Rosette patty iron (Timbale iron)

In Collections: Feeding America: the Historic American Cookbook Project Museum Objects

Historical Note: From Good Things to Eat by Rufus Estes (1911): Several recipes in Good Things to Eat call for a Swedish timbale iron. A timbale iron consists of a long handle attached to an iron mold. The molds were available in a variety of shapes such as stars, flutes or rounds and could be screwed onto or off of the handle, making them interchangeable. (Linda Campbell Franklin) According to Linda Campbell Franklin in 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles (5th edition, 2003, page 341), "Patty irons, rosette molds and timbale molds... are used by dipping into a bowl of batter which adheres to the mold, then dipped into boiling fat or oil for a few seconds. Some make little cups to be filled with sweets or savories, some make lacy little cakes that could be sprinkled with confectioners' sugar." Timbales were also often filled with a cream or thickened vegetables. Recipes which used this tool are common in Swedish American cookbooks up to around the year 1939, after which they began to decline in popularity. Unfortunately the Michigan State University Museum does not possess a Swedish Timbale Iron. However, Rosette Patty Irons, like this one, fit the description of a timbale iron exactly. The image shows the handle or the iron with a heart shaped mold attached as well as the box which the iron came in. Inside the box is an additional round, cup-shaped mold. The lid of the box has instructions for the use of the iron printed on it.

Referenced In: Good things to eat, as suggested by Rufus : a collection of practical recipes for preparing meats, game, fowl, fish, puddings, pastries, etc., available at: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m58q2d