Full disclosure: When I first saw an assortment of ceramic coated bakeware, I was more excited about the fun colors than anything else. But turns out that the candy coating on these next-gen baking pans is more than merely pretty. A ceramic coating gives metal bakeware (and skillets!) a smooth nonstick surface that's totally nontoxic—no PFAS or PFOA to worry about—and extra sturdy and scratch-resistant. We've loved ceramic coated nonstick skillets here in the Epi Test Kitchen for a while now, so we had high expectations for the bakeware, too. We tested a few different brands to see how they performed—read on for our takeaways and which ones performed the best.
CERAMIC COATED BAKING PANS BEAT REGULAR NONSTICK
Assistant food editor Kat B. and I baked the same recipe for carrot-walnut cake in two different ceramic coated loaf pans and a traditional nonstick loaf pan, let them cool, and then tried to flip the cakes out without running a knife around the pans. The ceramic coated pans released the cake with a simple wiggle, while that old school nonstick one required a go-round with a sharp knife and still had a few chunks of cake stuck to the bottom of the pan. We loved the performance of the ceramic coated pans so much here in the Epi Test Kitchen that we've swapped out our old nonstick cake, loaf, and brownie pans for some of these newer options.
CERAMIC COATED BAKING PANS ARE EASIER TO CLEAN
I also especially love how all the ceramic coated baking pans we tested were seamless, helping them to release baked goods more easily and also making them faster to clean. Messes seem to just slide right off these colorful pans with one flick of a sponge under running water.
BUT CERAMIC COATED SHEET PANS ARE TOO FLIMSY
Nothing is ever going to replace my beloved industrial-strength half sheet pans, not even these cute colorful ceramic coated models. Sure, they're nonstick, but the ceramic coated sheet pans we tested were all a bit flimsy and thin, and wouldn't hold up to the daily abuse I (and many home cooks) put sheet pans through. So I don't think you need to buy yourself new baking sheets—keep seasoning the heavy duty ones you already have.
Interested in trying some ceramic coated bakeware out for yourself? Here's a quick buying guide to get you started:
1. Range Kleen CermaBake
Range Kleen's CermaBake line is all bright white and very elegant. The products have a more substantial thickness and weight to them then the others I tried, so they feel extra-durable.
BUY IT: Range Kleen CeramaBake Loaf Pan, $24 on Amazon
2. Silverstone Ceramic Coated Nonstick Bakeware
The Silverstone line of ceramic coated nonstick bakeware comes in two of my favorite colors: a dark teal and brick red, and it's really hard to argue with that. Plus the 9x13 cake pan comes with a lid for easy transport of sheet cakes, which always comes in handy.
BUY IT: SilverStone Ceramic Nonstick Covered Cake Pan, $13 on Amazon
3. Casaware Ceramic Nonstick Coating Bakeware
Casaware makes two lines of bakeware with ceramic nonstick coating: the first is off-white on the inside and colorful on the outside, while the Granite line is darker with a nice rustic speckled look. This company makes the widest variety of ceramic coated bakeware: beyond the standard loaf cake and muffin pans, they also make bundt pans, roasting pans, pie tins, and mini muffin tins.
BUY IT: casaWare Ceramic Coated NonStick Lasagna/Roaster Pan, $18 on Amazon
BUY IT: casaWare Ceramic Coated NonStick Bundt Pan, $18 on Amazon
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