This Is the Nontoxic Bakeware We Reach for the Most

Manufactured in Minneapolis, Nordic Ware has made baking pans since at least the 1950s and is known for its cast-aluminum pans. We love this essential baking set. It includes a loaf pan, a low-sided medium cookie sheet, and a lid that fits both the muffin and the cake pans. The muffin pan can make a dozen muffins or cupcakes, and the 9 x 13-inch baking pan is ready to bake cakes, fudge, and many other sweet and savory treats.

We like that Nordic Ware clearly lists the materials used in its cookware, which is especially helpful if you prefer to know exactly what you’re cooking on. These pans are made from uncoated aluminum, which heats evenly and holds up well for everyday baking.

If you’re looking for a full bakeware refresh, this 11-piece ceramic-coated set from Caraway covers nearly every baking scenario. “Baked goods slide right off of or out of these pieces, making them great for more delicate baked goods like cookies, cakes, and breads,” says editor Katie Tuttle. “It’s ceramic, non-PTFE, and free of the chemical coatings that some folks prefer to avoid.” It’s also free of PFOA, PFAS, lead, and cadmium.

One of the things Caraway excels at is thoughtful details. One of our favorites is the included storage organizers. “I loved the storage options,” says Tuttle. “[T]he set comes with storage caddies … so that you can store the pieces neatly and avoid scratching them.”

This set has all the bases covered for baking simple loaves, cookies, and brownies, roasting veggies, or making a layered cake. We also love that it comes with a wire cooling rack and storage solutions. The fact that it comes in plenty of fun colors is just an added bonus.

This six-piece set from Pyrex is made from tempered soda-lime glass, which is standard for most glass bakeware currently sold in the United States. It pairs a 16.25 x 9.5-inch rectangular baking dish with two smaller storage containers. The dishes are safe for the oven, microwave, freezer, and dishwasher. Each tray comes with a matching plastic lid for storing leftovers. The baking dish has wide cut-out handles on the side to help make it easier to take out of the oven.

On the flip side, people with hemochromatosis or other conditions involving iron overload may want to limit frequent cast iron use and opt for other materials on this list.

The 12-inch Lodge skillet weighs just over 7.5 pounds and can go straight from stovetop to oven, making it well suited for baking savory dishes like frittatas, pot pies, and roasts. In classic Lodge fashion, it retains heat well, which helps with even cooking and browning.

I’ve used Lodge cast iron for years, including this 12-inch skillet; it’s my go-to when making one-pan meals that can go from oven to table. I’ve used it for plenty of parties, baking everything from a roast chicken with potatoes to a giant peach crumble. Lodge pans come pre-seasoned and ready to use, and cleanup is pretty straightforward: a regular sponge, a bit of dish soap, thorough drying, and a light wipe of cooking oil after use have kept mine in good shape. Modern dish soaps are much gentler than they used to be, making everyday care easier than many people expect.

Stainless steel is one of the most stable materials for baking. It doesn’t react with acidic foods and holds up well to high heat. And whether you’re already familiar with cooking on stainless steel or you’re interested in durable baking sheets, this five-piece set from All-Clad is undeniably beautiful.

“I used this set to bake brownies and cookies,” says Tuttle. “I was a little nervous about using stainless steel bakeware. What if everything sticks? Will it heat too fast? My fears were unfounded. My baked goods cooked evenly, and I found that timing was on par with the directions for a metal pan.”

For those worried about maintaining stainless steel bakeware, rest assured: It’s easier than you think. For everyday cleanup, a short soak in warm, soapy water and a nonabrasive sponge is usually all it takes. For stubborn spots or that rainbow discoloration you sometimes see after prolonged use, a gentle stainless steel cleaner or baking soda paste can help bring back its shine without scratching its surface.

“The baking pans we use in commercial kitchens are standard industry-grade stainless steel sheet pans or aluminum,” says Marie Madrid Bernardo, culinary instructor at Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC). “They can range from inexpensive to high-end."

USA Pan’s Bare Half-Sheet Pan is made from uncoated aluminized steel, a material prized in many commercial kitchens for its durability and even heat distribution. The 17.75 x 12.75-inch pan fits standard home ovens and can tackle everything from cookies to roasted vegetables. We also like that the materials are listed transparently in the product description, which is always helpful if you like to know exactly what you’re cooking on.

Sized to fit standard home ovens, this pan can tackle everything from cookies to roasted vegetables and, of course, sheet-pan meals.

The Fat Daddio’s brand makes commercial-grade baking pans that are easy for home bakers to get their hands on. And with three depth options (2, 3, or 4 inches) and pan sizes that range from 4 x 4 inches up to 12 x 12 inches, Fat Daddio’s square pans can help you bake a tray of brownies all the way up to a multi-tiered cake.

Plus, the bakers we spoke to were fans of plain metal pans. “Ninety-nine percent of my bakeware from cake molds to cookie sheets and bread resting sheets are anodized aluminum,” says Hang Chu, an avid baker in Sunnyvale, California, who is experienced with baking delicate Japanese cheesecakes.

Chu says anodized aluminum performs consistently for bake time and temperature. Of Fat Daddio’s, she says, “The products are very sturdy and reliable and don’t change color as much.”

If you’re a fan of cast iron cooking or kitchenware that improves with time and attention, carbon steel bakeware might be for you. While the most commonly available carbon steel baking pans sport a nonstick coating of some kind, de Buyer makes options like this Blue Carbon Steel Baking Sheet that become nonstick through “seasoning” and use.

Made in France, this baking sheet is a versatile shape and size to handle both sweet and savory baking. Blue carbon steel has a lot of the heating and cooking properties of cast iron without the weight, and it heats up quickly.

The downside is that carbon steel is not as rust-resistant as stainless steel. Like cast iron, uncoated carbon steel requires hand-washing, quick drying, and repeated use to build a protective, more nonstick layer. If you’ve never seasoned cookware before, there’s a slight learning curve. However, treat it right, and it’s bakeware that only gets better with time and use.

I used an unglazed Pampered Chef Stone Bar Pan for nearly 10 years before retiring it after a crack developed. It quickly became my go-to for brownies, cookies, and even dinner for two, like roast chicken with chopped vegetables. Over time, the pan developed a natural, lightly seasoned surface from regular use with oil and higher-fat foods, but even early on, I didn’t experience sticking with cookies, dessert bars, or pizza.

The pan comes with a plastic scraper — a flat, square tool with tapered edges — that makes cleanup easier and has outlasted the pan itself. If you prefer a nonplastic option, you’ll need to look elsewhere (we recommend one further down). I love the cozy, well-worn feel of this unglazed stoneware pan, which I think many home bakers will appreciate.

“Everything released beautifully,” says Tuttle, who tested the pan as part of a larger bakeware set. “I even dared to make muffins without muffin cups, and not only did the muffins pop right out after baking, the tin was easy to clean afterwards.”

The Caraway Muffin Pan is available in nine colors and also comes in a six-cup version. It’s sold individually or as part of a set of three, making it a flexible option if you often bake larger batches. The ceramic coating over metal combines the easy release of ceramic with the faster, more even heating of steel.

If you’re shopping for healthier nonstick options with a colorful aesthetic, this might be the muffin pan to add to your cart.

Emile Henry ceramics are known for being made from the clay in the Burgundy region of France, where the company was founded in 1850 and still operates today. Both a luxurious and useful kitchen gift, the Emile Henry Pizza Station is designed to upgrade your pizza night. A raised bumper along one edge and a flat open side make it easy to use with a baker’s peel.

You can make a 13-inch pizza on this stone, and its heat-retaining properties make it ideal for cooking pizzas back to back.

This metal loaf pan from Chicago Metallic can take the knocks and pings of both a commercial kitchen and a busy home life. We love the straight-sided design, which helps produce classic, evenly shaped sandwich loaves. One downside is that the sharp inner corners have seams that can catch batter, so this pan might work best paired with a layer of parchment paper for easier cleanup.

Made from aluminized steel and coated with Americoat ePlus glaze (a silicone-based coating that helps food release more easily), the pan resists corrosion and holds its shape well during baking. Bernardo notes that culinary students at LAHC regularly use Chicago Metallic pans. “They are industry [grade] so they last long, and they’re great for muffin pans and loaf pans due to their easy cleanup and durability,” she says.

If you like baking mini cakes with the ease of muffins, Nordic Ware’s cakelet pans are designed for the job. The cast aluminum heats quickly and evenly, making it well suited for cakes with fine detail. This holiday-themed pan features four Christmas designs and makes 16 cakelets at a time.

“The shapes are cute,” says Tuttle. “And the details come through surprisingly well after baking (you can actually tell what the shapes are, instead of them turning into cakey blobs).”

Pro tip: Look for the capacity description, such as “3 cup,” which refers to the baking pan’s ability to hold up to 3 cups of batter. This takes some of the guesswork out of matching your recipe to the variety of mini-cake shapes and sizes these pans can make. As with other intricate cake pans, a good layer of grease and flour is key to prevent sticking.