The 4 Greatest Baking Pans of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

There are a great deal of recipes that use an 8- by 8-inch baking pan, like our brownies, blondies, and lemon bars. However do you know recipes developed for a 9- by 13-inch pan may also be halved and baked on this smaller dish with minimal tweaking? And in case you’re like my husband, who’s an enormous fan of crispy, caramelized corners, baking a 9- by 13-inch recipe in two 8- by 8-inch pans means double the perimeters (and pleasure).

To search out the perfect sq. baking pans, I examined 12 of them—making blondies and cake and evaluating their sturdiness. Shock, shock: Not all of them baked correctly and others weren’t really eight-inch squares, resulting in inaccurate cook dinner occasions.

The Winners, at a Look

The Nordic Ware 8- by 8-inch pan is made from heavy gauge aluminum and was sturdy, with a rolled edge that was simple to carry and transfer out and in of the oven. Muffins baked evenly, with mild brown edges and the pan’s clean, rounded corners that have been simple to wash.

Sharper corners make for aesthetically pleasing baked items. If that’s necessary to you, that is the pan to get. Created from heavy gauge aluminized metal that baked evenly and persistently, the Williams Sonoma pan’s desserts and blondies had crisp 90-degree corners. Each sq. and slice was picture-perfect.

For those who favor a nonstick pan, I discovered the USA pan to be the most suitable choice. In contrast to different nonstick fashions I examined, which had darker coatings that led to overbrowning, the USA pan is mild in shade. This yielded constant, even outcomes much like that of uncoated pans.

Sometimes, I don’t suggest glass and ceramic baking pans, as the fabric heats in another way than metallic, which is what most baking recipes are developed for. However the tinted glass of the Pyrex compensated for this, and I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out that desserts and blondies baked up almost in addition to in my favourite metallic pans.

The Exams

• Yellow Cake Check: I baked half a field of yellow cake combine in every pan (evenly greasing them first with a three-second burst of cooking spray) to see how evenly the cake rose and baked.
• Sturdiness Check: I took a butter knife and scratched every pan 10 to 12 occasions, as if I have been slicing squares of brownies, to see how sturdy it was.
• Blondies Check (Winners Solely): I tailored this brown butter blondies recipe, including in chocolate and butterscotch chips, to see how a dense dough would bake within the successful pans. After baking, I minimize the blondies with a butter knife immediately within the pan, searching for additional scratching.
• Cleanup and Usability Exams: After each take a look at, I washed every pan by hand. All through testing, I evaluated how simple the pans have been to carry, transfer, and unmold baked items from.

What We Discovered

Metallic Baking Pans Had been Usually Higher

As a recipe developer and cookbook writer, I’ve all the time really helpful light-colored metallic for baking pans, particularly ones which are used for desserts, brownies, blondies, and bread. It’s because darker pans warmth up sooner, resulting in overbrowning on the perimeters and bottoms. Additionally, most professionally developed recipes are designed utilizing uncoated, light-colored metallic pans, with the baking occasions and outcomes optimized for this materials. 

Of the metallic pans, those comprised of heavy gauge metallic—like my favorites by Nordic Ware, Williams Sonoma, and USA Pan—baked probably the most evenly. Muffins rose solely barely within the center and blondies have been golden brown from edge to middle. Pans just like the Wilton Efficiency and the Fats Daddio have been made from thinner metallic that baked faster, leading to overdone, darkish edges and bottoms.

Go for a Lighter Coloured Pan (Until It’s Glass)

One of many many points with nonstick-coated pans is the colour of the coating. The darker shade of nonstick coating can soak up warmth sooner, yielding uneven bakes. This was evident within the Good Prepare dinner, Wilton Good, and All-Clad baking pans. Their desserts have been overly brown and had low sides (as these set shortly) and dramatically risen facilities (as the remainder of the cake caught up in temperature).

Nevertheless, when it got here to glass, a darker shade was really welcome. In contrast to the clear Anchor Hocking pan, the Pyrex was a smoky grey, which absorbed warmth sooner. Glass is a refractory materials, which heats up slower than metallic however retains warmth longer, even when faraway from the oven. For this reason the Anchor Hocking pan underbaked cake, however the Pyrex carried out nearly in addition to the metallic choices.

Ceramic Baking Pans Struggled With Standardized Sizing 

Many of the metallic pans I examined have been near eight inches in dimension. However, inexplicably, the 2 ceramic pans I examined have been off, with the Nice Jones measuring 7.5 inches and the Made In pan 10.5 inches.

Smaller and bigger pans resulted in thicker and thinner baked items and ran the danger of overbaking or underbaking with out recipe time changes.

Corners Had been Good, However Tougher to Clear

I personally love the polished look of baked items with sharp corners. Nevertheless, pans with squared-off corners (like those from Williams Sonoma and USA Pan) are more durable to wash. The small gaps of their corners lure bits of meals, and also you’ll sometimes must seize a toothpick or wood skewer to dig crumbs out. For those who’re seeking to keep away from this, there are pans comprised of one molded piece of metallic and with rounded corners, like my favourite from Nordic Ware.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Baking Pan

If choosing a metallic baking pan, select one which’s comprised of a heavy gauge materials and lightweight in shade, which is able to assist distribute warmth evenly. For glass, go for a baking pan that’s darker-hued, which is able to assist compensate for the fabric taking longer to warmth up. Lastly, in case you prioritize ease of cleansing, choose a pan with out sharp edges. However in case you favor the aesthetic of sharper, 90-degree corners—nice! Simply know they’ll require extra attentive cleanup.

Our Favourite 8- by 8-Inch Baking Pans

What we preferred: Nordic Ware’s baking pan is molded from one piece of aluminum, with a rolled edge that has a stainless-steel rod inside it, including stability and stopping warping. Whereas a small pan might not warp like a bigger half-sheet pan, the rolled edge can be simpler to seize and transfer out and in of the oven. 

The pan’s heavy gauge metallic evenly distributed warmth. Cake rose gently from the perimeters to the middle, with even browning throughout the highest. Blondies baked up golden brown, with none overcooked or underbaked areas. I discovered a little bit of cooking spray was sufficient to stop baked items from sticking and the pan’s sloped, crevice-free corners made for simple cleanup. 

What we didn’t like: The aluminum pan did scratch throughout my sturdiness take a look at. That stated, the scratches didn’t influence efficiency, because the pan isn’t nonstick.

Key Specs

• Materials: Aluminum
• Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 2.2 inches
• Care directions: Hand-wash; not dishwasher-safe
• Deal with dimension: None
• Most oven temperature: 500°F 

What we preferred: The Williams Sonoma pan was heavy-duty, evenly distributed warmth, and had sharp corners, making each cake slice and blondie sq. look picture-perfect. The pan’s rolled rim, just like the Nordic Ware’s, was simple to seize. In my assessments, desserts baked up even and blondies have been golden brown. 

What we didn’t like: The sharp corners of the pan trapped crumbs. Just like the Nordic Ware, it additionally confirmed some minor scratches, however they didn’t influence efficiency.

Key Specs

• Materials: Aluminized metal
• Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 2.25 inches
• Care directions: Hand-wash; not dishwasher-safe
• Deal with dimension: None
• Most oven temperature: 450°F 

What we preferred: For those who favor a nonstick pan, the USA Pan was the perfect one I examined. Its proprietary nonstick, silicone coating is known as Americoat and is evident. This implies the pan performs like one which’s uncoated, with out the new spots or uneven baking that occurred with dark-colored nonstick fashions. It additionally featured rolled edges that have been good to grip and baked cake and blondies superbly.

What we didn’t like: Just like the Williams Sonoma pan, the USA Pan’s sharp corners create lovely baked items however are more difficult to wash.

Key Specs

• Materials: Aluminized metal with silicone nonstick coating
• Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 2.25 inches
• Care directions: Hand-wash; not dishwasher-safe
• Deal with dimension: None
• Most oven temperature: 450°F 

What we preferred: I usually don’t suggest glass baking dishes. Nevertheless, this tinted Pyrex carried out surprisingly properly. The grey glass heated sooner and held onto warmth, so desserts baked up pretty evenly—extra so than the dark-colored nonstick choices I examined. Whereas the Pyrex’s blondies weren’t fairly pretty much as good as my favourite metallic pans (with the perimeters extra brown than the middle), they have been nonetheless acceptable, particularly for people preferring crispy edges and corners. 

What we didn’t like: Glass is extra fragile than metallic, takes longer to warmth up, and retains warmth readily. This results in extra uneven baking.

Key Specs

• Materials: Tempered glass
• Dimensions: 8.25 x 8.25 x 2.25 inches
• Care directions: Dishwasher-safe
• Deal with dimension: 0.75 x 5 inches
• Most oven temperature: 425°F 

The Competitors

FAQs

How do you clear baking pans?

Most baking pans must be washed by hand with a delicate sponge and dish detergent. Some pans will be cleaned within the dishwasher, reminiscent of ones comprised of glass. It is best to all the time examine the producer’s directions to see in case your pan is dishwasher-safe.

Are silicone baking pans secure?

Although no silicone baking pans have been examined for this text, they’re authorised by the FDA and regarded food-safe. Sometimes, silicone baking pans are rated as much as 425°F.  Nevertheless, understand that although silicone pans are handy resulting from their versatile nature, permitting for simple launch of baked items, the fabric doesn’t get scorching and gained’t brown as properly.

What baking pans do professionals use?

Most baking professionals use a commercial-grade heavy gauge metallic pan that’s sturdy and uncoated. This enables them to make use of the pan time and again, with out having to fret in regards to the coating scratching or flaking off. Thicker, heavy gauge metallic pans not solely bake higher by distributing warmth evenly however are extra sturdy and might face up to the fixed use of a business atmosphere.

Why We’re the Specialists

• Irvin Lin is a cookbook writer, recipe developer, meals author, photographer, and ceramicist. He wrote the cookbook Marbled, Swirled, and Layered, which was picked by the New York Instances as among the best baking cookbooks of 2016. Irvin additionally runs a weblog referred to as Eat the Love, the place he’s developed, photographed, and written recipes since 2010. 
• He’s product examined and reviewed a whole bunch of kitchen objects together with stand mixers and digital thermometers.
• For this overview, Irvin examined 12 8- by 8-inch baking pans. He made field cake combine, scratched them with a knife to emulate put on over time, and baked blondies to see how they fared with a dense dough.