ISO bakeware recommendations

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Debbie Hasbrouck

Assistant Cook
Joined
May 30, 2012
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26
Location
Catskills Upstate, New York
:chef: Hello,
I am wanting to replace my bake ware, I have some older Pyrex pieces, as well as my grandmother's enamel roaster, and my husband's grandmother's muffin pan. Does anyone have any recommendations?
 
Depending on which pieces you have, I'd keep the Pyrex. In my mind there is nothing better than a glass pie plate. Square or rectangular dishes are great for brownies. Loaf pans are good for quick breads.

If the muffin tin is dark metal, that's a good choice too.

What were you planning on replacing them with?
 
Depending on which pieces you have, I'd keep the Pyrex.

+1 The newer Pyrex is not as good as the older stuff, IMHO.

What type is the roaster? If it is one of the oval enameled ones and in good shape I would reconsider. It is hard to find one with the high sides and deep lid like the old speckled enamel ones.

For the muffin tin, look for one that is heavy for it's size. I find that the lighter ones sometimes twist in the oven once they are heated.
 
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DaveSoMD said:
+1 The newer Pyrex is not as good as the older stuff, IMHO.

What type is the roaster? If it is one of the oval enameled ones and in good shape I would reconsider. It is hard to find one with the high sides and deep lid like the old speckled enamel ones.

For the muffin tin, look for one that is heavy for it's size. I find that the lighter ones sometimes twist in the oven once they are heated.

+2

I have very old Pyrex and elderly roasters. They still work great!

I also have silicone stuff, hard to clean and somewhat overrated, IMHO.
 
Despite beliefs that new Pyrex is inferior to old Pyrex (and that is not an established fact), you can't do better than glass for pies and flat cakey things. Glass heats evenly and browns properly. All versions of metal bake ware have shortcomings. Silicone has multiple problems. Glass has the single caution about moving quickly from very cold to very hot. Even old Pyrex was subject to that rule.
 
I can make some suggestions if you are a little more specific. Glass is good for some things, metal is best for others.

If you like to bake layer cakes, aluminum pans with straight sides (don't "nest" inside each other) are the best, they bake evenly and give nice neat sides. My first choice is uncoated aluminum because they will last a lifetime and can take a lot of abuse, they are the choice of professionals. There are also many great quality non-stick pans such as USA Pans, those will take a little more care to prevent scratching. 2-8" pans would be my recommendation they make nice thick cakes from a mix or 2 layer recipe. 2-9" can come in handy too.

If you are going for a muffin pan, look for a non-stick one, this is one area where non-stick is a great idea. Look for one with good weight to it, the thicker metal will help with even baking.

Loaf pans should be 5"x9" is a good standard size. This is another place where I like non-stick. USA pans makes good quality ones, commercial grade.

cake/roasting pans, 9x13 is a good standard size. I prefer metal, these will give you nice square sides making for a nice looking iced cake. Glass is a good choice for nice even cooking, but have rounded edges which don't work for me.

Pie pans. Glass or glazed stoneware/ceramic. These are best for baking pies, if you've ever baked a pie and ended up with a raw gummy bottom, you would appreciate being able to see if the bottom is browned with a glass pan, glass will hold in the heat and help bake that bottom crust. The standard size is 9", there are lots of 9.5" that will work, but pre-rolled pillsbury type crusts don't quite fit as well as they will in a 9".

Cookie sheet, jelly roll pan. Go for a commercial grade uncoated pan, these will be a workhorse in your kitchen and will last a lifetime. Mine are the 1/2 sheet size.

Many of these can be purchased in a restaurant supply store for less than what the cheap pans sell for in the mega discount stores.
 
Despite beliefs that new Pyrex is inferior to old Pyrex (and that is not an established fact), you can't do better than glass for pies and flat cakey things. Glass heats evenly and browns properly. All versions of metal bake ware have shortcomings. Silicone has multiple problems. Glass has the single caution about moving quickly from very cold to very hot. Even old Pyrex was subject to that rule.

Pyrex and Anchor are now made from a different type of tempered glass. As someone who has had a pan of brownies explode in the oven, I'm not a fan of the new stuff, I don't own any anymore. I know of one other person who has had the same experience.
 
Glass for anything with meat. It doesn't have any seams for food to get stuck in.

I have some Bakers Secret non-stick bakeware and I hate it. Now that I think about it, I should just get rid of it.
 
Chicago Metallic Commercial Aluminized Steel, uncoated is excellent. I have their round cake pans, square, rectangular, etc. Here's a photo of one of their 9" round pans:
Commercial II
 
Glass for anything with meat. It doesn't have any seams for food to get stuck in.

I have some Bakers Secret non-stick bakeware and I hate it. Now that I think about it, I should just get rid of it.

Over the last year I've been weeding out my Baker's Secret stuff that I bought when I got my first place, the coatings just don't last. The last thing I need to replace are my 2- 8" square brownie pans.

Funny thing is, with some savvy shopping, the new stuff is much better and doesn't cost much more than the baker's secret.
 
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No plans to replace the roaster or the muffin pan, as they are both over a 100 years old. My Pyrex is older, and some of the pieces are ones my parents gave me when I moved into my first apartment a little over 30 years ago. I also have some Pfaltzgraff pieces, that work well for somethings and not so good for other things.
 
I think some folks are confusing Pyrex with Duralex. Duralex is tempered glass, but it isn't for cooking. I have a set of dishes in Duralex and they also make glasses. I worked in a bar where all our tumblers were Duralex. About every third time I ran a dishwasherful of glasses, one of them would shatter. But, it would shatter into chunks - no shards. I have also had some of my Duralex dinnerware shatter. I have read about people hearing a bang in the kitchen and finding a piece of their Duralex had shattered, while just sitting on a counter or in a cupboard.
 
I had a lid from one of my favorite glass baking dishes literally turn to shards and powder after a supposed minor injury. Sure felt like an explosion! (what were the amber glass multipurpose dishes called? Ah! Visionware!) That was many Thanksgivings ago, and I swear there are still particles in the kitchen!
 
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