12 Pans Every Baker Should Have

When I'm preparing to buy a housewarming gift for a family member or friend moving into a new home, I always ask them the simple question, "What type of baking pans do you own?" It's likely that if they aren't avid home cooks or bakers, they may be lacking some of the essentials. As a professional pastry chef, friend, brother, and son, I feel it's important to provide them with the basic baking pans that I believe everyone should have. I firmly believe that to have a well-functioning home kitchen with plenty of sweet treats ready, you need to invest in high-quality bakeware that's both versatile and durable.

Don't worry — you don't need to invest in all of these plans right away. When I first started baking, all I had was a sheet pan and my mom's rusty Bundt pan. However, over time, the more I progressed into becoming a better baker the more I realized having a variety of baking pans is essential. The more baking pans you have, the more you unlock the possibilities of what you can achieve as a baker. Suddenly, your simple sugar cookies become beautifully decorated ones you're proud to put on your holiday table.

Consequently, collecting pans and other baking tools has turned into quite a hobby for me. I'm always looking for the most eccentric and whimsical pans I can find since I already know I own all the ones from this list — the basic ones every baker should have.

You're not a true baker unless you've got a huge stack of sheet pans in your kitchen ready to use for your batches of baked goods like this Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Cookies recipe or these scrumptious Salted Caramel-Stuffed White Chocolate Chip Cookies. These flat rectangular baking pans are typically made from metal or aluminum and are commonly sold in three different sizes: full, half, and quarter.

Don't confuse a sheet pan with a cookie sheet: A sheet pan has a 1-inch rimmed edge on all sides, whereas a cookie sheet is a rimless baking pan with often a raised side for easy handling. Cookie sheets are primarily used for making cookies and biscuits, however, just having a stockpile of sturdy sheet pans like these GoodCook Everyday Baking Sheets will do the trick just fine.

Other than baking a batch of your favorite cookies and baked goods, there are tons of uses for rimmed sheet pans around the kitchen, like organizing your mise en place before tackling a new recipe in the kitchen or when you want to whip up fast and easy dinners on the nights you don't feel like cooking. These are the most versatile pans you can own and avid bakers should always have plenty on hand.

You might think a springform pan is just another useless piece of kitchen equipment that will gather dust in the back of your pantry — well it's not. This indispensable baking pan features a round cake pan with removable bottoms and sides; The sides of the pan are released by a latch that can be tightened or loosened. This design allows for easy and stress-free removal of baked goods that can't be inverted — easing your worries about ruining the presentation of your sweet treats.

The springform pan is a powerhouse; You can bake any type of cake, pie, tart, or quiche, although, it's especially useful for cheesecake. Due to the cheesecake's crumbly crust and soft, creamy center, the springform pan's detachable sides are super convenient when removing it from the pan, allowing you to slice and serve your guests without any hassle. If you're a new baker and find that your baked goods frequently stick to the sides of the pan, you might wanna pick up a non-stick springform pan like this Wilton Advance Springform Pan or be sure to grease it well and coat it with flour to prevent any mishaps.

Aside from the sheet pan, the round cake pan is one of the most utilized baking vessels in bakeries, professional pastry kitchens, and home kitchens. These pans come in a wide assortment of sizes ranging from 4 inches to 12 inches in diameter, serving their purpose well whenever you're crafting a sky-high tiered layered cake. If a recipe calls for a standard-size pan, it's generally referring to an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan, which is typically 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches deep, like these Fat Daddio's aluminum round cake pans.

You always want to be sure never to overfill your pan with batter. To make sure your cake doesn't overspill and make a mess in your oven it's best to fill it ⅔ full for thicker batters and ½ full for lighter batter like sponge. If you want to make sure you're getting a precise measurement of batter, follow what bakers do to measure it over a gram scale — it's a great way to confirm an accurate pour and you can let your worries of uneven cake layers fade away.

The use of this type of pan doesn't only lie in making cakes, you can bake loaves of bread, dinner rolls, quiches, or even a deep-dish pizza. As long as you have a few 9-inch cake pans in your kitchen, don't fret — you will be able to conquer all your favorite baked goods like a professional.

Another essential pan that every baker should have is the simple loaf pan. For those who may not know, a loaf pan is a rectangular-shaped dish used to make loaf cakes, pound cakes, or quick breads. It's also known as a bread pan, as its long rectangular shape is perfect for making bread, like the Pullman loaf, brioche, or Japanese milk bread. Plus, if you want to create a sturdy and perfectly shaped meatloaf or lasagna, the loaf pan's tall and compact sides make it an excellent choice.

Whether you're making a baked good or savory dish in a loaf pan, be sure to grease it really well and layer it with parchment paper. It's always smart to leave a bit of parchment paper hanging off the side for easy removal.

Typically, a standard loaf pan is either 8.5x4.5-inch or 9x5-inch. If you only have limited room in your kitchen, go for one of these sizes, since most recipes call for this dimension. Of course, you buy one of the single-use loaf pans at the supermarket, but do yourself a favor to become a better baker and invest in a high-quality steel one, like this set of 8x4-inch pans from GoodCook.

Whether you're a serious bread baker looking to invest in some new equipment or want to veer away from sourdough in favor of a new style of breadmaking to obsess over, you should be introduced to the Pullman pan. This unique straight-sided rectangular pan features a lidded top, which helps confine the dough during the baking process to create a solid, sturdy loaf of bread. It also is used to minimize crust formation, retain moisture, and prevent the dough from excessively rising in the oven. When you're looking for a Pullman pan, try to find one that can hold up to 1 pound of dough to ensure your bread has ample room to expand, like this Kitessensu Pullman Loaf Pan.

The type of pan is most commonly used for baking flat-topped bread, like the Pullman loaf, also referred to as "pain de mie," or some people refer to it as "sandwich bread." You can also take the lid off and bake round-topped loaves. If you're an avid bread baker, this definitely one of the pans you should add to your baking equipment.

If you know the muffin man, you might be familiar with the muffin pan. This baking tool, also referred to as a muffin or cupcake tin, is a pan that features multiple cup-shaped wells that are designed for baking individual muffins, cupcakes, biscuits, and other baked goods. These pans come in a variety of different sizes, like small, medium, or large, as well as different numbers of wells ranging anywhere from 6, 12, to 24. The most popular type of muffin pan is one made from either metal or a combination of aluminum and steel since these pans conduct heat more efficiently, like this Nordic Ware Aluminum Muffin Pan. Try to veer away from silicon pans since they tend to cook more slowly and unevenly.

In addition to muffins and cupcakes, this pan is also excellent for making savory dishes like quiches, mini meatloaves, tartlets, or even pizza bites! You can also use the muffin pan for this easy breakfast burrito hack or if you want to create bite-sized savory appetizers that can easily feed a crowd.

Rectangle baking pans are one of the most useful pieces of equipment a baker could own other than an oven and a whisk. This raised, rectangular metal pan is used to bake various sweet treats, like fudgy brownies, chewy blondies, decorative sheet cakes, or some soft cinnamon rolls.

They can be found in multiple different sizes with the most common being 9x13-inch. These baking pans are typically sold in either aluminum, aluminum-steel, metal, ceramic, or glass. All of these materials are great, however, the aluminum and aluminum-steel rectangle baking pans reign supreme, like this USA Rectangular Cake Pan. These types of materials conduct heat extremely well, ensuring you'll get a golden brown crust on the bottom of your baked goods. On the other hand, if you're looking for better presentation for your casseroles or side dishes, the ceramic or glass baking pan will do just fine. Just be cautious these materials are a little more delicate and prone to breaking.

Whenever you're trying to make the absolute best Bundt cake, there are rules you should always keep in mind, like following the recipe correctly, not overbaking it, and letting it cool slightly after baking. By and large, however, the most important rule is that you should use the right baking vessel: the Bundt pan. These special pans are typically made from aluminum and feature a fluted, ring-shaped design with a hole in the center, allowing for even cooking and heat distribution. Bundt pans are wonderful for making cakes that are buttery and dense with a tight crumb, like pound cakes.

They often have unique patterns and designs, resulting in decorative, visually appealing cakes that require minimal embellishments or garnishes since they're already beautifully sculpted. No other pan can compete with the intricate designs of all the various Bundt pans out on the market, however, if you want a more classic look, get a pan like this Cuisinart Chef's Fluted Cake Pan.

Since the arches, flutes, and crevices of the Bundt pan's intricate design may be hard to grease, try using a pastry brush to coat every little spot. Don't let that deter you from becoming your favorite pan to use on your baking journey. These pans are staple in many bakeries and are definitely one you should own.

There are a few rules when it comes to making popovers, like always being sure to use a whisk when combining the ingredients, chilling the batter before using it, and most importantly, investing in the right type of pan — like a popover pan. Just to bring everyone up to speed, a popover pan is a baking vessel specifically designed to make airy and delicious popovers. Similar to a muffin pan, it has a well but it isn't as shallow, as the pan has extremely deep straight sides, allowing the dough to climb upwards so you can achieve a tall and perfectly fluffy popover.

You want to be sure the wells spread apart from each other, like this Cuisinart 6-Cup Popover Pan. This allows for ample air circulation to ensure it will become evenly brown and pop up in the oven. Plus, if you want to get some brownie points from dinner guests, bring out a tray of freshly made popovers and watch their faces light up.

You might be thinking, when in the world will you ever use a popover pan for anything other than this delicious side dish? Well, it's not just for popovers — you can make tons of baked goods, like cakes, scones, or even some Yorkshire pudding for your next Sunday roast. The best part about having a popover pan is that you can leverage the shape and heat circulation of the pan to create a baked good that's golden brown and evenly cooked.

A pie pan, also referred to as a pie plate, is a round pan designed for baking pies that has shallow, outwardly slanted sides, typically about 1 inch to 1 ½ inches deep. Pie pans are extremely versatile since, of course, you can bake numerous types of pies, but you can also use them to make a quiche or throw your leftovers inside and heat it in the oven. You can find pie pans in a variety of different forms at kitchenware stores, like ceramic, glass, metal, or aluminum-steel ones. All of these types of pie pans are great options, however, they all disburse heat differently and each one of them has pros and cons that can dramatically affect your pie crust.

Many professional bakers prefer to use a metal or aluminum-steel pie pan because it's a great heat conductor, ensuring rapid and evening baking — resulting in a crispy, crunchy, golden brown crust. Glass and ceramic pie pans are both excellent at retaining heat, however, they tend to warm up in the oven slower compared to metal, typically resulting in uneven browning and cooking throughout your crust. It might be the easiest option to pick up a pack of disposable aluminum pie tins at your local supermarket, however, investing in a high-quality pan like this USA Aluminized Steel Pie Pan can really make or break your pie-making experience.

While you may be tempted to flip the script on the traditional tart by baking it upside down, nothing can beat the elegance of a properly made tart. Plus you can't make a proper tart with a crown crust and ridge edges without having a tart pan, like this Non-Stick Tart Pan by Wilton.

A tart pan is pretty similar to a pie pan, however, it doesn't have a rim, and it has shallower and fluted sides. Unlike pie pans, it's common for tart pans to have a removable bottom for an easier release of your baked tarts. These pans can come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, whether it be mini or large rounded pans or long rectangular pans.

If you're an extra precocious baker and want to ensure your tart crust is getting cooked evenly, then you might want to invest in a perforated tart pan. This type of tart pan features multiple small holes in the bottom and sides of the pan, allowing for better air circulation and for steam to be easily released during the cooking process, resulting in a perfect, evenly cooked crust. Whether you invest in a tart pan with or without perforated holes, you should definitely consider adding one to the kitchen equipment cupboard.

A cooling rack is a kitchen tool that's used to cool baked goods down quickly after cooking. It consists of a frame with multiple woven metal wires that create a gap between the rack and your countertop — allowing the air to circulate so your baked goods can maintain a perfect texture.

Now, a cooling rack isn't technically a baking pan. However, if you're constantly baking at home or are even just looking to jump into the realm of crafting sweet treats, a cooling rack alongside a few sheet pans is an absolute kitchen essential. It's incredibly helpful when you're glazing cakes and cookies or letting your sourdough loaves cool evenly after baking. It can also be used to elevate whatever you're cooking to create a roasting pan.

It's best to get a wired rack that fits inside a sheet pan and be used on your countertop, like this Checkered Chef Cooling Rack. This will definitely come in handy if you're ever cooking a crown roast of lamb or whole roasted chicken for a dinner party, or when you're just trying to get the crispiest roasted vegetables.