Is It Better to Bake in Glass or Metal?

Glass bakeware, in comparison, is heavier than aluminum and more expensive. Because glass is an insulator, rather than a conductor, it’s slow to heat but, once hot, retains that heat for longer. This can result in uneven baking: By the time the interior is baked through, the exterior is often overcooked, dry, or dark.Edd deems the aluminum pan the “MVP of bakeware. It’s relatively cheap, doesn’t have nonstick coatings to worry about scratching, and, if looked after properly, will last a very long time. Aluminum is a very good heat conductor, which means baked goods will brown evenly, and it doesn’t rust.”

Aluminum is good for cakes, bars, and pies—but also for breads: focaccia, sandwich loaves, and rolls.  Because metal heats up faster than glass, it contributes to a better rise and crisper, browner edges. But whatever you're baking, it's important to remember that not every metal pan is a great metal pan.

Save your glass pans for lasagna, plátanos maduros horneados, baked eggs, piñon, casseroles, and doughnut bread pudding—they’re easy to clean, they’re so smooth they’re naturally nonstick, they’ll keep your kugel warm as it sits on the table, they won’t cause discoloration or off-tastes when you’re slow-roasting tomatoes or other acidic foods. But metal will handle the baked goods.

And should you panic and forget everything you’ve learned, just hang onto this handy rule of thumb: If a recipe calls for a “dish,” that typically means glass or ceramic; if it calls for a “pan” or “tin,” go with metal.