Want Better Brownies? Your Baking Pan Makes A Bigger Difference Than You Think

Perfecting a brownie recipe can be difficult — getting that gooey center with a crisp outside is tough to master. Whether you prefer your brownies cakey, fudgy, or chewy, achieving delicious brownies is all in the way they are baked. While you may not have put much thought into the pan you bake your brownies in before, this small step can make a huge difference in the final product. You may have used Pyrex or glass baking dishes for your brownies in the past, but glass is actually one of the worst ways to bake your dessert. 

When it comes to brownies, or any sort of baked goods, glass is the baking dish you should avoid if you want an even result. Glass does not transfer heat as well as metal, making this the less than ideal option for desserts with short cooking times. Baking brownies in a glass pan will cause uneven cooking, too-crisp edges, and an overall crumbly and unpleasant texture. Plus, there's also a chance that the high temperatures could break the glass and completely ruin your dessert. While glass may keep things warm once the pan gets hot, this method likely won't achieve bakery-level brownies.  

While glass pans may be out when it comes to baking your brownies, there are pans out there that will give you a delicious finished product. Metal pans are typically the best kind of pan to use for baking brownies because metal is a great conductor of heat, allowing your brownies to bake through without burning or drying out too fast.

The color of your metal matters too, as dark metal will absorb more heat and may bake your brownies too quickly compared to light metal. Cast iron pans are also great for even cooking and distributing heat, and they stay hot if you'd like to enjoy your brownies warm with some vanilla ice cream. Ceramic pans are another option for brownies that can give you a fudgy result, though ceramic doesn't conduct heat as well as metal, so this method can be finicky. 

There may be a number of styles of baking dishes to choose from, but metal is a tried-and-true method. Metal pans aren't just great for brownies, these pans work best for all baked goods (they're also the secret to the perfect cake). If you've found that your brownies haven't been coming out of the oven with a moist, chewy texture, try switching up your pan.