
Better Bakeware, Glass vs Metal vs Silicone
Do you like to bake? Better yet, do you enjoy eating baked goodies? Yes? Us too. There are a lot of factors that affect your baked goods, the ingredients, the process, the cooking time... but did you know that the kind of baking dish you use affects the food quality too? Yes, it does! So, if you've amassed a collection of diverse bakeware, here's what you need to know about it.
Glass Baking Dish
Glass isn't the best conductor of heat, but a Borosil baking dish is a great insulator. It absorbs more heat & makes your food bake faster. It can withstand temperatures up to 350°C! A borosilicate baking dish or a glass baking dish is perfect for pies & loaves of bread. Glass being transparent makes viewing easier, so if you see any unwanted browning, you can immediately adjust your oven.
Unlike plastic or ordinary glass, borosilicate glass does not leach chemicals into your food. Glass bakeware sets being inert, are super safe to use, even with acidic foods like tomatoes or citrus fruits.
A glass dish for baking has only 1 con. Since it is made of glass, it can shatter. Completely overcome that con with Borosil glass dishes. They can withstand extreme temperatures and will never shatter in the oven. They are both microwave and freezer safe. In addition to that, they are also scratch-resistant and way tougher than ordinary glass.
Borosil glass dishes don't absorb stains or odours and can easily be cleaned in the dishwasher. Even after repeated usage, your glass dish will retain perfect clarity.
Also Read: Stainless Steel vs Glass vs Copper, the healthiest water bottle to use
Metal Baking Dish
Most metal pans are made with aluminium, an excellent conductor of heat. What does that mean for baking? It means your food will cook quickly & efficiently with perfect browning! Aluminium tins are perfect for cakes, brownies & cookies. You'll find special cake aluminium tins, brownie tins, cupcake tins, bread tins & a lot more! Aluminium is a light metal, so it behaves differently from dark metals. Baking tins made from dark metal absorb more heat & behave much like glass dishes. They are perfect for loaves of bread & pies since they require a crisp crust, unlike brownies or cakes.
#BorosilTip: Lower the temperature by 25°C if you're worried about too much browning.
Silicone Cake Moulds
There's a lot that silicone does for you. It's lightweight, non-reactive, shatterproof, and non-stick. That's almost every pro in the book. Its one major con would be that isn't a conductor of heat. So goods baked in silicone moulds need quite a bit of cooking time. Also keep in mind, since it's ~wiggly~ it has to be handled with extreme care when it's filled with batter.
All these materials have their pros & cons. The best takeaway for someone who has amassed a collection of baking materials would be to use different tins for different recipes.
Fun-fact: India's baking industry is one of its largest food-processing industries.
You'll find many baking dishes online, in various shapes! Round aluminium tins, oval glass baking dishes, heart-shaped silicon moulds & a lot more unique shapes & sizes to experiment with.