Baking Dishes !

They're a Cook's Friend!

Information from
Real Restaurant Recipes

Baking Dishes for casseroles are made from many different materials ranging from the same high quality stainless steel that a professional saute´pan might be made of to oven-proof glass, cast iron, ceramic and stoneware.

You can read about the pros and cons of different materials by clicking here.

Baking Dishes

Casseroles can come in all shapes: round and oval are very common; square or rectangular shaped dishes for certain items such as lasagna.

Sizes generally run from 2 - 12 quarts but you can also purchase casserole dishes as small as 8 ounces for individual servings.

These small baking dishes can also be used for serving dips and spreads and for holding condiments.

When researching casseroles keep in mind not only what kinds of food you most often prepare but also the number of people you most often cook for.

When preparing a "one-dish meal," a 2 quart casserole may be fine for 2 - 3 people but under-sized for six. But a 2 quart casserole might be what a family of 3 or 4 would use for items like chicken wings or baked squash or a dessert like bread pudding or apple crisp.

Many of these baking pans come with covers but often casseroles are baked without being covered.

Casseroles are most often used in an oven. Most are microwave and freezer safe but some of these dishes cannot be used on the stovetop because of the material they are made of.

Au Gratin or Gratine´ dishes are shallow and usually oblong or oval shaped like the one pictured here.

This bake ware is used for casseroles that need to have a crispy top crust. These are often placed under a broiler to finish cooking the dish while at the same time achieving the crispy top.