

Tri-Ply

As manufacturing processes advanced it became possible to combine different materials to produce cookware made up of three distinct layers, each possessing their own unique properties. These are as follows;

1^st Layer – Copper

Very high thermal conductivity allows the entire outer surface to heat rapidly and evenly.

2^nd Layer – Aluminium

Provides a lightweight core with excellent thermal retention.

3^rd Layer – Stainless Steel

An inert and highly durable cooking surface.

Copper Tri-Ply Construction

It is this type of construction that is used by ProWare to produce our Copper Tri-Ply cookware. You can find out more about how these pans are made here.

Tag Archive: tin

Our Food Cupboard Essentials

Faye – Peanut Butter

Fiona – Sardines

Danielle – Chopped Tomatoes

Robert – Anchovies

Rachel – Sweetcorn

Jayne – Chickpeas

Lawson – Smoked Paprika

Corin – Udon Noodles

Eliza – Couscous

Get in touch!

Cooking with Copper: A Brief History

Origins

Tin Lining

Copper Base

Tri-Ply

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ProWare is a small family organisation based in Sheffield, UK. Our cookware is carefully specified and manufactured using high quality materials to ensure it delivers a lifetime of satisfaction.