Hot Stuff

With pretty designs and fun new materials, it’s easy to register for bakeware that rises to any occasion

You don’t have to be Betty Crocker to appreciate a great loaf pan. You can use it to bake bread, heat meatloaf or just look pretty, thanks to options like beautifully weathered copper and colorful silicone that are sweeping the bakeware aisle. Even if you only dust the crumbs off your cookie sheets once a year, you can register for the right combination of pans and trays for your happy new home.

Five or So Easy Pieces: Even if you have some old pieces from when you set up your first apartment, it’s probably time to trade up, says Brian Moore, manager at Williams-Sonoma in Center City. The stuff out there is of better quality than ever, and there is so much more to choose from.

You don’t have to be Betty Crocker to appreciate a great loaf pan. You can use it to bake bread, heat meatloaf or just look pretty, thanks to options like beautifully weathered copper and colorful silicone that are sweeping the bakeware aisle. Even if you only dust the crumbs off your cookie sheets once a year, you can register for the right combination of pans and trays for your happy new home.

Five or So Easy Pieces
Even if you have some old pieces from when you set up your first apartment, it’s probably time to trade up, says Brian Moore, manager at Williams-Sonoma in Center City. The stuff out there is of better quality than ever, and there is so much more to choose from.

Just about every bride-to-be registers for at least a muffin pan, a rectangular cake pan and a cookie sheet, says Patricia Remarais, an assistant manager at Crate & Barrel in King of Prussia. These basic bakeware pieces can do double duty, helping you heat up dinner (pizza, lasagna, quiches) and in some cases even standing in for serving pieces. If you bake more frequently, you may want to add an 8-inch square brownie pan, two mini-loaf pans and a cooling rack.

What kind of baker you are plays a part in what you should buy. If you’ve ever made cream puffs from scratch, branch out with specialty items, such as cannelé tins, madeleine pans or tartlets.

If you gravitate more toward batters and doughs, you’ll want a mixer of some kind. Decide whether a hand mixer or immersion blender will suffice, or if you’ll need something capable of tackling more than egg whites and soups. KitchenAid’s 5-quart, 325-watt Artisan Series tilt-head stand mixer has long been a bridal favorite, as much for its juicy designer colors (more than a dozen hues, from Mango to Gloss Cinnamon) as for its mixing power (it easily handles enough batter for nine dozen cookies). Minimalists may prefer the Viking Professional stand mixer, which boasts 7-quart capacity and 1,000 watts of flour power, in subdued tones of black, white, gray and cobalt.

It’s All Material
An ever-evolving array of colors and finishes, new materials and decorative shapes makes it tempting to go beyond bakeware basics. When comparing prices on anything from a mixer to a muffin tin, consider differences in size, durability and materials, says Carol Caponigro, manager of the bakeware department at Fante’s Kitchen Wares Shop in Philadelphia. Different materials have advantages and disadvantages. Ceramic mixing bowls and pie plates may look wonderful, but they’re heavier, they take up more space and they can chip. Stainless steel, on the other hand, will never break, but can dent and doesn’t go from the oven to the table the way ceramic does.

For durability, heavy-gauge steel and cast aluminum are the best. “These materials don’t warp or get dented,” says Caponigro. Heavier is definitely better, although it often costs more. “Gauges usually aren’t marked on product packaging,” says Caponigro, “but if you can bend a cookie sheet in your own hands, it’s not that great.”

Outside of these drastic differences, you will likely get the same good results with a $10 professional-quality aluminum cookie sheet as you will with a $60 one, says Ken Foster, co-owner of Foster’s Gourmet Cookware in Philadelphia.

In addition to these traditional options, there’s the material of the moment: silicone. This synthetic resin is flexible, washable, nonstick and heat-resistant, and can be molded in almost any color and shape, from spatulas to muffin tins. With its ability to withstand high and low temperatures, silicone moves easily from the freezer to the oven, and its rubberlike texture makes it easy to store. “Everyone’s crazy about silicone,” says Remarais. “It just has a funky appeal.”

Crate & Barrel stocks red and brown silicone cake pans, loaf pans, muffin pans and even baking cups, all priced comparably to their metal counterparts. Silpats, silicone baking liners, are the newest must-have, an instant and reusable way to grease a pan.

Pretty as Pie
Color is one thing that’s keeping bakeware fresh and new, says Denis Chiappa, co-owner of Carlow Cookery in Doylestown. Previously mundane items are brightening up, including spatulas (Foster’s carries OXO’s silicone version in six colors, including Pesto, Raspberry and Pumpkin) and mixing bowls (melamine bowls come in seven colors, including Lemongrass, Tangerine and Cornflower Blue, at Williams-Sonoma).

Groovy colors may add punch to your kitchen, but if your baking is a truly serious endeavor, maybe you deserve something a bit more sophisticated. For that, nothing beats high-end finishes like gleaming copper. There are also fanciful aluminum Bundt pans that take the shape of flowers (choose from violets to chrysanthemums), sand castles and even cathedrals, resulting in equally exquisite cakes. NordicWare offers a mini bouquet pan that includes two each of its rose, daisy and sunflower designs.

It all comes down to personal choice, say the experts. Whether you like bright color, festive designs or heavy-duty performance, you can find bakeware that meets your needs. Then all you have to worry about is who gets to lick the mixing bowl.