Cook_s_Country_-_October_2019

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CRITERIA

Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Lasagna Pan with Handle (Rose) Model: 98048RS Price: $36.96 Weight: 5 lb, 2.6 oz Capacity: 14.25 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

Handles Capacity Performance

+++ +++ +++

RECOMMENDED

Staub 13x9 Rectangular Baking Dish, Dark Blue Model: 40508-594 Price: $69.95 Weight: 5 lb, 11.4 oz Capacity: 16.25 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

+++ ++1⁄ 2 +++

Belle Cuisine Rectangular Baking Dish 13.5 x 9.75 Model: 5571 Price: $100.00 Weight: 5 lb, 7.5 oz Capacity: 16.25 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

+++ ++1⁄2 +++

HIC Lasagna Pan with Handles Model: 98048 Price: $54.99 Weight: 4 lb, 6.6 oz Capacity: 12.75 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

+++ ++ +++

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Le Creuset Heritage Covered Rectangular Casserole Model: PG07053A-33 Price: $109.95 Weight: 5 lb, 0.7 oz Capacity: 13 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

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Pillivuyt Large Deep Rectangular Eared Roaster Model: 220238BL Price: $108.50 Weight: 3 lb, 10.5 oz Capacity: 12 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

+ 1⁄ 2 ++ +++

NOT RECOMMENDED

Emile Henry Modern Classics Large Rectangular Baker, Rouge Model: 369626 Price: $49.99 Weight: 5 lb, 8.4 oz Capacity: 19.38 cups Dishwasher-Safe: Ye s

+ +1⁄ 2 +++

30 COOK’S COUNTRY • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019

Broiler-Safe Baking Dishes

We set out to fi nd a 13 by 9-inch dish that was easy to use and could handle the broiler’s heat.

by Emily Phares

KEY Good +++ Fair ++ Poor +

Comments: This dish’s looped handles were easy to grab, and its 14.25-cup capacity easily accom- modated all foods.

Comments: This relatively large dish felt easy to maneuver, and we liked its looped handles.

Comments: Foods looked slightly wider and fl atter in this model, but it wasn’t egre- gious, and we appreciated the looped handles.

Comments: This dish had helpful handles, but it sometimes felt a wee bit small compared to the other dishes.

Comments: This model performed fairly well, but we downgraded it for its hard-to-grip handles and small capacity.

Comments: This dainty dish was the smallest in the lineup. The tab-style handles weren’t easy to grip.

Comments: This model’s capacity was too big, and poorly designed handles made this dish hard to maneuver.

7 Dishes

5 Tests

Bake yellow cake and cut into
24 squares with paring knife

Make Classic Macaroni and Cheese
and portion and remove from baking
dish with metal spatula

Make One-Pan Salmon with Broccoli
and Shiitake Mushrooms and portion
and remove from baking dish with
metal spatula

Wash each dish 5 times according to
manufacturer’s instructions

Move dishes in and out of oven, using
both dish towels and oven mitts

Broiling is a direct-heat cooking
method that can subject baking dishes
to temperatures exceeding 550 degrees,
which is too hot for our favorite glass
baking dish as well as our winning
13 by 9-inch nonstick metal baking pan.
Rather than give up broiling foods, we
needed to fi nd an alternative dish that
could withstand the heat.
We purchased seven widely available
broiler-safe baking dishes that mea-
sured roughly 13 inches by 9 inches.
All were made of materials that are
capable of withstanding the extreme
heat of the broiler. We made yellow
cake, Classic Macaroni and Cheese,
and One-Pan Salmon with Broccoli
and Shiitake Mushrooms in each dish.
All the dishes performed well and
were fairly easy to clean. But two key
factors separated the winner from the
rest: handle design and capacity.
The dishes off ered two types of
handles: loops or tabs. The models
with tab handles were problematic. We
didn’t struggle much when putting the
dishes into the oven, but these handles
were challenging when rotating the
dishes midbake and when removing
them from the oven. We couldn’t easily
or securely grab the tabs, especially
while wearing thick oven mitts or while
trying to grip them with slippery dish
towels. One model’s tabs stuck out just
0.75 inches, which didn’t give us much
room to grip. On two other models,
the tabs slanted upward at about a
45-degree angle, giving us much less
leverage when lifting.
The dishes with looped handles
were much easier to maneuver and
carry because they off ered a more

Web subscribers can read the full tasting and see the complete chart at CooksCountry.com/bkdish.

Our favorite dishes were roomy enough to accommodate all our recipes.

secure grip, even when our hands were protected by oven mitts or a dish towel. It was also easier to rotate these dishes in the oven. Our favorite baking dish had looped handles that off ered plenty of room for us to wrap our fi ngers around them, which is crucial given how heavy these dishes can be when fi lled with food. Next we took a look at capacity by fi lling the baking dishes with water and measuring the volume of that water. The capacities ranged from 12 cups to a hefty 19.38 cups. Although the lengths and widths of the baking dishes didn’t vary much, the depths of the dishes ranged from 2.38 inches to 3.88 inches—a substan- tial diff erence that helped explain the varying capacities. We occasionally found it harder to arrange food in the dishes with smaller capacities (12 to 13 cups). Food also sat higher in these dishes, so when we sprinkled bread crumbs on top of mac and cheese, some of the bread crumbs fell onto the counter instead of being neatly contained in the dish. The dish with the largest capacity posed its own challenges, producing thinner cakes and macaroni and cheese that looked “a little sad” because it sat lower in this dish than it did in others. Our favorite dishes were roomy but not too big: Our winner, from Mrs. Anderson’s Baking, has a 14.25-cup capacity, which was large enough to accommodate all our recipes with no crowding yet small enough that every recipe looked aesthetically pleasing.

EQUIPMENT REVIEW

Cook_s_Country_-_October_2019

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