18
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 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.
Baking Guides
When using prepared baking mixes, follow package recipe or instructions
for the best baking results.
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.
BAKING
(continued)
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.
