For the best cakes, pies and muffins, our eight top picks offer quality and durability at an affordable price.
Price: $8.99 A multitasker for cakes, lasagna, and casseroles. Ovensafe glass browns nicely and is compatible with metal cutting utensils.
Price: $16.49 High, straight sides and a dark nonstick finish deliver better browning; you'll need two for most recipes. Best Buy Alternative: Baker's Secret Basics Nonstick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan ($4.99)
Price: $3.99 Tempered glass, rather than metal, makes it easier to track browning results; plus, glass won't react with acidic fruit to give fillings a tinny flavor.
Price: $13.99 Muffins baked in this tin could be removed with ease and were uniformly browned throughout.
Price: $33.49 The removable sides make a springform essential for cakes (like cheesecake and ice cream cake) that would be impossible to unmold from a standard cake pan.
Price: $15.99 A multitasking pan with duties beyond baking—keep two on hand. Our rimmed baking sheet is on call for cookies, but we also use it for oven fries and veggies.
Price: $15.95 We recommend keeping two on hand. We use it for cooling baked goods, and it also makes a perfect meat-roasting rack when placed inside a sheet pan. Best Buy Alternative: Libertyware Cross Wire Cooling Rack Half Sheet Pan Size ($5.25)
Price: $21
The gold-colored nonstick coating on our favorite loaf pan yields baked goods with an even, lightly browned crust.
Best Buy Alternative: Pyrex 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-Inch Glass Loaf Pan ($6.95)