Although most people are particular when choosing a recipe, sometimes it’s hard to know the best tool for the job. This is especially common when it comes to baking, and while the age of the yeast or quality of the cocoa powder are important, so is the baking pan. And a common area of confusion is whether to use metal or glass.
The science of baking involves complex chemical reactions that occur when you put batter or dough into the hot environment of an oven. This is why the material of the pan matters and can greatly change the outcome. Here we analyze the pros and cons of using metal and glass.
Conductivity
The metal and glass have different thermal conductivity, which means they carry and transfer heat differently. According to AJ Bates, a chemistry professor at Skyline College in California, metal heats up quickly, rapidly conducting heat to whatever you are baking (metal also cools down faster). He explained that glass, on the other hand, has a higher specific heat capacity, meaning it requires more energy and time to heat up and retains heat once removed from the oven.
Baking with metal means you can cook a dessert until the center is done, remove it from the oven, and not worry that the pan will continue cooking the edges. Glass, however, will retain heat and continue cooking the contents, resulting in an undercooked center or an overcooked edge, or often both.
Glass and metal react differently to ingredients
Acidic ingredients like tomatoes and citrus can react with aluminum (the most common metal used in cookware), creating a metallic taste in the food. This is why lasagnas and other casseroles with acidic ingredients are often baked in glass. The smooth, slick surface of glass is also naturally non-stick, making it easier to clean baked-on cheese and other crispy ingredients.
Practical use and storage
Metal is quite durable and can withstand knocks in a busy kitchen, while glass is fragile and heavy and requires a bit more care in cleaning and storage. Some glass can also suffer thermal shock, meaning it cannot handle extreme temperature changes.
For example, if you move a glass dish from the freezer to the oven or from a hot oven to a cold stovetop, the glass could shatter. The exception is borosilicate glass, which is more resistant to thermal shock than other glass types (which is why it is often used for microwave cookware, such as this Anyday set). However, keep in mind that the most common glass baking pans are not borosilicate.
Metal does not have this issue, allowing you to cool a cake crust in the freezer before moving it straight into the oven to bake.
Glass can also be difficult to store as the dishes are often inconsistently sized, as well as heavy and thick. If you have pets or curious small children or simply don’t have much space for storage, opt for metal baking pans.
Attractiveness matters
Baked goods served straight from the baking dish can benefit from a nice glass or ceramic dish. Alanna Taylor-Tobin, author of Alternative Baker and blogger at The Bojon Gourmet, recommends baking pies, chips, and crumbles in glass or ceramic. “I love using attractive ceramic and glass baking dishes for fruit desserts. The dish retains heat, keeping the dessert warm, and also looks great! So desserts like my almond flour apple crisps can go from the oven straight to the table for an easy but dinner-worthy dessert,” she says. However, if the dessert is removed from the dish before serving, like brownies, cookies, or bars, a metal option will give you a more attractive final product because the edges and corners of a metal pan often have an ideal 90-degree angle, creating a perfect square or rectangle.
So, which baking is better? Glass or metal? The answer: it depends on what you are making
Most desserts like brownies, cookies, bars, and cakes bake best in a metal baking pan. Metal conducts heat evenly and efficiently, allowing baked goods to warm and rise evenly from edge to center, cooking at the same rate. Desserts like fruit pies, chips, and crumbles, as well as savory casseroles, are best prepared in a glass dish. Glass retains heat better, keeping the dish warm and the dish can go directly from the oven to the table.
One thing to note about cakes and pies: many recipes and articles will tell you to bake cakes in glass, and it’s true that glass has the added benefit of being transparent: you can easily see if the pie crust is ready. But if you’re an experienced baker or want your cake to have an extra flaky crust, metal is a better option. Pie crust is flaky because there are bits of butter between the layers of dough. Once heated, the butter melts and the water in the butter creates steam, which gives the crust layers and flakiness.
Glass heats up faster than elegant stoneware cake pans, but metal heats up even faster, creating an evenly golden crust with lots of flakiness. And with metal, you can put the pie crust in the freezer to completely chill the dough before moving it to the hot oven, which is riskier with a glass pan as it can shatter.
Keep in mind that bakers are divided on the type of baking pan they prefer, with many recipes developed with glass pans. If you choose metal as your baking pan, cooking time may be shorter and should be adjusted.
Tips for baking in glass instead of metal
If you only have glass dishes at home and don’t want to buy metal pans, you’ll want to adjust the baking time and temperature. Kristina Razon, former editor of Serious Eats and avid baker, suggests lowering the recipe temperature by about 4 degrees and increasing the baking time by 5-10 minutes. Keep in mind that glass retains heat longer than metal pans, so you may also want to take the pan out of the oven slightly underdone and let the residual heat continue cooking the dessert while it sits.
Use what works for you
| Pros and Cons of Glass and Metal | ||
|---|---|---|
| GLASS | METAL | |
| PROS | – Retains heat and keeps food warm – Great for serving food – Easier to clean |
– Excellent for conducting heat evenly – Lightweight – Durable – Easy to store – Creates nice sharp edges and corners |
| CONS | – More prone to thermal shock and breaking – Heavy |
– Not as attractive for serving – Reacts with acidic ingredients – More difficult to clean |
One last thing to consider: if you have favorite recipes that work with the pans you own, there is no need to change what you’re doing! You know your kitchen and equipment best. Every kitchen is different and every oven is different. If you have a favorite brownie recipe that works perfectly with your preferred glass baking dish, then keep baking it. You may have already adjusted the time, temperature, and cooking method to accommodate the glass material, your oven might cook at slightly lower temperatures than most ovens, or you may have family members who love the soft, slightly undercooked interiors and others who argue for the crispy corner pieces.
But if you are trying a new recipe or trying to figure out why your cookie bars always come out hard and cooked at the edges and undercooked and raw in the center, try baking a batch using a metal pan instead of a glass. You may find that changing the pan is all it takes to make the recipe work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is better for baking: glass or metal?
For baked sweets like cakes, cookies, and brownies, metal is better. Most recipes are designed and developed for metal pans and you can replicate the recipe at home if you use a similar pan. For fruit desserts like tarts, crisps, and crumbles; sweets that have a lot of acidity like citrus; or savory dishes like casseroles, glass is probably better because it is non-reactive and easier to clean; it also keeps food warm longer, which is great for serving.
What is the best way to clean glass and metal pans?
The best way to clean a glass pan is to wash it by hand with warm water and soap. Soak the pan first if there are cooking residues; this will soften and loosen the dirty substance, allowing you to remove it more easily with a sponge. Avoid abrasive sponges as they can scratch the glass surface.
To wash metal pans, soak the pan first in warm soapy water if there are crumbs, but usually a sponge and warm water will remove most residues. Your glass or metal pan may also be dishwasher safe, but check the manufacturer’s cleaning and care instructions before putting it in the dishwasher. And keep in mind that some pans may be listed as dishwasher safe, but harsh dish detergents can corrode or reduce the lifespan of the pan.
