How your baked goods turn out may have less to do with you and more to do with the pan you use. We tested a variety of baking pans to see how their finishes affect the final product.
In all the tests, the top-performing pan was made of heavy aluminum, with a natural silver finish. Using this pan resulted in evenly baked items that rose high, had an appealing golden color and released easily from the pan. Although the heavy aluminum pan performed the best, light- and medium-colored nonstick pans also worked well, producing baked goods that rose almost as high and were only slightly less golden.
As the pans darkened in color, however, the results were less successful. Dark-colored nonstick pans scored the worst. These pans absorb heat faster and, therefore, bake faster. Because heat penetrates the sides of the pans so quickly, cakes and breads begin to set before they have risen fully. This results in much less height compared to other pans.
When we adjusted the oven temperature to account for the dark finish of these pans, however, we noticed improvements. The baked goods were darker than those made in the heavy aluminum pans, and they didn’t rise as high, but they still produced acceptable results. Our advice: If you bake with dark-colored pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
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