I’ve been writing about consumerism a bunch lately. I guess it’s on my mind with the holidays coming up. But it also effects almost all of our daily decisions. Here are some depressing numbers, Forbes says the average American is in $6,715 of credit card debt with a 22.15% interest rate. Using those numbers you’d be paying an extra $143 a month in interest for the privilege of being in debt. Dumb. And if you paid $175 a month it would take you five years and 8 months to pay off (assuming you’re not using it) and cost you about $5,000 on top of what you owed for a total of about $12K. That should be illegal. Either way, what does this have to with cooking for the holidays?

Thrift Stores, The Urban Kitchen Outfitter

Most people probably have all the bakeware they need. But incase you’re putting your kitchen together, buying a gift for someone building their collection, need to replace a piece, or just discovering your love for the culinary arts and are curious, here’s my advice for where and how to shop for bakeware staples, and how to do it on the cheap. Hopefully I’ll save you a ton of money so you can buy better gifts for your friends and family, and maybe a treat for yourself. I also have about 20 years of professional cooking and baking experience to draw from, so I’ll be peppering this post with tips on how to organize and trouble shoot while you’re collecting your cookware.

Making Green Bean Casserole

One of my holiday favorites is green bean casserole made with cream of mushroom soup and a crispy fried onion topping. It’s a simple dish, but very satisfying (aside from loving green beans I have an affinity for fried onions, all kinds). We used to make it with the recipe from the Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup can which is a good one. But I’m opting to make “The Ultimate Homemade Green Bean Casserole”, above from Alton Brown’s site, “Serious Eats”, because it uses fresh ingredients instead of frozen. I like the process of creating a dish from scratch with whole and fresh ingredients. But whichever recipe you choose you’re going to need a baking dish.

Plating Portions

First things first, how many people are you feeding? Alton’s recipe has a yield of 8 to 10 servings at 1 1/3 cps per serving. But I eat about 1 3/4cps which means it would yield 6 to 7 servings. Everybody’s different. So next time you sit down to dinner note the portion size you take and go from there. For your guests assume about the same, and think of children as how much an adult pair of legs would eat, or 1/3 of an adult portion.

Dish Size

Your baking dish size will depend on how many servings you’re making. The average size most recipes use is 9″x 13″. While they vary in shape and size most are 2″ deep. So go with your gut if you think you need a dish with more depth. “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”, -guy from Jaws.

The above recipe calls for either a 9″x 13″ rectangular or 10″x 14″ oval baking dish, but that only makes six servings using my portion sizes. So if I’m having 15 people over, three of them children, I would need 13 servings. You could probably make two batches, or 12 servings, because there will be lots of other food. But if I were making only a main and two sides I may make 2.3x the recipe or 14 servings. And you can put it all in one large, deep casserole dish to save space in the oven (though you may want to adjust the cooking time). And a large casserole dish is something you’ll probably use again so good to have on hand.

You can get a 10″x 16″ square pan but the question you should ask yourself is, “how many dishes do I really need?” Unless you have an inordinate amount of family and friends over often odds are that you’ll only need a handful of sizes. And a 10″x 16″ pan may get some use if you have a big family, but if you only need it for a special party then it’s just taking up storage space.

And on the rare occasions you need more than what one recipe yields, but not as much as a double batch, you can multiple the original recipe ingredients by .75 and put it in a 9″x 9″ dish. For example, the original recipe calls for 1 1/2cps of heavy cream or 12oz (1cp = 8oz). If we multiply 12 by .75, we get 9oz of heavy cream, and then you repeat that process for the remaining ingredients. So you’ll have one 9″x 13″ pan of green bean casserole and one 9″x 9″. Here’s a link to a kitchen measurement conversion chart (it gets tricky when dividing tbls and tea, just remember a pints a pound the whole world ’round).

When to Buy New or Used & Where to Buy Them

These are my personal preferences and experience of knowing when new is the best option. For baking dishes I have mostly glassware and some ceramic and stoneware (think clay pots). Tempered glass is the standard for home baking, but when making larger casseroles or baked beans, ceramic or stoneware work well.

The List

My rules for buying used is: if it’s glass it’s probably Ok. If I like the brand and it’s in good condition, I’m in. Ceramics or stoneware are a safe bet. And if it’s unique, suits my taste and is functional I’ll get it. You can find good deals online if that’s how you shop. But I like going to a thrift store because I can inspect the piece’s quality and the immediate gratification I get from walking out of the store with my purchase. I get into my buying new criteria below.

The bakeware I have in my kitchen; two 9″x 13″ glass baking dishes, one 9″x 9″ glass baking dish, one 9″x 9″ stoneware baking dish, one 9″ glass pie dish, one 10″x 14″ ceramic casserole dish with Lid, one 3 quart stoneware bean pot, one 8 1/2″x 4 1/2″ glass loaf pan, and two 8″x 13″ aluminum half sheet pans. I don’t cook for a lot of people so these usually suit my needs. I also have a 12″ cast Iron skillet which can be used as a casserole dish since it’s oven safe.

Buying New

Cast Iron- I bought my 12″ cast iron new because I like the romantic image of having a special bond with my pan. Something I use everyday and has been witness to my mess ups and victories without criticism. Plus they’re supper versatile. You can bake with it and they build up a coating which acts like Teflon. So while you’re honing your culinary skills the quality of it’s functionality is improving. Like you’re growing together 🌱

The pan I use was made by Calphalon, but they don’t carry it anymore. All cast iron skillets preform about the same, though, and my suggestion is go to a discount department store like Home Goods, and find one that matches your taste and that you can lift comfortably (they’re heavy). I’d stay away from enamel coated cooking surfaces like this one because you lose the nutritional benefits of the increased iron you get from cooking on cast iron. Instead, opt for the unseasoned surface and grow together 🥰

Metal- The only metal I bake with are aluminum half sheet pans and a cast iron skillet (making cornbread in cast iron will impress your family or dinner guests). I’m going to buy a 8.5″x 4.5″ aluminized steel loaf pan for breads because I like the weight, feel and durability, but I’ve also been using them professionally for years and prefer them above other pan types. What I don’t like about them is, like anything metal that has a crease or rim, it will collect water and eventually rust. That’s why I buy new because you can’t always see it. And once it’s taken hold your pan doesn’t have a lot of life left. That’s why it’s super important to dry these pans as quickly as possible. I put mine in a warm oven for ten minutes after washing. It helps speed up the drying process.

There are those that say to get a superior rise on a cake you need to use metal because it heats up quicker than glass and bakes more evenly. I’ve never had an issue using glass, but I also don’t bake many cakey things. If you do, then getting a few metal cakepans is worth exploring. A few of the common ones are; 9″ round aluminum cake pan, 9″x 9″ square aluminum cake pan, 10-12cp cast aluminum Bundt pan, aluminized steel cupcake and muffin tins and tube pan with false bottom (if you’re going to make a sponge or angel food cake). I am getting a bundt pan because I have a lemon pound cake recipe I got from a bakery I used to work at, A & J King, and my mom’s coffee cake recipe. Those are the only cakes I get cravings for now and again and I’ll share those recipe in later posts.

Bean Pots- You can buy used bean pots if you can find one, but they may be made with lead glaze making it hazardous to cook in. Ohio Stoneware makes the classic, two-toned brown, New England style baked bean pots if you’re looking for one. They’re a little pricey, but hopefully you only have to buy it once.

Used

Glass- The bigger thrift stores always have 9″x 9″ and 9″x 13″ glass baking dishes for cheap. I’ve seen them as low as $2, but I wouldn’t pay more than $5. The same goes for glass loaf pans. There are a few different sizes, but you can’t go wrong with the standard 8.5″x 4.5″ pan. You can also buy 9″ glass or stoneware pie dishes for about the same price. It doesn’t matter the brand you buy, but It’s important not to buy metal. Because when you scratch the pan, with say a knife while cutting the pie, the scratch will absorb water from the pie that’s left in the dish and rust over time. Most used pans have these scratches so best to stay away.

Ceramic- I have a large, 2 1/2 quart ceramic casserole dish with glass lid from the 70’s that was handed down to me. These are pretty easy to find, and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, design, and with or without lids. I suggest getting one with a lid and big enough to make what you would need to feed the largest number of people you would usually have over at one time. But in a pinch you can also use the method I went over above for adjusting the recipe size and putting it in a smaller dish to accommodate for the number of servings you need (you can also use a loaf pan as a baking dish if you want to make a small amount for someone with an allergy).

Stoneware- This is something I like to buy new because of their variety of colors, and people tend to hang on to these for a long time so there are fewer quality used pieces available. But ultimately if you find one used you like pick it up.

Honorable Mention- There are a few other glass and ceramic dishes I look for while thrifting. Ramakins, mixing bowls and glass measuring cups are good to have. But your needs are different from mine. Just remember glass and ceramic are safe bets.

Baker’s Math

If we use the bakeware I currently have as a shopping list and bought some pieces used the price difference is considerable. To determine the cost of the following list I used the prices at my local thrift store and e-bay for used, and the popular brands new on amazon as a comparison.

Two 9″x 13″ baking dishes, glass, New $46 – Used $10

One 9″x 9″ baking dish, glass, New $25 – Used $5

One 9″ pie dish, glass, New $15 – Used $5

One 9″x 9″ baking dish, stoneware, New $25 – Used $10

One 10″x 14″ ceramic casserole dish with Lid, New $30 – Used $10

One 2 quart stoneware bean pot, New $48 – Used $17

One 8 1/2″x 4 1/2″ loaf pan, glass, New $23 – Used $5

Two 8″x 13″ half sheet pans, aluminum, New $32 – Used $16

One 12″ cast iron skillet, New $29 – Used $18

Totals: New $273 Used $96

If you were to buy according to my used/new suggestions above you’d spend $154 which is $119 cheaper than if you were to by all new cookware. If you’re on a tight budget and you bought everything used, which is completely doable, you’d save $177. That’s a little more than a third the cost of buying new.

Taking Stock

Now that you’ve got a good idea of what to look for the next step is to find out what you need. Go through your cabinets and pantry and take inventory of the pans you have so you can determine what to get. If you’re doing this before the holidays I suggest getting your recipes first. That way you’ll know if your short a pan. And if you need four, 9″x 13″ pans but only have two and know you won’t use the other two again, just ask someone if you can borrow theirs. Hope this was helpful and inspired you to stick it to the man and shop used. Two more things before you go. Don’t fall into the trap of what other people say you “must buy” to have a well stocked kitchen. You’re needs are different then theirs. And if you’re worried about what people will think of you for buying used cookware, don’t. No one’s ever asked me where I got my pans. Peace & thanks for reading ⛰️🌙