Well if it's good tips and advice on a new bakeware set your looking for you've found the right resource. I've put together some great tips for finding your bakeware at a great price online and also some advice for how to care for various types of bakeware set once you've go ahead and find your bakeware online and purchase it. As a Chef with over 30 years in the kitchen, one thing I can tell you for sure is your results are very dependent on the equipment and tools you use as is the ease of your job. Cooking and baking should be a pleasure and having the proper bakeware is definitely a vital part of making sure it is a pleasure and not a pain.
So let's start off with how to care for the different varieties of bakeware. Because that just may sway your thinking as to which type of bakeware best suits your needs, style and experience in baking.
Non Stick Bakeware: Using hot soapy water will get the job done, for stubborn baked on foods just soak it a bit with warm soapy water and use a soft wash cloth to remove. Never use steely wool, scrubbies or anything abrasive on your non stick pan as it may scratch the non stick coating and ruin it's effectiveness. I like to run the pans under hot water as soon as they come out of the oven and the cooked product is removed, the heat from the oven being in the pan will assist in food particles coming off easier and simpler.
Stainless Steel: Here you can use an abrasive scrubber like steel wool or any other type of scouring pad, the ruggedness of the stainless steel can take it. If you would like to keep your stainless steel bakeware looking and shining like new, just purchase some stainless steel cleaner and polish after washing and drying. This will also keep build up from occurring on your bakeware and result in a life time of nice even cooking and temperatures when baking.
Glass: Again soap and hot water work best, soak if necessary and a soft abrasive scrub pad is OK, but nothing to abrasive that would scratch the glass and cause sticking and food particle build up in the crevasses.
Foil: These are typically disposables but if you don't get any hard baked on foods or burnt items they can be saved for 2 or more uses. It's a judgment call. If you feel you can salvage the pan just take care to wash them with soap and water and not bend or tear the foil. They can also be placed in the dishwasher.
Silicon; Wash with hot soapy water and let air dry, I don't recommend using the dishwasher for these types of pans, however check with the manufacturer and see what they recommend. These should clean up as easily as they are designed to remove baked goods, this is there initial design intent.
Now as you can see from the above Bakeware is made from many different types of product. There are several other factors to consider when choosing the type of material your bakeware is made from.
1) If it is dark in color it will brown foods more.
2) Foil pans tend not to brown as much but do cook very even.
3) Make sure heavy metal or steel bakeware is dried completely before putting away because they can rust on you.
4) Never use soap on stone bakeware, such as a pizza stone, just wash in warm water, scrape of foods and towel dry or dry it in a warm oven.
5) Glass is always healthy because it eliminates the possibility of any hazard materials in the makeup of your bakeware – however be careful not to use cracked bakeware, during the baking process a chip of glass could end up in your food. Always let glass cool before placing in any water to prevent a tempering crack or breakage.
6) If you do use stoneware be sure to season it with oil in the oven prior to the first use to prevent scorching, sticking and burning on your first baking attempt. After unpacking the new stoneware, just wash it with hot water, dry it, rub it with some vegetable oil and put it in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and you will be all set.
So that covers a lot about what type of bakeware require what type of care. Now for finding the best deals online I recommend you go to an online auction site as Ebay. There are literally 10's of thousands of items to choose from in this category and the best part is you usually are buying off of an expert or someone with a lot of experience in the baking field. Going through the pictures and specs on items is more informative than going to your local mall and reading what is on the bakeware box or brochure.
Look for items that have auctions ready to expire and see if you can find a great deal. Also check out some of the great links to the right o this article and see if you can find something your looking for in there – these all lead to great specials and prices for bakeware.
And finally here is a great video showing you how to make some delicious upside down pineapple cupcakes when you get your new bakeware!.........
