If you love baking or the taste of homemade pies and quiches, a pie pan is one of the most important items you should never miss in your kitchen. Pie pans are also known as pie plates or pie dishes and they allow you to prepare pies with an evenly browned crust which is something you cannot achieve with any other pan.
These pans made from different materials and they are also available in different styles and designs. Therefore, you need to be sure of the material that will give you the best results when baking. The most common pie pans are made of glass, metal and ceramic. All these materials differ when it comes to durability, price, efficiency and performance of the pan. In this article, we shall look at the differences between glass and metal pie pans. This will make your work easier when choosing the most suitable pie pan that suits your baking needs.
Glass Pie Pans
As compared to other pie pans, glass pie pans are the most convenient to use. Even though glass is not a perfect conductor of heat, it distributes the heat uniformly across the surface. Some of the benefits of glass pie pans include;
- They are healthy-Unlike some metallic pans like those made from aluminum, glass pie pans do not react with the foods which means that they retain the original flavor of the food.
- Best for pies and breads- These pans give your food a darker and brown crust as compared to metal pans which makes them suitable for breads and pies.
- Transparent- Another benefit is that they allow you to monitor your food when cooking.
- Heat absorption- Unlike metallic pans, glass pie pans absorbs heat which means that they cook fast. However, you should always reduce the temperatures by 25% because they can burn the food before it is ready when the temperatures are too high.
- Versatility- If you are searching for a pie pan you can use in an oven, freezer or microwave, glass pans are among the best. They are also safe to clean in a dishwasher.
When should you use glass pie pans?
Glass pie pans are the best for bread pudding, casseroles or other foods which don’t require browning. Glass is also non-reactive which means that you can keep your recipe in the recipe dish without getting worried that your food will have a metallic flavor. If you are searching for a top quality glass pie pan, Pyrex Glass Bakeware Pie Plate 9” x12” will give you amazing results when baking.
Safety precaution to take when using glass pie pans
Glass is a very delicate material which means that you should handle it with a lot of care. If you want your glass pie pan to last or give you the best performance, you should consider the following;
- You should never place your glass pan in an oven immediately after you have removed it from a refrigerator. This may cause it to shatter due to immediate change in temperatures.
- Never use a glass pie pan in a toaster oven or on a stove.
- Do not place the glass pie pan into a cold oven. You should allow the oven to heat up before you place the pan. Otherwise, your food may not cook properly.
- Avoid scratching the pan with metallic or sharp utensils.
Metallic Pans
In terms of durability, metallic pie pans are more durable than the glass pie pans. Shiny or light colored metals are suitable for even browning while dark-colored metals may cause over-browning. Dull and matte finishes may cause your pies to bake faster than when you are using shiny pans.
Aluminum and stainless steel are the most common types of metallic pie pans but aluminum pans are better in terms of heat conductivity. As a result, they are the best for even baking. However, you should not store your dishes in aluminum pans because they react with acids which give them a metallic flavor.
The most common types of metal pie pans are;
Stainless steel pie pans–
These pans are highly durable but they are not very good conductors of heat. This means that you cannot use them for baking cakes or roasts. Instead, they are used as sheet pans when baking cookies. The good thing about them is that you can clean them in a dishwasher. Unlike aluminum, Stainless steel pans such as Norpro 3811 Stainless Steel Pie Pan 9” x1.5” are very safe because they are non-reactive.
Silicone pans–
If you are searching for a non-stick metal pie pan, silicone pans like the Elbee Baking Non-stick Durable Silicone Pie Pan Set are among the best. This means that you can use them to bake sticky foods such as cakes. Again, they are safe to use in an oven or microwave. The only downside of these pans is that they heat up slowly which means that they might not be the best when you want to achieve a brown crust on baked foods.
Cast iron pie pans-
Cast iron is one of the best materials when it comes to heat distribution. As a result, cast iron pie pans will give your pies with a golden brown crust. However, cast iron pans are a bit heavy and they also need frequent seasoning to protect them from rusting.
Anodized Aluminum Pans–
Anodized aluminum pie pans are light in color and they are also non-reactive. They reflect light instead of absorbing it which enables them to retain the perfect temperatures for baking. There are two types of anodized aluminum pans which include;
- Hard-anodized pans– These pans are thicker than other metallic pans and they are also treated for a longer time. They are dark which makes them perfect from browning meat.
- Silver anodized pans- Silver anodized pans are treated to harden their outer surface. This process also protects them from blistering, rusting, and peeling. They are also non-stick and scratch resistant.
When should you use metallic pie pans?
These pans are the best for baked foods such as brownies, bread and bars because they give them a golden brown bottom and edges. They are also great for dishes that need a brown exterior such a meat loafs, cakes, tars, muffins and cookies.
Wrapping Up
The material used in the construction of a pie pan is very important because it determines the overall results. It also affects the baking time and color of your pies, brownies, cakes or bread. If you want your recipe to have a browner and darker crust, you should look for a glass pie pan. They also cook faster as compared to metal pans since the heat is distributed evenly. On the other hand, metal pie pans are designed for extended cooking sessions since they take some time to distribute heat.