A muffin tin will do. It’ll make perfectly decent Yorkshire puddings, and if you only do a roast now and then, I wouldn’t buy anything else. But if Sunday lunch is a weekly thing in your house, and especially if you want the big pub-style ones you can fill with gravy, a proper 4-cup Yorkshire tin is the better buy.
What’s actually different
A standard muffin tin has 12 narrow, deep cups. That makes lots of small, tall puddings. A 4-cup Yorkshire tin has four wide, shallow-sided wells, usually about 10cm across. The batter has more room to spread and climb, so you get one big pudding per person with crisp edges and a hollow middle.
The other difference is the hot fat. Yorkshires only rise properly when the batter hits fat that’s already smoking hot. In a 12-hole muffin tin that’s a lot of little pools of oil to heat and then fill fast, while the oven door is open and the temperature is dropping. Four wells are quicker to fill, so less heat escapes.
The tin I’d go for
The Samuel Groves Giant Yorkshire Pudding Tray 2-pack is the one I’d point most people to. From the listing:
- Two 23 x 23cm trays, each with four 10cm cups, so eight puddings in one go
- Carbon steel, which heats up quickly and evenly
- PFOA- and BPA-free non-stick coating
- Oven safe to 230°C
- Made in the UK
Two trays matter here. Four puddings is fine for a couple, but feeding six on a Sunday with one tray means someone goes without. With two, you can do eight at once on the same shelf, or split them between shelves if your oven is narrow. Each tray is 23cm square, so check the width of your oven shelf before assuming both will sit side by side.
The four big cups also work well for individual pies, mini toad in the hole, or baked eggs.
Getting them to rise every time
Whatever tin you use, the rules are the same:
- Rest the batter. Even 30 minutes at room temperature helps. Some people swear by resting it overnight in the fridge.
- Get the fat smoking. A good splash of oil or beef dripping in each cup, then into the oven at full whack for ten minutes or so before the batter goes in.
- Fill fast and close the door. Take the tray out and pour the batter about a third to halfway up each cup. Then straight back in.
- Don’t open the oven for at least 20 minutes. This is the one everyone breaks, and it’s why puddings collapse.
So which should you use?
If you already own a good muffin tin and you’re happy with smaller Yorkshires, keep using it. There’s a decent one in our muffin tin post if yours is past its best. If you want the big, crisp ones you get at a carvery, or you’re regularly feeding a crowd, a 4-cup tray is an inexpensive upgrade and your Sunday roast will feel noticeably better for it.
One last thing: the listing says these trays are dishwasher safe, but non-stick always lasts longer if you wash it by hand. A soak in hot soapy water is usually enough to shift any burnt-on batter.
