Preparing Your Baking Pans

When you are baking, your recipe always specifies if you need to prepare your pans in any special way.

But sometimes you can do things a bit differently and still have fabulous results.

When the recipe states to grease the pan, use solid shortening, not cooking oil.
Butter can also be used. But, shortening is recommended.

For pizza crusts, many times you can just sprinkle your pan or stone with cornmeal instead of using shortening. But, use shortening if you are making a pan pizza so the crust won't stick to the sides of the pan.

When making cookies, instead of greasing the pan you can line it with parchment paper. You can also buy silicone mats to line cookie sheets with. The cookies will slide off either the parchment or silicone mat lined pans.

For baking goods that call for flouring and greasing the pan, you can buy sprays that are a combination of flour and cooking spray. One brand is Baker's Joy and the other is made by Pam cooking spray.

When you are making something chocolate and you need to grease and flour the pan, instead of flour- use cocoa powder. 
You won't have a white ring show on the brown chocolate.


If you have a non-stick pan, do not use cooking spray on it.
The spray leaves a residue that may build up and be hard to remove.


Hopefully these tips will help you.