What material to buy for baking pans?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

chave982

Senior Cook
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
246
Whats best, non-stick metal or glass? I want to try my hand at baking, and need to get a few basic baking pans (loaf pan, square pans, pie pans, etc.) and it seems like most of the items come in either of these two materials (the latter usually being Pyrex brand). Anybody have any tips? Thanks!
 
You can get good results with glass or any of the metals. They all have different properties/cooking characteristics. Once you adjust, you'll get good results.

The easiest option is to look for sturdy metal pans. They can be shiny or dark aluminum, or steel.

Wilton and Chicago metallic are good options.

I have heard that the flexible silicone equipment is problematic in that food sticks in some cases.

Most of our baking pans are cheapo ECKO stuff from the supermarket or pyrex glass.
 
The only problem with glass is you have to adjust the cooking time/temp. It heats up more than the metal and if you don't watch, your corners will be burned. Many a corner brownie has been lost to a glass pan at my house. I definitely prefer sturdy metal pans for loaves and brownies.
 
Bright and shiney aluminum pans will give the lightest colored crust ... dark pans will give the darkest crust - dull aluminum pans fall somewhere in between.

Clear Pyrex usually requires reducing the temp about 25ºF unless it is specified in the recipe. Opaque Corningware or ceramics generally do not.

I use dark pans for bread and muffins and some cupcakes, bright shiney pans for white or yellow cupcakes, and dull aluminum cake pans (from the restaurant supply) for cakes.

For pies I use Pyrex most of the time, but I also use Corningware or ceramics some times - especially if I'm going to blind bake the crust first.

For cookies I use a cookie sheet from the restaurant supply - it's thick, heavy, dull aluminum without a lip around the edges ... so it promotes more even browning of all the cookies.

For dinner rolls, sheet cakes, french/italian type loaves, etc - I use bun/sheet pans from the restaurant supply.

Cornbread .... cast iron!
 
I have switched most of my baking to silicone, and I couldn't be happier.

My son bought me a set of silicone bakeware for my birthday last year, and everything I have baked in them has been excellent, from cakes to muffins to quick breads. In fact, the silicone loaf pan doesn't make my banana bread rise real high in the middle like my metal and glass loaf pans do.

They perform flawlessly in the oven, they release with no problems, and they clean up perfectly in the dishwasher, on either the top or the bottom rack.
 
I have switched most of my baking to silicone, and I couldn't be happier.

My son bought me a set of silicone bakeware for my birthday last year, and everything I have baked in them has been excellent, from cakes to muffins to quick breads. In fact, the silicone loaf pan doesn't make my banana bread rise real high in the middle like my metal and glass loaf pans do.

They perform flawlessly in the oven, they release with no problems, and they clean up perfectly in the dishwasher, on either the top or the bottom rack.
Me too, Caine! I've noticed that they bake more evenly than my old metal or glass pans did, but I thought it was just me.
 
Back
Top Bottom