@Beth Gallagher So earlier I mentioned an Amazon review for this oven where a woman said the bottom of her bread did not toast if she had a liner on the crumb tray, and that Breville confirmed that reflective heat was required... Here's my experiment, With and Without liner. Interesting, huh?
Yep. Whodathunkit?? As I've said before, I never make toast in my oven except the occasional cheese toast. I've never noticed the bottom not getting toasted but I'll have to pay better attention.
Well, just when I think I've seen it all, the "shrimp pan" appears. Seriously?? This thing is cast iron! (I don't recall a time when I missed having a shrimp pan, but stranger things have happened.) And they are on sale at SurLaTable!! CLICK!
I picked up some cast iron corn bread molds at a second hand shop...they are little ears of corn. You know how many times I have used them? Spoiler: Click for Embarrassing Answer NONE!!! Friggin' NONE!!! (If you had asked me what a Shrimp Pan is, I would have answered "Peter's diminutive brother.")
Haha. I have one of those, too. And also a "Madeleine pan" because someday I'm going to make Madeleines ... maybe.
I also picked up an 8" cast iron pan that is divided into slices for making corn bread. I got it cheap because it's rusted...every nook & cranny. There's no way I can ever get it clean without paying to have it sand-blasted, or without leaving a WD40 after-taste. It's funny how we buy things not so much that we need them, but as a symbol of (or perhaps the first step towards) something we'd like to do "some day."
I found out also about not lining my small oven ...need ye reflective heat. That shrimp would barley make it to our plate...no need for that pan here. I have more cast iron and I can't use especially being older and now the problem with my hands I'm trying to get rid of them. Except for two @John Brunner
So did that oven liner give you issues with foods other than toast, Gloria? Do you think I should not use one? Regarding your cast iron: mine is a cheap set I purchased in 1976 for less than $20 at an old department store (Zayre) that no longer exists. The only other cast iron I've picked up since then that I use with any degree of regularity is a griddle. It stinks you are looking to down-size your collection, but we're also fortunate to live in a day & age where functional light-weight alternatives are available. It's funny, I'm a dabbler. I'll jump into the deep end of the pool with so many different things and hobbies, and then I'm done with it forever. Cooking has been the only thing that I've really enjoyed in-depth, and that I've continued with my entire adult life. I can't ever see not enjoying different foods and recipes.
My most appreciated kitchen gadget (and Judy's too), is a piece of special "grip-enhancing" fabric (about 5"square), for unscrewing those tough jar lids! It works like magic! Hal
I have various sizes not a lot. I like using cast iron and prefer it most of the time- but until hand and arm issues heal not using much. Plus my hubby has a different type of hands issue so heavy is hard for us both. Guess I am a dabbler myself - never thought o it likev that before.
My favorite kitchen implement is my mom's old Foley Fork (example shown above). It's as old as I am. It originally had a wood handle but that broke and my dad (who could and did fix anything) replaced it with the handle of an old screwdriver. It stirs, it whips, it mashes, it fishes spaghetti out of boiling water. I can stab things with it. I can pick things up with it. My mom's always asking for it back. I tell her she had it for 50 years; it's mine now. I'll give it to my granddaughter eventually. She'll appreciate it; my daughter wouldn't.
I have this for spaghetti. It's more than 40 years old. This is a picture from the web. Used to have 2 of these but an ex-DIL used it for cleaning a litter box. It's called a Kitchamajog
I think that's "Kitchamajig", and Amazon still sells them. In other news, my slushie maker will be here tomorrow!! WOOT!
Yeah it's majig. What Amazon sells looks like it but does not have the name on it like my original does.