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ANTIQUES PEEK by Jessica Kosinski
ANTIQUES PEEK

Tin in History and for Baking

in is an extremely versatile punched or etched patterns. The
metal that has been mined and Early German punched patterns included shapes
Tused for centuries. It was first bread pan mold open like stars, tulips, and peacocks. Iron
discovered in ancient Turkey. There, and closed (right) tinplate (iron coated with tin) was, in
it was eventually combined with fact, the dominant material in 19th
copper to make bronze, ushering century America. Tin bakeware was
in the Bronze Age. From that time commonly produced, along with
to this, it has been used in many kitchen accessories like utensils and
different ways including in the cookie cutters. Tin was also used to
production of weapons. However, produce a wide range of products not
one of its sweetest uses has been in the related to baking at all such as match
creation of bakeware. Let’s take a peek safes, stove pipes, and dust pans.
at the history of tin bakeware and why some Despite the booming American tin
people collect it. exclusively produced in Germany. However, industry throughout most of the 19th
from 1618 to 1648 the Thirty Years War took century, early handmade tin items began to be
The Modern Baking Tin Defined place. That caused disruptions in tinplate replaced by the end of that same century.
Chances are you have heard “baking tin,” production in Germany, as well as a rise in the Factories and prefabrication processes reduced
“muffin tin,” or similar terms before. price of tinplate exported to other European the work required for tinsmiths but also cut
Today, such terms are a little misleading countries. That is why several European down on the handmade individuality of tin
because the materials used to produce such countries tried to start their own tinplate bakeware and other tin products.
items are not necessarily production industries by the end of the
always tin. In 17th Century.
fact, alu-
minum is Expansion of Tinplate Production
one of the The 18th Century saw a switch in how
most common early bakeware and cookware made using tin
metals used to was produced, as well as where it was
produced. Germany was no longer the only
Antique tin produce baking center for tinware production. It was suddenly
baking pan tins these days. It is also produced in places like England. There it
pliable, versatile, inexpensive, and
non-toxic. However, aluminum was not was made in a special new style with bright
always the first choice. colors and elaborate patterns that became Antique metal
quite popular. The tinware was produced, tin cake safe
The Evolution of the Term “Baking Tin” painted with oil paint, and lacquered to create
The phrases “baking pan” and “patty pan” high-gloss finishes. That new type of tinware The “Tinware” of Today
were both in common usage before tin was a was called toleware and often featured fruity If you are wondering about the wide
popular metal used to produce baking pans. or floral designs. It was also sometimes variety of tin items produced in the 18th and
Once it began to take over, the “pan” was referred to as Jappaned ware because it was an 19th Century, you need only look at today’s
dropped, and “tin” was added. Thus, the term imitation of lacquerwork done in Asia. equivalents, which are aluminum and plastic.
“baking tin” took the place of “baking pan.” If a kitchen item is made today out of one of
By 1920, “baking tin” was a common phrase 19th Century American Tinware those two materials, there is a good chance it
in the United States. Although, that is By the 19th Century, tinware had secured used to be made out of tin or tinplate. At one
somewhat ironic because aluminum began to a place in American society as well. It initially point, tin was used to produce everything
replace tin and cast iron as a baking pan became popular in New England and certain from cups and plates to coffee pots, not just
material around that same time. other areas, especially near Philadelphia, bakeware. It was even used to create boxes and
Pennsylvania. The tinsmiths of that period canisters to hold goods like flour and sugar.
The Predecessors to Modern Baking Tins were called whitesmiths, and their production A Word of Caution
The predecessors to modern baking tins methods took on a far more utilitarian tone.
made from aluminum were tins made using They didn’t use bright colors as in England. There are a couple reasons people like to
actual tin. Some were made entirely of tin, but In fact, they didn’t even typically paint their collect antique tin bakeware. One is to display
many were tin-coated (plated). Iron tinplate, pieces at all. Instead, they made pieces featuring it to decorate their homes. Another is to actu-
as it was known, was popularized ally use it to bake. Many people swear by the
in Europe in the 17th Century, but various use of antique bakeware as the best way to
forms of tinplate existed in Europe well before bake certain items. There is nothing wrong
that. There were three primary reasons with using antique bakeware for that purpose,
tinplate was popular. Tin was non-toxic, but you do need to be aware of one issue.
pliable, and helped prevent other metals Sometimes tinplate can wear away in spots,
underneath from rusting, especially iron. allowing other metals to show through. Some
In the 16th Century, tinplate was produced of those metals may not be non-toxic like the
tin itself, so be sure to research well before
Vintage tin cake mold/bread mold baking or cooking with such antique items.
Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for 1980s pre-1980s TV and films as a kid, and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned that
passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at https://medium.com/@jkos_writing, as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest
films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of us may have forgotten.

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