Necessary Baking Pans and Dishes

There is one main difference between bake ware. Broken down into the most essential category, you have glass or ceramic baking dishes, and metal baking pan. When following a recipe, never substitute one for the other. This is because using a ceramic or glass dish for a recipe that calls for a baking pan, reduces your cooking temperature by about 25 degrees. If you must substitute, take this into consideration and raise the temperature of you your oven by 25 degrees F.

What to use a baking pan for: This is used for a dish that will be browned. It draws heat easier than a ceramic or glass baking dish and allows for a convection style cooking. They are also used for broiling because they do not shatter under high heat.

What to use a glass or ceramic baking dish for: These are used for dishes that include eggs or acidic ingredients. This is because certain acidic foods can react with aluminum, iron, and tin. This will make your food very unappetizing.

Necessary Ovenware:

With this checklist you will be able to make pretty much any recipe.

Baking dishes (glass): (Rectangular) One 2-quart, and one 3-quart.

Baking dish (glass): (Square) One 2-quart

Baking pans (metal): One 9X9X2 inch, one 13X9X2 inch and one 15X10X1 inch (usually called a jelly roll)

Cake pans (metal): Two round 8X1 1/2 or 9 X 1 1/2 . If you purchase one with 2-inch deep sides they will work too.

Cookie Sheets (metal): You should have at least two of these. You can choose ones with low sides or even ones with no sides.

Covered Casseroles (Glass): If you do not have a covered casserole, you can always use a regular casserole dish and cover it with foil.

Custard Cups: These are used for cooking custards or other individual deserts. It also helps to hold your ingredients as you go through a recipe, so you don’t have to measure as you go.

Loaf Pans (metal): Several of these will come in handy. You can use them for many purposes.

Muffin Pan (metal): It is usefull to have one with 2 1/2 inch cups and one or two with 1 3/4 inch cups.

Pie Plate(glass) or pie pan (metal): One round 9-inch pan unless you do a lot of pie making. In that case it might be helpful to have a few extras.

Pizza Pan (metal): If you don’t have one, you can use a baking sheet.

Roasting pan with rack: Is great for cooking poultry and roast. It also keeps the roast from boiling in the pan.

Souffle dish: If you don’t have one, substitute a straight-sided casserole dish.

Unnecessary Ovenware:

This ovenware is not necessary, but it does come in handy if you bake a lot or want to experiment with recipes.

Fluted tube pan: The sides make edges of cakes look decorative. Comes usually in 10-inch, which holds 12 cups.

Spring Form Pan: This pan has a separate bottom. The pan comes in two pieces with a clamp to hold the sides to the bottom. This helps in getting cakes or pies in and out of the pan without tearing them up. They come in 8-inch, 9-inch, 10-inch and 11-inch.

Tart pan with removable bottom: This makes it easier to transfer a tart to a serving dish. Pan usually comes in 9- to 11-inch diameter.

Tube Pan: Also called an angel food pan has a hollow center tube that helps evenly bake your dish. Usually come in 10-inch diameter.