Foil baking pans are perhaps one of the most convenient ways to bake, and a simple way to keep baked goods in pans to give to others, without worrying about getting your pan back. The pans, which come in many different sizes, are made of heavy aluminum foil. They are somewhat rigid, though this may vary depending upon the weight of your ingredients, and are considered one-time use pans or disposable. Like most aluminum foil, foil baking pans are also recyclable in many areas; so it may be worthwhile to give them at least a cursory wash and then stick them into the recycling bin for cans.
There are so many varieties of foil baking pans that it would be difficult to form a comprehensive list. A few types are the following:
- Loaf Pans
- Pie Pans
- Cake Pans (round and oblong)
- Roasting Pans
- Baking Sheets
- Muffin Pans
- Tart Pans
- Sectioned Pans for Dinner Servings
Sizes vary in each style, and you may have to look in kitchen supply stores for some of the less popular styles. In grocery stores, your selection may be limited to cake, loaf, pie, and roasting pans. Conversely, kitchen supply stores will have just about any size or style you can possibly need.
For lighter ingredients, it may be easy to use foil baking pans with no support underneath. For instance, a sheet style for cookies may be fine without additional support. For most cakes, pies, and even muffins, you’ll want to support aluminum baking pans underneath with a rigid baking sheet. This can help save you from the annoying practice of breaking foods down the center if the aluminum pan bends. This is particularly risky when the foods are hot and being removed from the oven. To make food more secure, you can use two pans instead of one, but it’s still best to put a straight pan underneath for safe oven removal.
There are two styles of foil baking pans that are perhaps the most ideal: the loaf pan and the large roasting pan. The loaf pan is terrific if you love to make breads for your friends, for holidays or any other reason. These provide an easy way to pack goodies for your friends and a handy way to carry them.
Roasting baking pans are terrific if you plan to roast something large (usually a turkey) once a year. You don’t want the headache of cleaning up, and you may not have the storage space for a large roasting pan the rest of the year round. These are tremendously popular around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so be sure to look for one about a week ahead of time of these holidays, since the stock in a grocery stores can sell out quickly.
