Bakeware Buying Advice
Bakeware comprises cooking items intended for use inside an oven. There are many different types of bake ware available for baking a variety of baked food. Some types are essential in producing the desired end product and some bake ware can be used for several purposes. Bake ware can be found made of many types of material, such as tinned steel, stainless steel, glass, silicone, porcelain and stone.
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Baking Dish: It is a flat pan with straight sides that are or taller, which is used for baking food in the oven. There are many sizes and depths available, but the most common size is the 9 x 13 x 2 inches one. Baking pans are used to hold runny batters, such as cake batter and thick solid masses of food, such as savory hot dish recipes. The foods are placed in the pan and the baked in the oven.
Bread Pan: A baking pan, rectangular in shape and deep walled, that is used to bake a single loaf of bread. Bread pans are typically made from aluminum, steel, glass, pottery, or stoneware. They are produced to make a semi-crisp crust with an evenly textured crumb, however not all pans are effective in doing so. Bread pans are also referred to as loaf pans.
Baking Sheet: Baking sheet is a flat pan or sheet of metal that is used to bake products that are thick or stiff enough to stand on their own, such as cookies, freestanding breads, biscuits, pastries, and meringues. Baking sheets, which are also referred to as cookie sheets, consist of a metal sheet that is flat with one or both of the short ends containing a slightly turned up lip that is used to aid in handling the sheets. Baking pans with ?inch sides all around are often referred to as baking sheets or
cookie sheets also.
Cake Pan: A baking pan commonly found in every kitchen. Cake pans can be round, square, or rectangular and are available in several sizes. Probably the most popular is the 9 x 13 x 2 inch rectangular cake pan that is used to bake cakes, bars, and savory dishes, such as lasagna. Standard square cake pans are 8 or 9 inches wide and 1 ?inches in depth. Round cake pans are used to make layer cakes and are generally found in 8 or 9-inch diameters and are 1 ?inches in depth.
Brioche Pan: It is a type of pan or mold with fluted sides that is used to form the base of the traditional French bread known as Brioche. When making Brioche, French dough is prepared with light yeast and proportionally larger amounts of butter and eggs. It is baked using a Brioche pan or mold to form the alternating columns on the base of the bread.
Muffin Pan: A type of pan used for baking muffins. The pan typically will have 6 or 12 individual round pockets or holders connected to the tin and formed in the shape of a muffin. The muffin batter is poured into the individual pockets and as the muffin bakes, a top forms over the pocket while the base of the muffin is baked in the shape of the cup. Muffin tins are also often used to bake cupcakes. Individual muffin cups made from silicone are also available for baking individual cupcakes and muffins. Muffin
tins may also be referred to as muffin pans.
Flan Pan: It is a shallow pan that has shallow sides that are generally fluted to provide a decorative edge to the item being baked. They are available in different materials, such as tinned steel, steel with non-stick coating and ceramic. The fluted sides of the flan pans are slightly slanted and some varieties have a loose bottom. They are available in a range of sizes between 6 and 12 inches in diameter, and they are also available in a single serving size, which range in size from 3 3/4 to 4 3/4 inches
in diameter. The flan pans are used to make flans and other dishes, such as tarts, cobblers, and quiches.
Doughnut Pan: It is a pan that is constructed similar to a muffin tin except that the cups have a rounded bottom and a stem that comes up in the center of each cup to create the hole in the doughnut. The pan helps produce a lower calorie doughnut because they are baked rather than fried in oil. The doughnuts can be eaten plain or glazed, frosted, or rolled in powdered sugar. The pan is typically constructed of metal or silicone non-stick materials and is available in 6 or 12-cup sizes. It is also found spelled
as Donut Pan.
Pie Pan: It is a round baking dish with shallow slanted sides that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. The most common sizes being 8, 9 and 10 inch diameters. They can be found made from many different materials, such as aluminum, glass, stoneware, ceramic, and tinned steel.
Buying Tips:
Before buying any bake ware for you home, check your cookware and oven first. All the bake ware has to match with your cookware. Also you need to consider the fuel you are using now and make a decision for the material for your bake ware. Then you need to decide the size of the pans you are going to use. What kind of the shape can be put into your oven? Be reminded that a dark colored surface on the bake ware will cause the food to brown more easily because it absorbs the heat of the oven. An aluminum pan
conducts heat evenly but its shiny surface reflects the heat, resulting in food that does not brown well. So pick the pan according to what you would like your food to be baked.
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