The color of the pan can affect baking. For example, why is it an otherwise lovely pan of biscuits came out with dark brown bottoms? I followed the recipe to a T. What happened?

In this case, the recipe was made with a light aluminum based pan in mind. The dark non-stick pan absorbed the heat and over-browned the bottoms before the rest of the biscuit could bake. The darker the pan, the darker the bake. The lighter the pan, the lighter the bake. I wish someone explained this to me a long time ago.

The wrong type of pan for a recipe can lead to many issues. For instance, over or under browning on the bottoms and not enough browning or too much on the bottoms. And the problem with recipes is you don’t often get told what type of pan they used. I also recommend looking at any pictures they provided to see what they are using. If they are using a light pan and yours is dark, don’t fret! There is no neither a need to run out and buy new pans nor to toss your old ones.

Simply, adjusting the temperature or bake time is sufficient. If your pan is lighter, raise the temperature 20 – 25 degrees or increase bake time 5 – 10 minutes. But if your pan is darker, then you’ll want to lower the time or temperature. However, only take these steps if you have already fixed the recipe and are having trouble. The whole if “it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” phrase is important in baking.

Also, if you want a dark bake or crispier crusts on the bottom of your food, like with baked potatoes, reach for the darkest pan you have. It will help you get that crunchy potato skin you are after.

For a more detailed explanation of how the color of the pan can effect baking, check out this post. It will show a side by side comparison of the three most common pans used: light, non-stick and glass loaf tins.

In addition, I will include a brief video on the subject so you can see another side by side comparison. This should help you realize it’s not always the recipe but also the bakeware that can alter a cookie, cake or brownie recipe. Sometimes we bakers overlook teaching the simple things to those new to the baking world. Sorry about that.