Design classic: cane mixing bowl

Designer

Mason Cash, 1901.

Details

Cane mixing bowl in glazed stoneware, available in a rangeof sizes, from £15, at John Lewis & Partners.

Background

While we’ve seen many advances in kitchenware technology and materials over the past hundred years, the Cane mixing bowl from Mason Cash’s potteries in Church Gresley, Derbyshire, remains pretty much unchanged.

You don’t have to be a Great British Bake Off fan to recognise this beauty. Its distinctive warm yellow glaze and markings have made it an icon across the globe. Why? As any cook worth their salt will tell you: the bowl’s shape is ideal for holding in the crook of one arm, as you beat your mixture with the other, and its thick rim and diamond embossment provide a good grip.

(Image credit: Paul Raeside)

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It’s also wide and deep enough to get your hands in to ‘rub in’ and aerate fat and flour, while many use it to knead dough. Its weight and flat bottom ensure it won’t slide around while you work and the white interior allows you to keep an eye on the colour and consistency of your mixture. It’s also useful for proving bread as, unlike plastic, the stoneware retains heat.

Updates have made the bowl chip-resistant and microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe, so treated carefully, it should last a lifetime and become a potential heirloom.

There’s something very satisfying about making Christmas pud in the same bowl Gran used...Timeless indeed.

See theKitchen Essentials from a celebrated cook.