When to Use, Metal, Glass, Ceramic, or Silicone Baking Pans

How important is the material when it comes to pans and other bakeware? (The answer: It is!) Have you ever wondered if you could substitute a glass dish when a recipe calls for a metal pan? (The answer: Depends!) This quick guide to using glass, metal, ceramic, and silicone pans will help set you straight.

Metal pans work best for cakes, cookies, muffins, tarts, breads, and brownies. Light-colored or shiny metal bakeware is the best for even browning, while darker-colored metals can cause over-browning (though darker is great for getting deep golden-brown crusts on bread!). Aluminum is better than stainless steel for conducting heat and baking foods evenly, but be careful of storing foods in aluminum pans; the aluminum will react with acids in the food and give them a metallic flavor.

Glass conducts heat extremely well, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Recipes with a lot of sugar (like pound cakes and cookie bars) might start to burn before being cooked all the way through, but glass is fantastic for making casseroles, bread pudding, and other dishes where browning is less important. Glass also has the advantage of being non-reactive, so you can store recipes right in the baking dish without worry that the food will pick up metallic flavors. So, in summary, glass pans are best for casseroles (for savory dishes, cobblers, bread puddings, etc.) and pies.

In many ways, ceramic is like glass: It conducts heat very well, but can cause over-browning in sweet dishes. The biggest advantage of ceramic is that these dishes look pretty! Foods can be served and stored in their baking dish! Ceramic pans are best for casseroles (for savory dishes, cobblers, bread puddings, etc.) and pies.

If sticking is a worry for you, silicone pans are your best friend. However, silicone is a poor heat-conductor and baked goods tend to brown very little, if at all, when baked in these pans, which means it’s best for very light-colored cakes, breads, and muffins.

Do you have a favorite pan for baking? Tell us about it in the comments!