Mini fry pans

Have you seen the itsy bitsy fry pans that are in the shops at the moment?

They are extremely small and can fit maybe one egg in them at a time

You can get cast iron ones...

High end designer styles that cost a bomb...

...and the multi coloured non stick variety.

I've seen them priced from a couple of dollars to well over $30 and when I first saw them I couldn't work out what they were for, then today saw one labelled "Blinis Pan"

Blinis or Blini is a small Russian pancake that you top with caviar, or so the recipe I saw said.

I have another theory as well....and it's just a theory.

I think manufacturers are trying to cash in on the growing number of people who live alone and don't want large pots and pans to clean up.

I guess it may also be due to the tiny sinks, no bigger than a salad bowl, that are being installed in some flats/apartments now. I mean, how can you possibly fit a large pot or roasting pan in those sinks and wash them successfully? In fact a little while back we heard of some apartments being built with virtually no kitchens at all. It seems the developers and architects thought people who were "cool" enough to live in these places were too cool to cook and would eat out or have food delivered...sort of like the Singapore model where the evening meal for many people, is delivered to their apartment door in returnable metal containers that help keep the food hot.

I guess the cooking show craze hadn't caught on there yet

What I've also seen them used for though is to make individual potato rosti....

I came across a cooking show a week or so ago and had a light bulb moment when I saw the guest chef use one of these tiny pans to make a potato rosti...then he plonked some lovely steak medallions on top and it looked fabulous!

The rosti was crisp and brown and caramelised on the outside...and rich and creamy on the inside.

I'm going to buy one of these tiny pans (the discounted $2 variety) and see how I go with it...I'll post the recipe when I make it later in the week.