(BPT) - If you love holiday baking, but one look at your tired old pans does not inspire you to make holiday magic in your kitchen, you may be ready to upgrade to better-quality bakeware. You may have noticed that some of your old bakeware doesn't perform as well as it used to - or may sometimes lead to problems like uneven baking or even burning your favorite baked goods. But what do you need to look for when choosing new bakeware?
Here's a guide to help you find bakeware that's worthy of your holiday baking menu.
Consider your main baking goals
Do you prioritize your family cookie swap, or making mouthwatering muffins, perfect pies, fresh-baked bread or festive yuletide cakes? Make a short list of your favorite seasonal recipes, and you'll get a pretty quick idea of what kinds of pans you need most.
Rather than investing in a huge set of bakeware that includes specialty pans you know you'll never need, choose smaller sets that offer exactly the kinds of bakeware you see yourself using most often. This will help you save money as well as space in your kitchen cupboards.
Look for quality materials - and no-burn insulation
For cookies and other baked goods - plus roasted vegetables or other savory items - that cook perfectly evenly, you'll want to find a baking sheet that's not only made of the most durable, high-quality materials but also created with two layers, allowing a pocket of air to circulate between them to ensure even browning in the oven. The strongest materials for any bakeware include carbon steel, aluminum, and aluminized steel.
Choose non-stick surfaces
The last thing you want is to struggle with scraping your beautiful holiday cookies off the sheet or a cake that won't come out cleanly. Instead, opt for nonstick surfaces that will make moving your baked goods from pan to cooling rack easy - and clean-up even easier.
Get a grip
If you've found it challenging to maneuver sheets full of baked goods in and out of the oven with your bulky oven mitts on, you may want your next pans to be specially designed to be easier for anyone to use.
Select the right sizes
Size matters when it comes to cookie sheets. You'll want to consider not only how big your oven is but whether you usually like to cook in large batches or small and if your favorite holiday recipes require baking one sheet at a time (for those that need to be baked on the center rack of the oven for optimal results).
No matter what types of sweet or savory items you like to bake, it can be helpful to have a couple of different sizes on hand for more than one purpose.
Baking sheets to please any cookie fanatic
For avid cookie bakers, GoodCook® AirPerfect™ Nonstick Baking Sheets have over-baking under control with their two insulated layers, and a textured bottom that heats up quickly while retaining moisture to prevent overheating on the top. Using these pans, you'll have the perfect bake for your delicious cookies, biscuits, pastries, and much more. They're also constructed from durable premium-grade carbon steel with a nonstick surface coating, so you'll have an easy, mess-free release - and they're dishwasher safe for quick and simple clean-up after use.
To solve the problem of handling your cookie sheets as you move them in and out of the oven, these pans also feature ergonomic handles that provide a firm grip, making your holiday cookie baking time even better from start to finish.
Need a set? GoodCook AirPerfect Nonstick Baking Sheets come as a set with two convenient sizes: two large sheets (16" x 14") and one medium sheet (14" x 12"), so you'll have plenty of room for any size batch of cookies or other items you love to bake. After you order your set, you may want another one as a gift for the favorite baker in your life!
You can find your next favorite set of cookie sheets and plenty of other kitchen must-haves in time for the holidays at GoodCook.com.
