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Basics Of Baking Pans Explained

By: Chris Channing When you are baking you may not think too much about the baking pan you use. There is actually quite a bit you need to know about baking pans before you begin baking, however. There are several different sizes and shapes of baking pans, not to mention materials they are made from.

The difference in the size of the baking pan determines how many volumes of batter the pan can hold. It is important that you use the right size pan for the dish you are preparing. If you use a pan that is too large it will cause the depth of the batter to be shallower, in turn causing the batter to bake quicker. Using a smaller baking pan will have a reverse effect where the batter will be deeper and it will bake longer.

There are a few different sizes of baking pans, such as: cake pans, loaf pans, and pie pans. Cake pans come in two main shapes, round and square. There are two other shapes though, the angel food cake pan and the springform pan. A large pan with a flat bottom is a loaf pan. Last of all, the pie pan is meant only for pies and has a flat bottom with flared up sides all around it.

Baking pans are made generally from glass and metal. It is commonly required that you will have to reduce your oven's temperature by twenty-five degrees if you are going to use a glass baking dish in it. Recipes will generally tell you whether you need to use a metal baking pan or a glass baking dish.

It's always important to know your baking pan's dimensions, depth, and volume. Finding the dimensions of your pan is quite simple; all you have to do is measure from one edge of the pan to another. Make sure that you measure the inside of the edges because if you measure the outside the pan's thickness will be added into the measurement.

Even simpler to determine than the dimension is the depth of the pan. To do this you need to put a ruler straight up from the bottom up to the top of the pan. The only thing you need to watch out for is to make sure the ruler isn't slanted. The best way to figure out the volume of a baking pan is to pour pre-measured cups of water in the pan until it is filled to the brim.

Closing Comments

There are a few things you should know and remember before choosing or using a baking pan. One important fact is that most ovens will not hold a pan that is bigger than 17 x 14 inches. Make sure you measure you dimensions, depth, and volume so you don't make any mistakes in your baking. A good thing to know when you measure the dimension is that 1 inch equals 1.54 cm and when measure volume 1 cup equals 237 ml. If a recipe calls for a glass dish then you should use it, if it calls for a metal baking pan then use it. You also need to remember to use the correct sized pan. Most recipes will tell you what material and size pan you should use.