Using Paper Loaf Pans

[Shel_B]

While at this site looking for a couple of items that I use occasionally, I came across this item, paper loaf pans. I'm thinking they may come in handy, just like those disposable aluminum pans.  Has anyone used paper loaf pans?  Any comments at all about them?  Thanks!

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Why use something you are going to throw away, whatever their eco-friendly claims, when you can quite easily reuse traditional loaf pans for decades or longer?

They sound like a great idea - for extracting cash from pockets of the trendy and the gullible. 

[liuzhou]

Quote

oven safe up to 428 °F/220 °C.

 

That is low. I regularly bake bread at 220ºC. Pizzas much higher. Is a slight fluctuation in temperature going to set my place on fire?

[JohnT]

I am sorry, for an "environmentally friendly" web site, selling/promoting an unnecessary item that will just fill up land-fill sites some more, I scratch my head. What is wrong in using a normal metal bread tin - and then reusing it for the rest of your life and then somebody doing the same with it once you are gone! I still use some of the baking tins my mother used 70 years ago!

[liuzhou]

I'd also like to ask how they are distributed. Presumably, being so environmentally friendly, they will be delivered by some very clean but barefoot, smiling peasant leading a happy pack-carrying donkey and not at all air-freighted or truck-carried to my nearest point of purchase which I can only practically get to by using internal combustion engines.

Edited September 23, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[pastryani]

My guess is the paper loaf pans are for people who want to bake and gift the loaves in the same pan.  It's doesn't seem like it's meant to be a way to make loaves just for personal consumption.  For what it's worth, it does look like these can be composted after use, as opposed to just being thrown away.

[Anna N]

I was trying in my mind to make a case for these and I thought of those who are selling goods at bake sales and those who are gifting their baking. Both times though I came up with the same response. Bake In a non-disposable pan and then wrap but is that any more environmentally friendly?  T'is a puzzlement. 

[Shel_B]

33 minutes ago, pastryani said:

My guess is the paper loaf pans are for people who want to bake and gift the loaves in the same pan.  It's doesn't seem like it's meant to be a way to make loaves just for personal consumption.  For what it's worth, it does look like these can be composted after use, as opposed to just being thrown away.

 

Bingo!  You understand the situation.  And you, being in the bay area, know that many of our communities around here have excellent composting programs where food and garden waste, products like these pans, take out containers of many types, are composted and the compost is then given away to community residents. 

[andiesenji]

I have been paper baking pans for years.  I have posted about them in the past.  I would not be without them, they are incredibly handy for me.

I used to buy from one of the bakery vendor sites but they went out of business so now I order from Amazon.

 

I used to bake a lot for gifts but I also make "test" cakes in the s 6" size. - I mix up a big batch of batter and add various ingredients to small portions to see how a particular flavor or additive works.  - Saves wasting a whole batch on something that is yuk.

 

Putting several of the loaf pans on a 1/2 size sheet pan is much easier for me, now that I am clumsy, than handing individual loaf pans, which are often slippery.

 

I have four sizes now of the loaf pans

2 sizes of the deep rounds, regular 9" layers pans, one like a "tube" pan and a tree shape,  little rounds and panettone or brioche pans.

 

Lining pans with parchment takes time - using these instead omits that - I ruined some pans by trusting oil or spray to keep them from sticking and scraped the walls of my good pans with knives.  NO MORE of that.

 

 

 

[andiesenji]

Here's a Dundee cake baked in one of the deep round molds.   I couldn't find a loaf right away.

Perfectly browned - baked to an internal temp of 215*F. 

 

Regarding recycling.  Like most paper products, I tear them up and put them in the compost, both regular and my worm "farm" - the worms seem to love the stuff.  However I can also put it in the recycle bin. Here in Lancaster, we have an extremely aggressive recycling system.

Edited September 24, 2016 by andiesenji (log)

[liuzhou]

8 hours ago, pastryani said:

For what it's worth, it does look like these can be composted after use, as opposed to just being thrown away.

 

That they are biodegradable (compostable) does not necessarily mean that they are more environmentally friendly. To see the real impact on the environment, you have to consider the energy and water used in the manufacturing process and, as I already mentioned, the distribution.

 

I would guess that over a lifetime of baking, a traditional, reusable metal baking tin is far more friendly.

[Kerry Beal]

20 hours ago, andiesenji said:

Here's a Dundee cake baked in one of the deep round molds.   I couldn't find a loaf right away.

Perfectly browned - baked to an internal temp of 215*F. 

 

Regarding recycling.  Like most paper products, I tear them up and put them in the compost, both regular and my worm "farm" - the worms seem to love the stuff.  However I can also put it in the recycle bin. Here in Lancaster, we have an extremely aggressive recycling system.

 

Andie - I went looking for your recipe for Dundee Cake in recipeGullet. Not seeing it anywhere - any chance you could share it? I know it's for a huge number but I'd be happy to scale it.

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Andie - I went looking for your recipe for Dundee Cake in recipeGullet. Not seeing it anywhere - any chance you could share it? I know it's for a huge number but I'd be happy to scale it.

It's on my blog.  under my signature, but here is the direct link.  http://www.asenjigalblogs.com/resurrected-recipes-from-long-ago/dundee-cake-a-favorite-from-my-childhood/

 

 

By the way, I found that BakeDeco now has an Ebay store and they offer the paper molds in various numbers from a few to a case and FREE SHIPPING. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Novacart-Rectangular-Paper-Baking-Mold-9-1-4-x-3-1-4-X-2-3-4-H-PACK-12-/331656913025?hash=item4d384ae081

[Kerry Beal]

Just now, andiesenji said:

It's on my blog.  under my signature, but here is the direct link.  http://www.asenjigalblogs.com/resurrected-recipes-from-long-ago/dundee-cake-a-favorite-from-my-childhood/

 

 

By the way, I found that BakeDeco now has an Ebay store and they offer the paper molds in various numbers from a few to a case and FREE SHIPPING. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Novacart-Rectangular-Paper-Baking-Mold-9-1-4-x-3-1-4-X-2-3-4-H-PACK-12-/331656913025?hash=item4d384ae081

Thank you!

[andiesenji]

16 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

That they are biodegradable (compostable) does not necessarily mean that they are more environmentally friendly. To see the real impact on the environment, you have to consider the energy and water used in the manufacturing process and, as I already mentioned, the distribution.

 

I would guess that over a lifetime of baking, a traditional, reusable metal baking tin is far more friendly.

I have dozens of loaf pans of every size imaginable - made from every material that tolerates heat, right up to the newest silicone molds.

 

I now bake for pleasure and I do not enjoy cleaning loaf pans with burnt-on stuff and I can't stand the feel of the sticky coating that forms on silicone molds and is so difficult to remove.

 

I don't want my expensive pans damaged.  

If a metal pan or a glass pan lasts a lifetime, it IS more environmentally friendly but a lot do not last and they END UP IN LANDFILLS because many people are too stupid to understand they can be recycled.  

[Patrick S]

21 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

That they are biodegradable (compostable) does not necessarily mean that they are more environmentally friendly. To see the real impact on the environment, you have to consider the energy and water used in the manufacturing process and, as I already mentioned, the distribution.

 

I would guess that over a lifetime of baking, a traditional, reusable metal baking tin is far more friendly.

 

I'm sure that's going to be true in most cases, in terms of total lifetime energy inputs, though obviously this will depend on the total lifetime number of reuses of the metal baking tin. Considering energy inputs alone, manufacture of reusable materials like metal and glass will generally require much greater energy input than for disposable materials. Aluminum manufactured from ore might require something like 200-300 MJ per kilo to produce, compared to something like 25-50MJ per kilo to produce paper from standing timber (energy to produce from recycled products will be lower of course). And of course reusable products will require additional energy (and other) inputs for cleaning during their lifecycle (e.g. dishwashing), whereas disposable products will not. One could imagine a simple but probably not rare case (as andiesenji refers to) in which, for instance, a consumer purchases a metal loaf pan but only uses it a few times before eventually discarding many years later. In a case like that, in which total number of reuses is very low, use of disposable materials would require less energy inputs overall. But this is more of an outlier, boundary case. When you're looking at a situation in which the metal product is reused many times during its lifetime, I'm sure it's true that the total energy inputs will be lower than for disposable equivalents.

[quiet1]

I've primarily seen them used in gifting or selling (at a bake sale or similar) something like a quick bread or fruitcake type item that benefits from having the added structure of the pan for transport and packaging.

 

i also used the tree shaped ones one year to give a gift of frozen cinnamon rolls that the recipients just had to let thaw and rise and pop in the oven.

 

I kind of wonder about using them for freezing individual sized portions of lasagna and other 'bake' type dishes, but I've never been brave enough to try since I'm worried the moisture level of the sauce will be too much for the paper to handle. And of course with the aluminum pans you get reaction between tomato sauce and the metal.

[chromedome]

I bought up a bunch at a consignment store (not nearly as comprehensive as Andiesenji's collection, but still decent) specifically for gifting. Honestly, anybody I give a loaf to in one of those will generate more paper waste in two trips to Tim's, with or without my cake...it seems pretty minor as environmental impacts go. 

[quiet1]

8 hours ago, chromedome said:

I bought up a bunch at a consignment store (not nearly as comprehensive as Andiesenji's collection, but still decent) specifically for gifting. Honestly, anybody I give a loaf to in one of those will generate more paper waste in two trips to Tim's, with or without my cake...it seems pretty minor as environmental impacts go. 

 

That's an interesting idea. Although most of the pans I've seen aren't really in a condition I'd consider acceptable for giving - but maybe I only see stuff that has already been picked over. I do buy nice plates and platters in consignment shops, for gift giving, though. Makes a nicer presentation of cookies or if I take a cheese plate or something to a party, I leave the plate if the host/hostess wants it.

 

Anyone with lots of experience with these things think they'd work okay for lasagna or would they turn into a soggy mess like I fear?

[andiesenji]

5 hours ago, quiet1 said:

 

That's an interesting idea. Although most of the pans I've seen aren't really in a condition I'd consider acceptable for giving - but maybe I only see stuff that has already been picked over. I do buy nice plates and platters in consignment shops, for gift giving, though. Makes a nicer presentation of cookies or if I take a cheese plate or something to a party, I leave the plate if the host/hostess wants it.

 

Anyone with lots of experience with these things think they'd work okay for lasagna or would they turn into a soggy mess like I fear?

I have never made lasagna in them but I have baked mac and cheese in the small "tart" molds,

I baked individual quiches in the round molds - the small ones at the lower right in my photo, and I use a "trick" for forming the pastry on the outside of a pan that fits inside the mold, pressing the mold onto it and flipping it over -( I should do a photo demo - I use a tart ring as a cutter - I roll the dough out, dock it with a rotary docker, cut the rounds out and then fit the pastry into the molds)  

I place 6 pastry-filled molds on a sheet pan and then pour the filling in just before they go into the oven.  I have had no problems with spilling or soaking through.

You could always place the paper mold inside a glass or metal pan to fill and bake - once baked it should be solid enough to hold up.

I have baked bread pudding in the loaf pans - I doubled the molds while baking - removed the extra, outer ones when they were done and set.

 

[chromedome]

11 hours ago, quiet1 said:

 

That's an interesting idea. Although most of the pans I've seen aren't really in a condition I'd consider acceptable for giving - but maybe I only see stuff that has already been picked over. I do buy nice plates and platters in consignment shops, for gift giving, though. Makes a nicer presentation of cookies or if I take a cheese plate or something to a party, I leave the plate if the host/hostess wants it.

 

Anyone with lots of experience with these things think they'd work okay for lasagna or would they turn into a soggy mess like I fear?

 

The ones I bought were reasonably decorative, with pretty printed patterns. Basically they were comparable to most dollar-store gift bags or gift wrap, which is what they otherwise would have gone into.

[quiet1]

14 hours ago, andiesenji said:

I have never made lasagna in them but I have baked mac and cheese in the small "tart" molds,

I baked individual quiches in the round molds - the small ones at the lower right in my photo, and I use a "trick" for forming the pastry on the outside of a pan that fits inside the mold, pressing the mold onto it and flipping it over -( I should do a photo demo - I use a tart ring as a cutter - I roll the dough out, dock it with a rotary docker, cut the rounds out and then fit the pastry into the molds)  

I place 6 pastry-filled molds on a sheet pan and then pour the filling in just before they go into the oven.  I have had no problems with spilling or soaking through.

You could always place the paper mold inside a glass or metal pan to fill and bake - once baked it should be solid enough to hold up.

I have baked bread pudding in the loaf pans - I doubled the molds while baking - removed the extra, outer ones when they were done and set.

 

 

Those are some great ideas. Thank you. I know they're not super expensive but they're expensive enough and cleaning the oven is enough of a pain that I keep shying away from experimenting. I kept having mental images of a complete blowout and sauce and cheese all over the oven.

 

But with the various issues in the household, being able to have good food in the freezer that is easy to heat up is a lifesaver, and freezing stuff in normal pans either requires a massive stash of normal pans or a lot of fiddling to freeze something in the pan, then remove once frozen, then put back in the pan to thaw and cook, etc. And I've done smaller lasagnas before in small loaf pans (for immediate consumption) that worked out very well when I had a vegetarian housemate. (I just set up an assembly line with meat cooked separately from the sauce, and some extra vegetables for the vegetarian one, and mixed as I layered. Didn't take much more time and everyone got good food.)

 

I love the quiche idea also. Do you serve in the paper pan or peel it off before serving?

[Franci]

On 9/23/2016 at 2:54 PM, andiesenji said:

Here's a Dundee cake baked in one of the deep round molds.   I couldn't find a loaf right away.

Perfectly browned - baked to an internal temp of 215*F. 

 

Regarding recycling.  Like most paper products, I tear them up and put them in the compost, both regular and my worm "farm" - the worms seem to love the stuff.  However I can also put it in the recycle bin. Here in Lancaster, we have an extremely aggressive recycling system.

 

 

A lot of these companies are Italians, this looks a fugazza or low panettone mold. Beautiful cake, Andie, I'll go abd look for the recipe as well.

 

Another brand I like a lot for gifting baked cakes/breads is the Panibois that you can buy from Technobake, also Bakedeco (but doesn't let you buy in smaller quantities). There is also the welcome home brand where from their website you can even purchase samples.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Franci (log)

[andiesenji]

The King Arthur email today had this - they state these are suitable for "mini lasagna"  

Unlike the ones I have, these have a rolled edge, and no CORNER SEAMS, which should make them more resistant to leaking.

 

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/paper-baking-pans-square-with-lids-set-of-8

 

[andiesenji]

5 hours ago, quiet1 said:

 

Those are some great ideas. Thank you. I know they're not super expensive but they're expensive enough and cleaning the oven is enough of a pain that I keep shying away from experimenting. I kept having mental images of a complete blowout and sauce and cheese all over the oven.

 

But with the various issues in the household, being able to have good food in the freezer that is easy to heat up is a lifesaver, and freezing stuff in normal pans either requires a massive stash of normal pans or a lot of fiddling to freeze something in the pan, then remove once frozen, then put back in the pan to thaw and cook, etc. And I've done smaller lasagnas before in small loaf pans (for immediate consumption) that worked out very well when I had a vegetarian housemate. (I just set up an assembly line with meat cooked separately from the sauce, and some extra vegetables for the vegetarian one, and mixed as I layered. Didn't take much more time and everyone got good food.)

 

I love the quiche idea also. Do you serve in the paper pan or peel it off before serving?

I serve the quiche right in the mold.

 

Panera bread serves their breakfast  "Baked Egg Souffles" in similar molds.