Baking or cooking is the most essential and basic need of life. And we have a lot of utensils available in the market to cook different recipes in. Pan is one of the main utensils we use while cooking to make pancakes, curry, chicken, etc.
Sometimes we get confused about which material pan has to be used. So, the key differences between the glass pan and the metal pan are mentioned below.
Glass vs Metal Pans
The difference between glass pans and metal pans is that glass pans cannot withstand very high temperatures while metal pans can. Glass pans can withstand temperatures about 400 degrees while metal pans can withstand up to 600 degrees.
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Glass pans cannot withstand higher temperatures. Also, glass is a poor conductor of heat that means it will take up some time to heat up.
Although once it is heated up it retains that heat for a long time. Dishes that have to be cooked at a moderate temperature should be cooked in glass pans.
Metal is a good conductor of heat which is why metal pans get heated very quickly. Although they also cool down very quickly once they are detached from the heat source.
Metal pans are made of metal and so they react when coming in contact with acidic food so food with more acid properties shouldn’t be cooked in a metal pan.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Glass Pan | Metal Pan |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | A glass pan can only be used with moderate temperatures as it cannot withstand high temperatures. | Metal pans can easily withstand higher temperatures. |
| Heat | The glass pan takes some time to heat up. | The metal pan gets heated up quickly. |
| Use on Stove | A glass pan cannot be used on the stove. | Metal pans can be used on the stove. |
| Reaction with food | The glass pan doesn’t react with acidic food. | Metal pan reacts with acidic food. |
| Best for | Best for cooking cake, casseroles, baked pasta, etc. | Best for baking brownies, cookies, etc. |
What is Glass Pan?
A glass pan is heavier though it cannot be used to cook dishes at a higher temperature. Glass pan cannot handle higher temperatures as well as temperature transitions which means that you cannot put a cold glass directly to heat.
Glass pan might crack because of sudden temperature difference.
Glass is not a good conductor of heat so the glass pan takes a little time to heat up though, the heat is distributed evenly in the glass pan. And the crust of baked food will be baked even.
Also, the heat is retained in a glass pan which means the food will stay warm. Another advantage of using a glass pan is that it does not react with acidic food as glass is a non-porous and chemically inert material.
The taste of the food will remain intact without any taste change. Also, because a glass pan is transparent, you can keep an eye on the food.
The disadvantage of a glass pan is that it cannot be used on the stove or it will crack.
A glass pan is perfect to bake or cook dishes that have to cook at moderate temperatures like casseroles, baked pasta, cake, lasagna, roasted meat, baked meat, cobblers, pies, etc.
What is Metal Pan?
A metal pan is used widely while cooking. It can easily withstand higher temperatures up to 600 degrees. Therefore, metal pans are perfect to cook dishes that have to be cooked at higher temperatures and in less time.
Also, metal is a good conductor of heat which is why the metal pans heat up very quickly. Although once is detached from the heat source it will cool up easily as well. Also, metal pans can be used on the stove.
The color and coating of a metal pan indicate its cooking ability. A dark and shiny color metal pan will absorb heat quickly so it will heat up quickly and cook the food faster.
Sometimes it can lead to overcooking a bit. And so light color pans are mostly preferred. They cook a little slower as compared to dark-color metal pans.
The disadvantage of metal pans is that metal reacts with acidic food like citrus, berries, tomatoes, etc. If acidic food is cooked in a metal pan, the metal reacts and you will get a metallic taste in your food.
Food like brownies, biscuits, cookies, rolls, quick bread, muffins, meatloaf, roasted chicken, etc. can be cooked in metal pans.
Difference Between Glass And Metal Pans
- Glass pans cannot withstand higher temperatures while metal pans can.
- Glass pans are heavier than metal pans.
- Glass pans took some time to heat up while metal pans heat up quickly.
- Glass pans cannot withstand temperature transitions at all while metal pans can.
- Glass pans cannot be used on the stove while metal pans can be used on the stove though carefully.
- Acidic food can be cooked in a glass pan but not in a metal pan.
- Food like cakes, casseroles, baked pasta, crisps-crumbles, should be baked in glass pans while food like brownies, cookies, muffins, scones, bread should be cooked in metal pans.
- https://www.cerealsgrains.org/publications/cc/backissues/1990/Documents/67_448.pdf
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077727X7700500305
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
