The Fresh Loaf

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Darkening pans

fupjack's picture
fupjack

Darkening pans

When I travel up on a vacation to Canada, I make butter tarts.  The crust turns out fantastic.  I come back to the U.S., and I can't duplicate it.

 

The only variable that I can figure out is the color of the muffin pans.  The ones up north are much darker.  (Or it's some ineffable aspect of cooking butter tarts in Canada.)  Barring establishment of a Canadian Embassy in my kitchen, is there a way to darken pans?

Jon OBrien's picture
Jon OBrien

What about the oven? Do you take that, too?

rgconner's picture
rgconner

Better butter? 

Better butter is more fat less water. American butter is pretty high in hydration. 

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

is more expensive in Canada than the States.   Colour of pans makes a difference as it absorbs heat instead of reflecting it as shiny pans do.  

The fastest way I know to darken pans is to smear or spray with fat and take a blow torch to them.  

Might be easier to buy new pans, any dark colour outside, red, black, dark blue, etc.  will bake faster and brown the tarts sooner, also clear or dark glass.  

Pans can also be darkened temporarily over a campfire coating the outside tins with soot.  If you want to try out just one dent, expose the outside close to a burning candle where the soot will deposit onto the tin.  Then bake a batch and compare.  Soot rubs off so spread some old newspapers around to protect surfaces.  

I don't know of a spray paint that is both oven and food safe.  

Jane Dough's picture
Jane Dough

The food industry has very different standards in the two countries.  I'm not saying one is better - just saying it is different.  So unless you are carrying all your ingredients and pans with you it's a pretty sure bet you get a different result. 

fupjack's picture
fupjack

Both ovens are electric and I've seen similar results with other recipes that don't use the pans - thing cooked on sheets, pie plates, etc.  So, yeah, two different ovens, but generally similar behavior.  I have brought up flour and butter intermittently from the States, too.

I suppose if I really want to isolate variables, I should take some butter and flour _back_ from Canada.  The border guards don't seem to like seeing any sort of food product crossing the border, but hopefully there's no restrictions on small amounts.

Jon OBrien's picture
Jon OBrien

'...I've seen similar results with other recipes...'

I'm sorry but I'm not clear whether you mean similar results to those you get at home or similar failures. I think you're saying the former but would like to make sure I understand.

What's the water like at the two locations? Not knowing what butter tars are I don't even know whether you use any but there aren't many variables left!

fupjack's picture
fupjack

When I've made other recipes that don't involve crust in the darker pan, they turn out the same in Canada as they do in the U.S., so I think the pan is the variable.

Jon OBrien's picture
Jon OBrien

I see that Mini Oven's suggested as much. I hope that solves the problem.