Tin dishes: a review of manufacturers, benefits and harms

Tin cookware is not an everyday kitchen item. During the Middle Ages, it was very popular and was found on the tables only among noble people. Externally, pewter dishes are very similar to silver, so they were often a welcome purchase among German burghers.

Germany is considered the birthplace of the standard tin craft, where the first metal deposits were discovered on the territory of ancient Saxony. And also on the territory of medieval Great Britain, tin products were especially popular. The improved quality of the metal alloy, grinding with the help of new rotary processing techniques, significantly raised tin over silver products and opened the way for the industrial production of tableware from it.

Tin has always been considered a difficult and expensive mineral due to its "modest" deposits. For the same reason, it is the fourth of the noble metals, yielding positions to platinum, gold and silver. Today, pewter also has aesthetic and practical value.

For the manufacture of tin products, not pure metal is used, but alloys. Typically 95% tin is used and the remaining 5% can be copper or antimony. Such a compound is absolutely safe, it does not interact with food, does not oxidize and does not have a smell. For the same reason, dishes cooked in pewter dishes retain the maximum benefit, since they practically do not lose vitamins and taste.

There are opinions that pewter dishes can cause significant harm to human health. However, this is possible only in the presence of lead impurities in its composition, the presence of which will be indicated by the imminent darkening of the product.

To preserve decorative qualities and extend the service life of pewter dishes, certain conditions of care must be observed:

• long-term storage of food in dishes is not allowed;
• due to the "softness" of the metal, washing in a dishwasher is not recommended, as well as cleaning with hard brushes and aggressive detergents;
• you can remove dirt from pewter with warm water and a soft sponge with a small amount of dishwashing liquid;
• for polishing tin products, you can use polish for silver or brass, which is applied to a soft cloth and gently spread over the surface;
• metal dishes should be dried on a special dryer or on a spread towel.

When choosing a souvenir or pewter tableware, preference should be given to reliable manufacturers with a good reputation, which have appropriate certificates of product quality.

Today one of these companies is the Austrian-German brand Artina SKS, which for 50 years of existence on the European market has positively established itself in the production of decorative tin products.

Of particular interest are the anniversary collections of tableware, the theme of which is Germany and its cities, as well as hunting, fishing.... Unique pewter plates, beer mugs and decanters, adorned with elaborate bas-reliefs and engravings, will be a memorable gift for a special occasion.

Italian company Cosi tabellini has been manufacturing tin products since 1954. Our own production factory produces more than 400 items of cutlery, tableware, interior items (vases, lamps, mirrors), as well as tabletop and other accessories (ashtrays, magnifiers, calendars). Impeccable design, originality of forms, manual work on each product are a guarantee of Italian quality and comply with EEC standards.

Another reputable manufacturer of souvenir and tableware made of tin is an English company English Pewter, founded in 1977 in Sheffield. The production is based on the use of a special alloy of tin and copper - pewter, the quality of which has been noted by world art connoisseurs.

It is worth noting that a high-quality pewter product has a considerable cost. Often, unscrupulous manufacturers produce products from low-grade alloys (with a small amount of tin), as evidenced by a suspiciously low price of the product.

The main advantages of pewter dishes are based on positive reviews from collectors and art connoisseurs, of which it should be noted:

• absolute non-toxicity of metal;
• oxidation stability;
• food in tin dishes retains useful properties and natural taste;
• attractive design;
• "Solid" and status option for a gift.

Despite most of the advantages, pewter dishes also have some minor disadvantages, these include:

• the rarity of a natural mineral, a laborious manual processing process significantly increase the cost of a product made from it;
• porous structure of metal, which excludes washing in a dishwasher and long-term storage of food in dishes;
• periodic need for grinding products;
• a large number of fakes.

Tin products are rightfully considered a sign of luxury and wealth. The mineral composition of the metal is absolutely safe for health, which allows it to be used for the production of dishes and cutlery. Their unique design and practicality will add zest to any interior and will certainly attract the attention of collectors and fans of medieval culture.

An overview of quality pewter dishes is presented in the following video.