Baking pans - Checklist

I have a problem. The moment I get some idea in my mind, I have to act on it. I can't sleep till I do it. I came to this country 12 years back. I saw the oven for the first time in my life. I had to learn how to use it. I tried making some corn bread without using eggs and since I didn't have the proper pans or didn't have any knowledge about baking, it was a disaster.

Then, I got the computer (yes, I didn't have a computer at home at that time). Started looking at the recipes. My favorite site was allrecipes.com. I read about baking pans. Different kinds. Went and bought some that were nonstick. Why? because they won't stick right? I didn't understand that the food baked in those pans would be over done unless the temperature was reduced. Lot of mistakes initially lead to what I know about baking today. To help those who want to dive into 'baking' but are hesitant, here are some tips.

For a starter in baking, these are the essential pans. Buy all aluminum pans. Don't buy those non stick pans. Many people like the silicone baking pans. They are great if used correctly. Since they are not sturdy, if you place them on a baking sheet and bake, they take longer to bake and the end product sometimes becomes drier. I am not a fan of these pans.

• 8" round pans or 9" round pans - 2 in number
• 13 " X  9" pan - 1
• Bundt or tube pan - 1 (Bundt pan usually comes as a non stick and is alright to use since there is no torting involved )
• Loaf pans - 2 in number of size 8" X 4" or 9" X 5" - I would go for 9" X 5" since if the batter is less, I will still be able to use them and get a shorter loaf. 
• A standard muffin pan. 
• 8" or 9" square pan for brownies and other bar cookies.
• Jelly roll pan - 15" X 10" in size (Jelly roll pan is the same as a cookie sheet, but with a lip)
• Couple of large cookie sheets. You can buy the non stick one for this. But, remember to use parchment paper to bake the cookies.
• Pie plates if you are into baking pies. You can buy glass ones for these.

Some Dos and Don'ts about the pans:
Always bake at 25 F lower heat than specified if using non stick pan or a glass pan. Same goes for convection oven too. You might have to bake for 5 minutes longer than the duration specified in the recipe. But, check at the correct lower range and not wait for 5 more minutes.

Grease and flour the pans unless specified otherwise. There are lot of recipes which ask you to grease only the bottom. Reason behind it is for the batter to stick to the pan and rise. And there are chiffon cakes and angel food cakes which do not need the pans greased.

Some cookie recipe tells you not to grease the sheet. You can line the sheet with parchment paper for even those for easy cleanup. If you want to learn more about interchanging the pans, read this post about cake pan conversions .

You don't have to buy all of these. Get what you need. Don't be like me who has boxes and boxes of cake pans in the basement. To give you an idea, I have 3 12 cup bundt pans, 1 tube pan, 1 6 cup bundt pan and couple of ring molds alone. This is not counting the innumerable layered cake pans I have. And I probably have 8 cookie sheets. Why did I buy all these? Because I am crazy.... That's why.

You will see quite a few basics in baking posts here. I should thank Srivalli for suggesting me to write them. I hope you will all enjoy reading them.

Enjoy.