If you bake muffins for breakfast or as a snack pretty often, there’s a good chance you need to replace your muffin pans frequently. And in this article, I’ll be talking about the best muffin pan and which muffin tins you need to buy ASAP.
But this article won’t just stop there. It will talk about how different kinds of muffin tins hold up when baking, how you should maintain your pans, and what you should consider before getting a muffin pan.
I’ve compiled a list of the best muffin pans available right now, and I’ll go into their features and how well they bake muffins. If that’s what you’ve been looking for, keep reading!
Looking for some gotham steel pans? Check out our gotham steel pans reviews.
How Does a Muffin Pan Work?
Although this might sound like obvious knowledge, muffin pans work by baking the batter and giving the muffin a lovely golden-brown, crispy surface. Muffin pans are also special because they cook the batter in such a way that the top puffs up significantly.
Wondering what’s the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? For starters, the batter is different. Cupcakes use lots of sugar and generally use butter. However, muffins aren’t as sweet and usually include oil instead of butter.
Cupcake batter is smooth and the texture is airy, just like a regular cake. But muffins have a lumpy batter and are much denser. Moreover, from a muffin pan vs cupcake pan perspective, muffin pans have more space between the cups and have straight sides.
The cups are also much deeper than that of a typical aluminum cupcake pan. However, if you’re in a pinch, you can use either pan to bake both muffins and cupcakes.
What Makes a Muffin Pan the Best?
Muffin pans come in lots of sizes and are made from different materials. As a rule of thumb, using a tin made from dark material will ensure a crispier, darker crust.
In comparison, using a silicone or glass muffin pan will give you little or no browning and will take longer to bake.
A stoneware muffin pan like the Pampered Chef Muffin Pan heats slowly and lasts for ages.
However, they are quite expensive. Lodge Muffin Pans are an example of cast iron cupcake pan and are great but need regular seasoning and maintenance.
These materials are most often used when manufacturing muffin tins:
Aluminum:
Aluminum pans are the ones most commonly used by home bakers. These pans are lightweight, inexpensive, and conduct heat very well, resulting in evenly baked muffins. They work similarly to a copper muffin pan.
Steel/Stainless Steel:
These are similar to aluminum muffin tins but have the added advantage of being much sturdier. They won’t get bent or warped and are very easy to clean.
Glass:
If you’re worried about nonstick coating breaking down and contaminating your food, you might prefer glass pans as they are safe and non-reactive. However, your muffins or cupcakes will take much longer to bake and won’t have those golden-brown tops we love and crave.
Silicone:
Silicone bakeware has become very popular as they are naturally non-stick. The flexible material also makes it really easy to pop the muffins out of the pan. Bear in mind, however, that using silicone muffin pans will need a longer bake time and a higher temperature.
The Favorites
In case you don’t want to go through our entire list, check out the highlights here!
- Best Quality: Perlli 10-Piece Nonstick Carbon Steel Bakeware Set
- Most Versatile: Focus Foodservice 24 Cup Jumbo Muffin Pan
At a Glance
- What makes the Wilton Pan work? For starters, it can make 24 muffins or cupcakes in one go, so they are great for a large baking project. The non-stick coating prevents your baked goodies from getting stuck, and the overall unit is sturdy enough to last for years.
- Looking for long-lasting bakeware? The Perlli Carbon Steel Bakeware Set comes with 10 different pans and uses silicone grips to make them easier to use. Made from carbon steel, they will hold up for much longer without scratches and dents, even with frequent use.
- The Focus Foodservice 24 Cup Jumbo Muffin Pan can be used for a plethora of baking needs. Besides cupcakes and muffins, they can be used to bake a batch of quiches, mini pies and tarts, and even baked meatballs!