BAKING
(continued)
14
Baking Pans
Pan Placement
Use the proper baking pan. The type of finish on the
pan determines the amount of browning that will occur.
• Dark, rough or dull pans absorb heat resulting in a
browner, crisper crust. Use this type for pies.
• Shiny, bright and smooth pans reflect heat, resulting
in a lighter, more delicate browning. Cakes and
cookies require this type of pan.
• Glass baking dishes also absorb heat. When baking
in glass baking dishes, the temperature may need to
be reduced by 25°F.
• If you are using dark non-stick pans, you may find
that you need to reduce the oven temperature 25°F.
to prevent over-browning.
For even cooking and proper browning, there must be
enough room for air circulation in the oven. Baking
results will be better if baking pans are centered as
much as possible rather than being placed to the front
or to the back of the oven.
Pans should not touch each other or the walls of the
oven. Allow 1- to 1
1
⁄
2
-inch space between pans as
well as from the back of the oven, the door and the
sides. If you need to use two shelves, stagger the pans
so one is not directly above the other.
Cookies
Aluminum Foil
When baking
cookies, flat cookie
sheets (without sides)
produce better-
looking cookies.
Cookies baked in a
jelly roll pan (short
sides all around) may
have darker edges
and pale or light
browning may occur.
Do not use a cookie sheet so large that it touches the
walls or the door of the oven. Never entirely cover
a shelf with a large cookie sheet. For best results, use
only one cookie sheet in the oven at a time.
Never entirely cover
a shelf with
aluminum foil.
This will disturb the
heat circulation and
result in poor
baking. A smaller
sheet of foil may be
used to catch a
spillover by placing
it on a lower shelf
several inches below the food.
Pies
Cakes
For best results, bake pies in dark, rough or dull pans
to produce a browner, crisper crust. Frozen pies in foil
pans should be placed on an aluminum cookie sheet
for baking since the shiny foil pan reflects heat away
from the pie crust; the cookie sheet helps retain it.
When baking cakes, warped or bent pans will cause
uneven baking results and poorly shaped products. A
cake baked in a pan larger than the recipe recommends
will usually be crisper, thinner and drier than it should
be. If baked in a pan smaller than recommended, it
may be undercooked and batter may overflow. Check
the recipe to make sure the pan size used is the one
recommended.
Don’t Peek
Set the timer for the estimated cooking time and do
not open the door to look at your food. Most recipes
provide minimum and maximum baking times such
as “bake 30-40 minutes.”
DO NOT open the door to check until the minimum
time. Opening the oven door frequently during cooking
allows heat to escape and makes baking times longer.
Your baking results may also be affected.
