Types Of Pans You Want To Avoid When Baking Brownies

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When it comes to a simple yet decadent treat, it's hard to top brownies. Who doesn't love a bit of gooey, chocolatey goodness every now and then? In fact, data from Verified Market Reports shows that brownie mixes are a $1.25 billion industry in America. While it's clear that a lot of us are enjoying brownies, you need to be careful when selecting the proper pan to bake them. Not all options are created equal, and for the tastiest brownies (corner piece or otherwise), you want to do it right. For that reason, avoid glass baking dishes from now on.

We talked to Jerelle Guy, founder of Chocolate for Basil and author of Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing, about why glass dishes are a bad choice for baking brownies. "Glass pans don't hold heat evenly, which can create hot and cold spots and uneven baking for the brownies," Guy explains. But, don't worry, there is a better option. 

"Light-colored metal pans help the batter bake more evenly and help achieve that chewy edge with a soft center," she says. Light-colored pans don't absorb and hold as much heat as darker ones do, which is why they are better suited for even baking. She goes on to share, "Dark metal pans can cause them to overbake." This is because darker colors absorb more heat, including infrared or thermal radiation, causing the edges of your brownies to cook faster.

While glass isn't ideal for baking brownies, that doesn't mean it's not successful in other applications. Glass dishes are great for many kinds of casseroles and savory puddings. Anything you'd like to stay warm after it comes out of the oven would benefit from being in this type of dish as glass is an insulator, not a conductor. This means it heats slowly, but stays hot for a long time. Thicker parts of the glass (like the sides and edges) will stay hotter for even longer. In the case of brownies, however, this means corners can overbake while the middle stays undercooked.

One reason that some cooks also don't like to use glass for brownies is for aesthetics. Glass dishes usually have rounded edges, and not everyone wants that, especially with brownies. It's harder to get a delicious crispy corner piece if there are no actual corners. Metal dishes have much sharper edges to achieve perfect squares when baking brownies.

Another consideration when it comes to baking with metal versus glass, is that the latter is definitely more fragile. Glass pans can even experience thermal shock, which is when rapid temperature change causes them to shatter. This can happen when you take them out of the oven and set them on a cold surface. Combined with the fact glass stays hot to the touch for a long time, it's also not the best choice if you're cooking with children. For the ultimate fudgy brownies, follow the expert's advice and stick to light-colored metal pans.