Saucepan
Lid

Maker & role
Unknown, Maker
Production date
1940
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Object detail

Collection
Measurements
0 - Whole, H: 15 x W: 32.5 x D: 17cm (H: 150 x W: 325 x D: 170mm)
Credit line
Gift, 1999
Susannah Place Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
Saucepan with rolled rim and lid with ear handle, maker unknown, pre 1940, aluminium
Description
Aluminium was a popular material for cookware in the early 1900s. Compared with iron and copper (which had formerly been the primary cookware materials) aluminium was much lighter, cheaper to buy and heated quickly saving gas, easier to clean and did not rust. Stainless steel shares many of these attributes but was much more expensive. Aluminium is quite a soft metal and dented easily if knocked against a hard surface or dropped. Enamelled steel was sturdier than aluminium and relatively inexpensive, but the enamel layer chipped easily and the steel beneath, once exposed was prone to rust. Although easy to wash, aluminium required some care, however, as some foods and cleaning agents react with the metal causing it to discolour.

Staining is evident in this particular vessel, particularly where surfaces and angles meet, such as the rim of the lid and around rivets, and rust is evident on the steel handle. The shape of the handle matches those of a colander (SP99/4) and frying pan (SP99/7) also held in the Susannah Place collection.
Accession number
SP99/5-1:2

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