Peak baking season is nearly upon us. And that raises some questions: Cake or pie? Edge piece or center cut? Lunch dessert or dinner dessert (why not both)? But the query I’m writing about today may be the most important of all because it determines how those future desserts will fare. And that question is: Is it better to bake in glass or metal?
Whether you’re adding to your bakeware collection or looking to upgrade what you already own, you’ll want to know which material is better for your future brownies, lemon bars, and sheet cakes. So we asked a few of the best bakers in the biz what they prefer. And almost unanimously they said metal. It’s lightweight, easy to maintain, and inexpensive, and it provides a more consistent and even bake.
A very good baking pan:
Nordic Ware Classic Metal 9x13 Covered Cake Pan
In Edd Kimber’s new book One Tin Bakes, he calls for one pan and one pan only (hence the title): a 9x13" pan with sides at least 2" high in natural (a.k.a. uncoated) aluminum. Edd deems the aluminum pan (his favorite brand is Nordic Ware) the “MVP of bakeware. It’s relatively cheap, doesn’t have nonstick coatings to worry about scratching, and, if looked after properly, will last a very long time. Aluminum is a very good heat conductor, which means baked goods will brown evenly, and it doesn’t rust.”
Glass bakeware, in comparison, is heavier than aluminum and more expensive. Because glass is an insulator, rather than a conductor, it’s slow to heat but, once hot, retains that heat for longer. This can result in uneven baking: By the time the interior is baked through, the exterior is often overcooked, dry, or dark. (Some bakers even recommend lowering the oven temperature by 25° when baking in glass to combat this problem.)
But those aren’t the only reasons to go with metal. Yossy Arefi, who baked hundreds of cakes for her newest book Snacking Cakes, is also in it for the neat corners. “My square and rectangular metal bakeware have crisp 90-degree corners,” Yossy says. “It's purely aesthetic, but I find those straight lines very satisfying.” Metal pans are also practically indestructible, which is essential in Yossy’s small kitchen.
The MVP in action.
