"pan" news and stories

There are a lot of cooks that will tell you all you really need is some good nonstick cookware in your kitchen. There are an equal number who will tell you that all you need is a cast iron pan. Cast iron heats evenly, quickly and lasts nearly forever. The pans can go from the stovetop right into the oven and, once it is seasoned, the pan should be fairly stick-resistant, too. They're all-purpose pans, to say the least. Cast Iron Cooking is a book that is dedicated to the cookware, with fifty recipes that will all be at their peak when prepared in cast iron.

Frankly, this book is a great resource for people who regularly use cast iron, or want to use it more, since so many current cookbooks call for nonstick pans and confusion can occasionally arise over what is the best cookware to use. The book starts out with some basic introductions to those unfamiliar with the material, including a section explaining how they can be used for open-flame cooking outdoors. The recipes range from main dishes to desserts, and once you develop a relationship with your pan, dutch oven, etc., you'll find yourself using it for a lot more.

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It is a relatively simple matter to grease and flour a cake pan. Jus spray it with cooking spray (rub with butter), sprinkle some flour on top, turning the pan to coat it evenly, and you're ready to go. Lining a cake pan with parchment paper can pose a problem for some, especially if you try to draw a circle out on the paper and ever-so-carefully cut around it because it is easy to screw up, not to mention that it is tedious work. Fortunately, there is a simple way to get a piece of paper to fit exactly inside of the circular pan. It's as easy as following the photos above and will take no longer than reading this post:

1. Take a piece of parchment paper larger than your pan and fold it into quarters. Fold that piece in half, then in half again until it is quite slim.
2. Place the point of the paper in the center of the upside down pan.
3. Use scissors to cut a straight line just inside the outer edge of the pan.
4. Unfold and place in pan, if necessary, fold back up and trim a corner to make it fit better.

One of the fun things about bundt pans is that they come in so many different shapes - far more than an ordinary cake pan. The problem with this is that you can end up with too many pans, some of which are only really appropriate for certain occasions and the Holiday Tree bundt is a prime example of this. The Stadium Pan does not have this problem, even though it does have an undeniably unique shape, since there are sporting events running all year long. All you need to do is make sure the icing colors match the team that you're supporting before the match, and you can root for your favorite team while you and your friends chow down.

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The way that Williams-Sonoma includes a picture of the finished cake with most of their bakeware is a nice touch, especially for the shaped pans. Seeing a lovely, frosted treat is obviously more appealing than simply looking at a piece of metal. For instance, I was not particularly impressed when I saw this Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Pan, a Williams-Sonoma exclusive, on its own, but once I saw the finished cakes in their catalogue, I was sold. They look fantastic, and are a great twist on a regular cupcake, reminding me of a different kind of cupcake cone without the crunchy shell. I think it's particularly impressive that they were able to proportion the cakes so they can stand on their own. The pan is a summer special, so check them out now, if you're interested.

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The first two things that I wanted to test in my new Baker's Edge pan were brownies and cheesecake because they are both dishes that can be very difficult to get a correct baking time for. It seems that the center always takes much, much longer to cook than the edges do, resulting in a very uneven, unpredictable final product. In the best cases, this is annoying, while in the worst, the whole batch has to be thrown away. The Baker's Edge is designed to eliminate the problem of having an under-cooked center and over cooked edges.