Should pans be tin, non-stick, or bottomless?

In Grandma's day, the average home baker or cook didn't have too many choices when it came to the pans she or he used for preparing food,whether meals or baked goods,in the family kitchen. These days, however, present a significantly different story. There are probably more options for pans than items on one's pantry shelf. Where poor Grandma was undoubtedly stuck with cast iron,maybe to eventually move up to tin, cooks today have stainless steel, glass,both light and dark, copper bottom, insulated pans, non-stick surfaces, porcelain clad steel, and the relatively new option of silicone. Do any of these make a difference?

Obviously cost will influence the decision as to which pans to buy. Some stainless options can run hundreds of dollars per set. Copper bottom can be cost-effective, but still aren't cheap. And non-stick options run the gamut from tin to heavy stainless pans.

Jennifer Bartos knows lots about baking. She owns the All in One Bake Shop, and is an expert in baking supplies.

"Certainly, pans with removable bottoms are the easiest to work with," she says.

For obvious reasons, pans that come apart will prove far less likely to result in a torn cake, botched batch of brownies or chewed up cheesecake. A knife slid between the dropped-out bottom and the baked delicacy can loosen almost any sticky situation. Aside from these options, Bartos finds relatively little difference between the remaining options for pans.

"Especially when making a tart or a pie," she explains, "the crust will have so much butter or fat, that the baked result is quite unlikely to stick, regardless of the kind of pan used."

Today's homemakers and cooks buy a variety of options. Non-stick finishes seem very popular. They are practically fool-proof. A decent coating of cooking spray, margarine, butter, or lard will almost guarantee that the food inside will be removed fairly simply from the pan. Stainless options without a non-stick finish require flouring in addition to greasing, but tend to work just as well. The new silicone pans require ample spraying or greasing,and can provide a source of fun when extracting muffins, cupcakes, layer cakes, or rolls. Their pliable consistency allows far more manipulation that any of the standard type pans.

The options are endless, and in most cases the best choices come down to one factor,preference. Whether glass or aluminum, cast iron or stainless steel, practicing baking or cooking with a variety of pan options is the best way to find out which one style actually works best for you.

Bartos agrees.

"I don't see too much of a difference between a non-stick pan or a stainless pan or even an aluminum pan," she admits.

This decision is obviously one of choice, with minor restrictions with regard to cost and availability of some pans. The one constant, however, tends to be in the act of greasing and/or flouring the pan. Even those with a non-stick finish typically do better when these simple cooking preparations have been taken.