Holiday Baking Essentials: The Bakeware You Actually Need

Start with your holiday menu, not a catalog

Before you buy anything, jot down what you actually make between Thanksgiving and New Year’s: maybe a few batches of cookies, a casserole or two, roasted vegetables and a quick bread to give away. That short list tells you more than any “complete set” will.

Next, group the recipes by pan. Cookies and roasted vegetables want a flat, rimmed sheet. Stuffing, bars and lasagna want a deep rectangular baker. Banana bread wants a loaf pan. Once you see how often each shape shows up, you know where to spend first. To browse as you read, our full bakeware collection includes sheet pans, baking dishes, loaf pans and bread bakers, ramekins and multi-piece sets.

Bakeware materials, explained

Material decides how a pan heats, how it browns, how heavy it is and whether it can go straight to the table. Here is how the common options compare.

Metal: stainless and aluminized steel

Clad stainless bakeware, the kind brands such as All-Clad and Hestan make, bonds an aluminum core between layers of stainless steel. The stainless face won’t react with acidic foods like tomatoes or citrus, and the aluminum inside helps move heat across the pan. The trade-off is that bare stainless isn’t nonstick, so cookies go on parchment or a silicone mat.

Aluminized steel is steel coated with an aluminum-silicon alloy. It heats evenly, and it often comes with a nonstick finish, which suits cake, muffin and loaf pans where clean release matters. If your pan has a dark finish, a common rule for cakes is to lower the oven about 25°F and start checking early, because a dark pan takes in heat faster and can over-brown the crust.

Stoneware, porcelain and French ceramic

Ceramic bakers from makers such as Le Creuset, Staub and Emile Henry take in heat, spread it evenly and hold it once they’re hot. That suits dishes that should cook gently, like stuffing, mac and cheese and fruit crisps, and a good-looking baker can go straight to the table. Ceramic is heavier than metal, and a sudden temperature change can damage it, so it needs a little more care.

Enameled cast iron

Enameled cast iron is the heaviest choice. It heats gradually but holds heat very well, which helps keep a gratin or side dish warm on a buffet. Oval bakers, gratin dishes, bread ovens and loaf pans all come in this material. The enamel coating means there’s no seasoning to maintain. Makers advise heating it gradually, letting it cool for a few minutes before washing and never filling a hot piece with cold water or plunging it into cold water.

Silicone baking mats

A silicone mat, such as those from Silpat, is food-grade silicone reinforced with fiberglass mesh. It lies flat on a sheet pan and does the job of parchment for cookies, macarons and pastry, batch after batch. You don’t need to grease it, and you should never cut on it, since cutting can damage the mat and let bits of the mesh get into food. Store it flat or loosely rolled, never folded.

The core pieces for holiday baking and roasting

Rimmed half-sheet pans and a rack

If you buy only one thing, make it a rimmed half-sheet pan. The standard size is about 18 by 13 inches, which fits most home ovens, though some brands’ half sheets run a little smaller. Two are better than one, so a second batch of cookies can go in while the first cools. A wire rack that nests inside turns the pan into a roasting setup for a chicken or pork loin, and it doubles as a cooling rack. Smaller quarter-sheet pans are handy for toasting nuts or a small tray of vegetables, and many fit in a toaster oven.

A 9×13 baker and a covered casserole

The 9×13-inch rectangle is the go-to size for holiday sides, sheet cakes and bar cookies, and many recipes are written for it. Metal versions are lighter and heat quickly; stoneware and enameled cast iron versions look nicer on the table and keep food warm longer. If you host, a deep baker with a lid earns its space: assemble a dish the day before, refrigerate it and bake it when guests arrive, following the maker’s instructions for going from cold to hot.

Loaf pans, bread bakers and cake pans

A standard loaf pan covers banana bread, pumpkin bread and pound cake, which all make easy edible gifts. If you bake yeast bread, a covered ceramic or cast iron bread baker traps steam around the loaf, which helps the crust. Round cake pans and muffin pans often come bundled in nonstick bakeware sets, a simple way to get the basic shapes at once if you’re starting from scratch.

Ramekins and mini bakers

Individual ramekins or mini cocottes are optional, but they make small desserts, baked eggs for a holiday brunch and single-serving pot pies easy to portion and serve.

Care and oven-safety basics

• Check the oven limit on every piece. Ratings vary widely. Some nonstick aluminized-steel pans stop at 450°F, some stoneware is rated to 500°F and some clad stainless bakeware goes to 600°F. Lids, knobs and handles can have lower limits than the pan itself.
• Keep ceramics off the burner. Most stoneware and ceramic bakers are made for the oven, not for a stovetop or any other direct heat, unless the maker says otherwise.
• Avoid sudden temperature changes. Let a hot dish cool for a few minutes before it goes into water, and don’t pour cold liquid into a very hot baker.
• Freezer-to-oven rules differ by brand. One major stoneware maker says to put a frozen dish into a cold oven and let both heat up together. A well-known French ceramic maker says its bakers can go straight from the freezer into a hot oven. Follow the instructions for the dish you own.
• Treat nonstick gently. Use wood, silicone or nylon tools. Skip aerosol cooking sprays, which makers say can build up on or damage the coating, and grease with a little butter or oil instead.
• Clean stainless the right way. Stainless makers such as All-Clad suggest a paste of a cookware cleanser like Bar Keepers Friend and water on a soft sponge for stuck-on food and stains, a wipe of white vinegar for rainbow-colored heat tint, and no steel wool.
• Broil only with pieces rated for it. Leave the gap the maker specifies between the dish and the heating element. One stoneware maker asks for at least 2½ inches.

When in doubt, the care card or the maker’s website has the final word.

A short starter list

Building a holiday baking kit from scratch? Buying in this order gets the most use out of each piece:

1. Two rimmed half-sheet pans with a nesting rack
2. One silicone baking mat (or a roll of parchment)
3. One 9×13-inch baker, metal or ceramic
4. One loaf pan
5. One covered casserole or deep baker for make-ahead sides
6. A set of ramekins, if you like individual desserts

If you already own the basics, one oven-to-table piece in stoneware or enameled cast iron adds the most, because it works for both baking and serving. Many cooks mix materials on purpose: metal for cookies and cakes, ceramic or cast iron for casseroles. For the main course, look to a Dutch oven from our cookware section.

Ordering for the holidays

Bakeware also makes a practical gift for the cook in your life, and our Christmas cooking and entertaining section has more ideas for the season. Orders to the contiguous US (the 48 states plus Washington, DC) ship free. We process orders in 1–2 business days (Monday to Friday), and delivery usually takes 2–3 business days after shipping. These are estimates, so leave yourself some cushion before a big baking day. Orders ship via UPS or FedEx, and tracking is emailed as soon as yours ships.

Changed your mind? Unused items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days. Our returns page has the details.