to wonder what on earth is the point of a 10cm saucepan?

[slightlyglitterstained]

DP spent £15 on one today. Because it's pretty. And a total bargain cos it's half-price! And he doesn't have any other pans that size (it's tiny).

AIBU to think they must have seen him coming? He doesn't even know what he's going to use it for, he muttered something like "gravy" when I asked, but he only makes that once or twice a year anyway.

Frying spices or nuts?

I've got a teeny cast iron pan for that.

Selvedge - get a heat diffuser! (But not one with a wooden handle - they burn...)

I realise that some may never make blinis again & I apologise. I was truly pondering.

1 have a 10cm pan. Gets used every day to warm the milk for my first coffee.

Will google non wooden handle heat diffuser Wingding, thanks

Here's a novel use for it- they had one at baby group (along with wooden spoons etc) for the babies to play with. DD's 'friend' picked it up and hit DD round the head with it, it was like a mini carry on film or something!

(Disclaimer- no babies were hurt during the writing of this post)

I have one, used for defrosting cubes of baby food. Haven't used since the DC graduated beyond cubes!

I guess could also warm up milk? Or poaching an egg? One portion of soup or too small?

I make candles, so use it to melt wax pellets.. is a nice shape for peeling out the remnants, and small enough that you don't need to melt more than you need.

I know that clary thinks that microwaves are the devil's work but it seems that a fair few don't use them. Why is this?

microwave ovens (without grill elements) do not get hot enough in the cavity to kill bugs - the food you are heating on the turntable SHOULD get hot enough, but the spattery bits on the walls, roof etc (some of it invisible to the eye) do not- and no-one I've met cleans their oven often enough, or covers everything they cook.. so some microwave ovens are festering bug breeding stations.... maybe my friends/family are slatterns, but I think they are fairly representative of the world at large...

they also change the texture of some things... "scambled eggs are great in the microwave"... nooooooooooo they are not.... they are a shadow of their creamy stove top counterpart....

I don't have a lot of countertop space so a microwave would take up valueable space

I would like to marry a man who buys tiny saucepans because they are 'pretty'

Madeofstardust- I hadn't thought about the bacteria. But if you cook something that makes the microwave fill with steam, wouldn't the steam help to kill bugs? And also, how do the bugs get into the food seeing as the food doesn't touch the top or sides of the microwave?

Agree with you about the scrambled eggs though!

I use our 10cm pan for mine and 9mo DSs porridge in the morning.
I also use it to put a small portion of whatever I'm cooking to one side for DS if it contains lots of hot chillies or some salt (chilli, curries, spicy pasta sauces).

My husband bought one too. It's from Sainsburys and was half price at £15. It hasn't been used yet but he thought it looked cute too :)

I think I love your DP. If only more men could be seduced by small, shiny saucepans the world would be a better place!

Our microwave mostly gets used for porridge, custard, and warming milk. I might nuke the odd single serving of soup in it (though the bowl ends up too hot, which defeats the object, slightly - may as well dirty a pan) and the odd bag of ready prepped veg or spiced red cabbage (I make loads and freeze portions).

I've also been using it to soften butter, this weekend, as my kitchen is too cold for me to be able to spread it.

"Scrambled" eggs are a no no, though, and end up reminiscent of expanding foam. I hate meat warmed up in the microwave, too. It just ends up tough.

Microwaved scrambled eggs are more trouble than cooking them in a lovely little pan. And they're yuk.

I do always cover my food with kitchen roll; will the bacteria get thru it?

I bought a tiny frying pan because it looked cute. No-one's used it yet. It's supposed to be ideal for frying one egg.

I have never cooked beans/ porridge / scrambled egg/ peas/ warmed milk in a pan

I just put in a cup/ bowl in the microwave! Am I doing something wrong?

Oh and I have a microwave cover thing that stops splats/ mess etc

It's probably a butter melter to allow you to melt butter without burning it, to make clarified butter for sauces, pâtés, etc... I wish I had one

Artandco scrambled eggs from a microwave are really an abomination.... you can't judge the "perfect" point. you don't get that little bit of browned eggy goodness from the high sides of the pan, and it is very, very different in texture...

I think they are for soufflés.

Sounds like lots of people drawn in by the cuteness. DP yet to use his for anything yet. Maybe he will just admire its prettiness over a glass of wine while cooking. (He is a total sucker for cute things, unfortunately this is partly why we have a mountain of tat in spare room).

Link here but it really doesn't reflect how dinky it is. It really does look almost toylike (wouldn't let small children run around with it though, hefty enough to hurt. Ouch at poster's DD getting clouted with one! )

m.sainsburys.co.uk/mt/www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/home_and_garden/kitchen/cookware/cookware_sale/pots_and_pans/saucepans/122264194_cooks-collection-copper-tri-ply-10cm-mini-pan.html?hnav=4294890902