Glass vs. Metal Bakeware

Metal and glass bakeware have pros and cons.

Bakeware materials affect the appearance, texture and crust formation on food. Glass and metal are the two most-used types for cake, pie, quiche, tart, casserole and bread pans as well as muffin tins and cookie sheets. If you do a lot of baking, stock the kitchen with both kinds for various baking projects.

Glass Bakeware

Baking in glass lets the baker check the doneness of food by sight as well as other testing methods and remove items from the oven when the food is the desired brownness. Since glass doesn’t absorb the taste of food or impart any flavors, food can be stored in and served from glass bakeware. Glass bakeware can generally be safely moved from the freezer or refrigerator to the oven without any risk of cracking or breaking. Its slick surface makes it easy to clean. When using glass for baking, slightly reduce the recommended baking times as glass absorbs rather than reflects heat like metal, so foods cook and brown faster.

Metal Bakeware

Metal bakeware is durable and easy to clean if you properly lubricate the interior surface before adding foods to be baked. Its reflective surface provides uniform browning on the bottoms and sides of bread, muffins, rolls, cakes and pies. It is lighter than glass and cleans up well. To protect the inside surface from nicks and scratches that compromise food release and even browning, avoid using knives or sharp metal utensils to remove or serve food from metal bakeware.

Light and Dark Metals

Light colored metals such as aluminum are good heat conductors but don’t brown food very well as the glossy surface reflects the heat during baking. If the appearance of the food is inconsequential, such as cake that will be covered with frosting, or a dark crust is undesirable, such as on the bottom of cookies, light metal is an appropriate choice. However, if a dark crust is important to the appearance of the food, such as rolls, bread and pie crusts, use a dark colored metal that absorbs heat and is usually stick resistant.

Coated Bakeware

Metal bakeware is often coated with a non-stick material to make removing items from pans easier without adding fat through greasing or buttering the pans. Only wooden, silicone or nylon utensils can be used with non-stick bakeware. Enamel is another common bakeware coating that makes clean-up easier and stands up well to metal utensils but lacks browning qualities.

References

• Overstock-Guides: Bakeware Buying Guide
• Recipe Tips: Types Of Bakeware