Is It Better to Bake in Glass or Metal? (2024)

FAQs

Is It Better to Bake in Glass or Metal? ›

– but metal does an overall better job than glass of baking almost everything except for acidic desserts. It bakes evenly because it heats up so quickly. It also browns beautifully and crisps to perfection.

Aluminum is a very good heat conductor, which means baked goods will brown evenly, and it doesn't rust.” Glass bakeware, in comparison, is heavier than aluminum and more expensive. Because glass is an insulator, rather than a conductor, it's slow to heat but, once hot, retains that heat for longer.

Unless you know the recipe author used a glass pan to test the recipe, generally you'll need to drop the baking temperature and increase the baking time. For most recipes: Drop the temperature by 25°F. Increase the bake time anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the volume of batter.

If you make brownies or bake often, consider using or purchasing a metal pan to use in place of your Pyrex dish. Metal pans, specifically aluminum, absorb and transfer heat more consistently than glass, making them perfect for delicious, evenly-cooked, moist brownies every time.

Baking pans are frequently made from aluminum (an excellent heat conductor), or an aluminum-steel combination. Less common are stainless steel pans; while easy to clean and non-reactive, they don't conduct heat as well as aluminum.

Glass baking dishes tend to retain heat longer than metal, keeping your lasagna warmer as you bring it to the table. That's not the only plus, though – glass is also naturally more non-stick than aluminum. That means that when you're done enjoying the delicious lasagna, cleanup doesn't have to be a challenge.

Another common temperature mistake cooks make with glass also involves temperature variations. Cookware will experience thermal shock when it rapidly changes temperature. This shock will make metal warp and glass crack. Obviously, having cracked glass near freshly cooked food is an undesirable outcome for any cook.

The standard advice for baking in glass is to lower the oven temperature by 25°F from what the recipe calls for, and bake up to 10 minutes longer. The hard edges we see here are more pronounced in high-sugar, high-fat recipes; your casserole or bread pudding are less likely to be adversely affected.

Heats up quickly and cools quickly: A metal baking pan heats up quickly in a hot oven, as metal is an excellent conductor of heat. Bakes more slowly than glass: Interestingly enough, however, metal pans bake things more slowly than glass pans do.

Glass will heat up slower and will hold its heat for longer, this gives you a nice, even bake for your brownies. This helps ensure that your brownies have crispy edges and a decadent, chewy center.

Is it better to bake meatloaf in glass or metal? ›

Metal pans are great conductors of heat; in other words, they heat up quickly, but in turn, they also cool down more rapidly once removed from the heat source. Additionally, metal pans can withstand higher temperatures than glass.

The CORRECT Pan to use for Banana Bread

The pan I recommend: A light-colored METAL 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Anything too dark in color will risk scorching the edges. Glass and ceramic loaf pans: Take MUCH longer to bake – upwards of 15 to 20 minutes.

The All-Clad Pro-Release Nonstick Bakeware Square Baking Pan is our top pick because it answers most brownie-baking problems before they happen and is great for all levels of bakers. If it's the brownie pan of a lifetime you're looking for, consider the Emile Henry Modern Classics 9-Inch Square Baking Dish.

Metal bakeware is often preferred because of its ability to heat up quickly, produce evenly baked goods, and cool down quickly. The nonstick surface is convenient, especially for novice bakers and cooks. Finally, the metal may be able to withstand a higher temperature than other options in glass or ceramic.

Most desserts like brownies, cookies, bars, and cakes bake best in a metal dish. The metal conducts heat evenly and efficiently, allowing the baked goods to heat and rise equally from edge to center, cooking at the same rate.

These days, cookware options are endless: ceramic, copper, nonstick, cast iron — they all have their positives and place in the kitchen. But the prized possession and frequently sought-after by professional chefs and serious home cooks alike is stainless steel.

The standard advice for baking in glass is to lower the oven temperature by 25°F from what the recipe calls for, and bake up to 10 minutes longer. The hard edges we see here are more pronounced in high-sugar, high-fat recipes; your casserole or bread pudding are less likely to be adversely affected.

Glass Pie Pan Experiment Results

For texture, it was most comparable to the crust baked in the ceramic pan. Glass takes a long time to conduct heat compared to metal, so you may not achieve as much browning on the bottom and sides of your crust. This is exactly what we found with this crust – minimal browning occurred.

Knowing that the glass dishes are non-toxic, durable, and eco-friendly makes cooking much more enjoyable than worrying about toxic non-stick coatings and such. What's more, baking a lasagna in a glass pan means you can see what's happening in your dish, which is fun when cooking with kids.