Tinkering With the Past

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Location: Saxeville, Wisconsin, Douglasville, Georgia, United States

I was born a tinker, and I've finally found a place where it fits in. Give me a problem, and I'll find a solution to it!

05 September 2011

PAN-demonium


One of the simplest, but most asked about tools that I use in 19 c. demonstrations is the square pan swedge. I've been making baking pans, loaf pans, tart/pie pans, and star pans again recently. The one sheet, no-seam rectangular pans vary in size but are related by their overall dimensions. A full 10 x 14 inch standard sheet was used to make each of the rectangular pans pictured here.
Each of the pans has a turned top to eliminate the sharp edge. Their sizes range from 8 3/4 (w) x 12 1/2 (l) x 1/2 (d) sheet pan to the tapered 4 3/4 (w) x 8 1/2 (l) x 3 (d) loaf pan. Interestingly, the loaf pan is a match to the modern bread pan which makes me think that the size of the tinplate influenced baking in a way I hadn't previously considered.

The tart/pie pans are 8 x 1 1/4 with a base of 6 1/2. They fit well into a standard cast iron bake kettle. The star shaped trivet is included to keep the air space around the pan that helps prevent burning.

I also wanted to see how hexagon and octagon shaped bases would shape up into pudding pans. I was inspired by a Moravian pan that I saw, but unfortunately didn't photograph, at Old Salem. These are the first results of that session. These also seem to be similar to a small pan d'oro baking pan.