Top 8 Baking Pans and Bakeware Sets

Whether you’re an accomplished baker or just starting out with your first kitchen, a baking pan set is a must. You can collect the pieces over time, but a packaged, uniform set is an easy way to get all the essential pans you need that are designed to work together. Here, a list of the most common pans professional chefs say you’ll want to stock in your kitchen.

• BEST OVERALL BAKING PAN SET : Circulon 10-Piece Non-Stick Bakeware Set

• BEST VALUE BAKING PAN SET : Chicago Metallic 6-Piece Commercial II Non-Stick Bakeware Set

• BEST NON-SLIP BAKING PAN SET : Cephalon 6-Piece Premier Countertop Safe Bakeware

• MOST DURABLE BAKING PAN SET : All-Clad 10-Piece Pro-Release Bakeware Set

• MOST STYLISH BAKING PAN SET : Wilton 7-Piece Texturra Performance Non-Stick Bakeware Set

• BEST ALUMINUM BAKING PAN SET : Nordic Ware 5-Piece Aluminum Bakeware Set

• EASIEST TO USE BAKING PAN SET : Anolon 10-Piece Eminence Nonstick Bakeware Set

• BEST BASIC BAKING PAN SET : Anolon 5-Piece Advanced Nonstick Bakeware Set

This Circulon baking pan set scored perfect scores in our performance and ease-of-use tests. Cake and cookies came out evenly browned and had a fine texture with few air pockets, and broccoli also came out nice and consistently crisp. The pans are super easy to clean, and the wide rims allow for easy handling. We like that the set comes with two round cakes pans so you can easily make a tiered cake, a cover for the rectangular baking pan so goodies can be stored or transported easily, and a rack that can be used for cooling, roasting or as a trivet.

This Chicago Metallic set can’t be beat for its performance, ease of use and price. It earned perfect scores in our tests for performance and was just shy of a perfect score for ease of use since the pans lack handles. We love the sharp corners and straight sides that produce professional-looking cakes, brownies and bars. The only downside is that it includes just one round cake pan.

Each pan in this set from Cephalon has silicone grips on the bottom, so you can place the pan directly on your counter straight from the oven. Since these grips also make the pans nonslip, keep in mind they might be a little difficult to take out of the oven. In our tests, the cookie sheet produced impressively even cookies, and we like the assortment of pans that are included in this set.

All of the All-Clad Pro-Release pans are solid and sturdy, made of heavy gauge aluminum. The cookie sheet has a wide, comfortable handle and pairs well with the rack for cooling (it’s also oven-safe for roasting). The set performed very well across baking and roasting tests, but be warned that broccoli caused some staining, and the pan required some elbow grease to clean. We like the assortment of pans, which includes two round cake pans, a half sheet tray, a rectangular pan and a square pan. The quarter sheet pan is a bonus that will go to good use in most kitchens.

Wilton is known for baking, so it’s no surprise that its eight-piece Texturra set was one of the top performers in our tests. The pans feature a wavy, textured pattern, which, according to the brand, allows for more airflow and even baking. One downside is the pattern imprinted on the bottom of our cakes, so we recommend lining the pans with parchment if you’d like to avoid that.

In our tests, we were impressed with the nonstick coating that caused the cookies to practically slide off the pan – in a good way! The set includes a loaf pan and muffin tin for breads and quick breads as well as an oblong pan for focaccia as well as snacking cakes. We’re also fans of the handles, which made rotating and moving easy.

The bakeware pieces in this set include a 12-cup muffin pan, rectangle baking pan, loaf pan, and flat cookie sheet. They’re made of aluminum, which means they heat quickly and evenly. However, they’ll benefit from greasing or lining with parchment before use, since they are not coated with a nonstick material– a traditional method professionals and traditionalists can appreciate. They’re sturdy and will last you a long time, especially if you skip the dishwasher, which causes aluminum to discolor.

The pans are lightweight, and this set comes with a lid that fits both the rectangle pan and the muffin pan, so you can cover baked goods for storage as well as easily take your creations on the go.

During our tests, these pans stood out for ease of use and would be a great addition to any baker’s kitchen. Each of the pans has generous handles that make them easy to grab and rotate, and they’re super simple to clean. In addition to including not one, but two round cake pans, the set comes with square pan, cookie sheet, and a cooling rack. If you don’t have a lot of storage space but want a quality baking pan set, this is a great choice.

For minimalists or those with small kitchens, Anolon’s Advanced Nonstick Bakeware set has the most useful assortment of pans to get started, including two round cake pans and a square pan for cake or brownies. The half sheet tray resembles a cookie sheet with shallow edges, but is still rimmed, which makes it good for roasting juicy foods. It also has a large surface area. The cooling rack is an added bonus that can be used to cool cookies or serve as a trivet or roasting rack. All of the pans performed well in our tests, and they scored the highest for ease of use.