The Best Brownie Pans (Review) in 2020

Things to Consider When Buying the Best Pan for Brownies

• Size

The size of your pan makes a difference in terms of the number of brownies you’re looking to make. Most recipes will dictate the size of the pan you should use in order to get the correct consistency throughout your baked goods. However, you can always apply a little give-and-take here, with larger, thinner pans making a chewier brownie and shorter, deeper options giving a gooier texture.

Essentially the size of your pan is up to your personal preference in the taste and texture of your brownies. However, if you have a preferred recipe, you should try to stick to the pan measurements specified, or as close to these are possible.

Another good reason for checking the size of your pan is to check that you can actually store this away when not in use. Smaller kitchens and spaces with fewer countertops to work with are particularly important to take into consideration, as deeper, larger pans are likely to get in the way of your other kitchen items, in these cases.

• Material

The material of your brownie pan makes a huge different to the final taste of your food. Metal is a very popular choice because it is inert, and therefore less likely to absorb smells and food – giving you a clean start after every wash.

However, not all metals are made equal and many cheaper options will have an uneven heat distribution due to poor conductivity. To avoid this, you should always aim to go for heavier steel options, as well as aluminum or copper. Cast iron is also a good choice but will often be considerably more expensive than most other options.

Other popular materials are glass and silicone. Glass allows your brownies to cook for longer, which provides a more even texture throughout your brownies. Silicone, meanwhile, is more flexible (literally) in that is can be bent to easily meet your storage requirements. Both of these are dishwasher safe and are less likely to need coating with PTFE or similar.

• Design

The design of your item is based mainly on the type of brownie pan you decide to purchase (we give more details about the different types below). Each design comes with its own range of pros and cons, with the biggest difference being in the edges provided.

For example, the all round edge pan from Baker’s Edge allows you to creates those crispy edges that everyone wants across the entire tray. That means no more fighting for the best brownie slice. Meanwhile, those brownie pans with individual sections are often quicker overall, when it comes to baking times, and allow users to create a little personality across the different brownies – all in one batch.

• Features

As with many kitchen tools, pots and pans, the biggest difference in features comes down to one, big, simple convenience – how easy are they to clean? In the case of baking trays and brownie pans, the two biggest factors that come into play here are the ability to have a non-stick coating and whether they are suitable for using in a dishwasher.

In most cases, unfortunately, having one means that you have to go without the other. This is because, the majority of the time, a non-stick coating will wear off much more quickly when a dishwasher is used over basic warm water and soap. Once the non-stick coating wears off, there is no way to get it back on – short of going back to the factory with your pan and requesting a fresh coat.

That said, with the increase in concern regarding these coatings, it might be worth opting for the dishwasher-safe option instead. This is because PTFE, or Teflon, is currently somewhat of an unknown. After all, we know that, each time the pan is used, a little of the coating comes off too – which inevitably means that we are ingesting a little of this, every time we eat our baked goods.

Instead, many people are now opting for the BPA and PTFE-free options. In these cases, the material comes back into play, as both glass and silicone options are more likely to be considered food-safe and better suited for this use.

• Budget

As amazing as a pan might be, we all know that the budget will make or break out eventual decision to buy (or not buy). However, if you think you can get further use from a basic pan, over a brownie-specific pan, it may be worth spending a little more – as you’ll be getting a pan that can be used for multiple options.

Types of Brownie Baking Pans

• Brownie Pans with Individual Sections

Handy for people who like to set their brownies with individuality, such as different decorations or additions to the mixture, these brownie pans allow for plenty of space between each baked good. These pans allow for all four side of the brown to have a crispy edge and are usually a little deeper, to allow for a decent sized brownie with each serving.

The benefits of these is the exact dimensions of each brownie are the same and are therefore perfect for families who argue over who gets the biggest slice, or for commercial use.

• Brownie Pans with Dividers

Acting in a similar fashion to the above, with less space between the brownie sections, a brownie pan with a divider can help your food to cook more evenly, as the metal will distribute heat across the pan. They aren’t as effective as this as the individual pans, but they do come with some other benefits.

Firstly, the divider can often be removed and therefore your brownie can be used for other baked goods or general cooking. Secondly, the divider itself can act as a quick and easy way to cut up your brownies after cooking, even if you don’t use it during the time in the oven. You would simply need to press the divider down to divide your brownies into equal measurements.

• Basic Baking Tins

Ideal for those who don’t have their main focus on brownies, when baking. These baking tins are perfect for people who want a little more versatility when they’re baking due to lack of storage space or simply for convenience. The benefits of having the brownie tin, such as the non-stick coating and smaller size can still be an appealing aspect for many bakers, so these tins can often by found for other cooking uses.

• Additional Edges

Created with deep, extra folds of metal across the pan, these edge brownie pans were created to allow for more of the crispy sides of a baked brownie to come to the fore. If you love to have your brownies gooey in the middle but with a chewy outer, then these are the pans for you.

Advantages of Using a Brownie Pan

While you can make brownies using most baking tins, brownie pans have the added ability of improving the overall texture and flavor of your baked goods. Using a brownie tin such as the Edge brownie pan gives additional edges that allow for those crisper sides, which are often the favorite part of any brownie batch.

They also distribute heat more evenly across your baking, allowing for an even flavor and less risk of doughy centers, that often fall apart before you can eat them – leaving crumbs everywhere and generally being a little too sticky to comfortably eat.

Finally, you’ll notice that the brownie mixture is often harder to shift than a standard cake, since the gooey goodness is part of what makes a good brownie. Thus, you’ll often find that each tin has been lined with a non-stick coating to make it easier to remove your brownies, once cooked.

Best Brownie Pan FAQ:

Q: How deep should a brownie pan be?

A: Depending on your preferred flavors and textures, the depth of the pan can be altered to suit your own needs. You should be aware, however, that a deep pan runs the risk of having an uncooked center and burned outer edges. Likewise, a thinner, longer pan will result in chewier brownies that might be preferred by some of your taste testers.

Q: Do brownies bake better in glass or metal pans?

A: The answer to this depends on your personal preferences. For starters, glass brownie pans will likely be more expensive and can take longer to heat and therefore bake your brownies. That said, the quicker heat distribution of metal can sometimes mean that you need to keep a closer eye on the baking process in order to avoid burns.

Metal is also more likely to cook the outer edges of the brownie more than the center – this is great if you’re looking for a doughier center and crispier outer side. Meanwhile, glass pans can distribute the heat more evenly, leading to a more consistent brownie.

Q: What is the best size pan for brownies?

A: For most recipes, you’ll find that the method calls for a brownie pan that is roughly eight inches by eight inches. That said, if you’re making larger batches, you’ll likely find that you need a larger pan. In the end, though, it comes to down to how you prefer your brownies. Smaller pans will allow for a more cake-like result, while larger pans can lead to a thinner, chewier consistency that many prefer.

Our Top Pick

We love the Wilton Performance Pans Aluminum Square Cake and Brownie Pan because it gives you exactly what you need at the right price. Made with a heavy-gauge aluminum, this is a pan that has been built to last, with high quality results every time, making this great value-for-money.

The higher sides help to fight away the initial wave of heat, while the material allows for a nice, even, heat distribution – all-in-all making your brownies all the better. Whether you prefer them nice and chewy and prefer a softer texture, you can do it all with the best brownie pan on the market, today.

Sources:

1. Best Brownies Recipe - Allrecipes
2. What Kind of Pan Do You Need to Bake Brownies? - OurEverydayLife