On my last visit to the United States, despite shopping for 2 weeks for vegan ingredients and kitchen utensils that are not available in Japan, there was one thing I forgot to buy. As a frequent baker, I was excited to try Baker’s Edge’s innovative baking pans, and wondered whether to get their Edge Brownie Pan or Simple Lasagna Pan.
For those who don’t know, the Edge brownie pan is designed so that each brownie piece has at least two edges (as many people prefer to eat the corners of conventional brownies), and the Simple lasagna pan is designed to make a lasagna that is crisp around the edges, evenly cooked, and does not lose its shape when sliced.
According to Baker’s Edge, in addition to being 50% larger than the brownie pan, their lasagna pan is specially designed for standard-size box noodles and has a non-stick coating for protein-rich foods (i.e. meat and cheese). . On the other hand, the nonstick coating of the Edge brownie pan is made for foods with a high sugar content. Another big difference is that the lasagna pan has “hard anodizing” for added strength and larger handles.
These pans aren’t cheap ($35 for the brownie and $50 for the lasagna pan), and I knew shipping them to Japan wouldn’t be either, so I was trying to convince myself that just one kind would be good enough. Being a vegan, the special coating on the lasagna pan didn’t bother me much. So it all came down to size: could you live making small lasagna in the brownie pan or using the lasagna pan to bake brownies?
Well life is too short for compromises so I bought both. And since no reseller would send me the pans in Tokyo, I bought another brownie pan for my friend who took the trouble to send them to me (he was ecstatic). Several days later, the pans were finally in my hands and I couldn’t wait to start baking.
Since we’ve always had a surplus of okara (soy pulp) from our soymilk maker, the first thing I made in the lasagna pan was Messy Vegetarian Cook’s Okara Meatloaf Recipe with Swedish Mushroom Sauce from Messy Vegetarian Cook. Voracious Vegan. The pans are more efficient and cook faster than regular baking pans, so the meatloaf was a little crisp around the edges, but it beats soggy meatloaf any day. It might seem like fun that you’re using these fancy pans to make something that costs next to nothing (thanks okara), but good equipment really does make a difference in flavor and also makes cooking more enjoyable.
I’ve since made vegan lasagna in the lasagna pan, and that was super easy too because you can’t guess how many noodles you’ll need, it bakes evenly and is therefore always delicious. On top of that, the brownie recipes I’ve tried in the Edge Brownie Pan so far have turned out with chewy edges and moist centers. Since there’s no need to grease the pans, food is healthier and cleanup is quick too.
Both pans are built to last and were well worth the effort and cost to get my hands on. So if you’ve been curious to try cooking in Edge pans, go ahead and splurge!
