How to Make a Large Baking Pan Smaller

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Some recipes call for a small pan or portions. If you have the proper pan, you can proceed with your baking recipe as is.

Nevertheless, if you don’t have a tiny enough baking pan, don’t use a huge one. If you’re making a cake, the big pan will result in a shallow batter.

As a consequence, the batter will cook quicker, increasing the danger of overcooking or burning. But, a simple change may be made to correct this.

Here’s how to make a large pan smaller for baking.

Contents

How to Make a Large Pan Smaller for Baking
What You Should Know Before Resizing Your Baking Pan
- Depth as the Minimum Pan Resize Pans of the Same Height
- Resizing Pans is most effective with square or rectangular pans.
Instead of resizing, consider scaling up your recipe.
Last Thoughts
FAQs

How to Make a Large Pan Smaller for Baking

Baking needs a high level of precision in terms of ingredient quantities, equipment, and process.

As a result, you should avoid baking cakes and other items containing batter in an inappropriately sized pan.

You may use this method to avoid having to purchase a new pan. It may also be useful when you need to bake something quickly.

All you have to do is create foil dams, but try to get the proportions as precise as possible.

Step 1: Collect the Required Materials

This procedure will just need a few common home materials.

Collect the following supplies and keep them on hand.

The foil paper
Any pencil or pen will suffice.
A measuring tape or ruler
a big enough piece of paper to cover the pan (youll place this paper underneath the pan)

Step 2: Measure the Pan Measurements

You may not be aware of the pan’s proportions.

If you don’t have one, use a measuring ruler or measuring tape to determine the length, width, and height.

You can now estimate how much it will cost to resize the pan.

Also read: How to Measure a Frying Pan (So That it is Ideal for Your Requirements)?

Step 3: Put the Big Pan on top of the Piece of Paper.

Put the paper on a flat surface, such as the kitchen counter. Paperweights may be used to prevent the paper from sliding about.

Place your big baking pan on top of the parchment paper. Make sure the whole base of the pan is covered with paper.

Don’t move the pan after you’ve positioned it correctly.

Step 4: On the paper, draw an outline of the baking pan.

Set your pencil or pen parallel to the countertop. Then, without rotating the baking pan, connect the side of the pencil to it.

Check that the pen is not tilting in any way.

Keep one hand on the pan’s surface to hold it in place.

Using your other hand, run the pen around the pan’s sides, keeping it straight the whole time.

You’ll then have a full outline of your baking pan. This method allows measuring the pan and accommodating the resizing easy.

Even after you’ve drawn the outline, don’t remove the pan.

Step 5: Make a new dimension mark on the piece of paper.

Check the recipe to see what size pan you’ll need.

You will almost certainly need to adjust the length and breadth of your current baking pan.

Yet, in certain circumstances, you may just need to adjust the length or breadth.

This will be simpler since you will only need to construct one foil dam. In the other instance, you’ll need to construct two foil dams.

Begin with only one corner of the baking pan.

Choose one corner of the baking pan and work your way around from there.

Use your measuring tape to determine where the width of the pan should terminate from that corner.

Mark that measurement with a pencil on the paper underneath the pan.

Check that the width is the proper dimension and that there is no gap between the width of your pan and the needed width.

Measure the length from the same corner and mark it on the paper. As a consequence, you’ll know where to put the foil dams.

This procedure merely allows you to see how the resized pan will appear. At the same time, you will assure greater measurement precision.

A more precisely measured pan will guarantee that your meal comes out just as you want it to.

Step 6: Make the Foil Dams for the Baking Pan.

You will need to build dams out of foil that will function as the pan’s wall.

The length and breadth of the needed pan will be the dimensions of the two foil dams.

If you just need one, the length or breadth of the needed pan will equal the size of the foil dam.

Cut the Foil to the Right Size

When you’ve determined the size, you’ll need to cut a piece of foil.

Make sure the length is sufficient to cover the whole surface area of the resized pan.

At the same time, it should be long enough to fold many times.

The height of the foil dams should be equal to or greater than the height of the pan’s original walls.

Use just one piece of foil.

It is critical that you just use one piece of foil for each dam.

This will keep it from tipping over since the foil covering the pan’s surface will hold it up.

For Improved Strengthening, fold the foil at least three times.

While making the wall, fold the foil as well. Fold it at least three times for further reinforcement.

As a consequence, the liquid batter or cake expansion will not jeopardize the structure’s structural integrity.

Be careful to repeat the process with the second foil dam.

Cover the foil from the other dam with the foil that will cover the surface.

Step 7: Seal the Foil Dams’ Corners

Be careful to close the corner where the two foil dams meet.

This prevents any batter or other liquid food from leaking and ruining the cooking process.

Use an extra sheet of foil to seal the foil dams’ corners. Fold the foil twice so that it is solid.

After folding, make sure the piece of foil is twice the height of the foil dam.

Then, bend the foil in the center to form a L shape with equal length on both ends.

Put the foil over the corner and push it along the foil dams to ensure it adheres properly.

After that, the resized pan should be ready.

Step 8: Before Using the Baking Pan, Clean It

Take the foil from the baking pan and set it aside.

You should now carefully wash the pan to verify that it is clean and ready to use.

Let the pan to dry naturally or wipe it off with a soft cloth. You may then start baking with it.

You might skip this step if you washed the pan before beginning the procedure.

Also, if the pan is clean, there is no need to clean it again since food will not come into direct touch with it.

What You Should Know Before Resizing Your Baking Pan

Here are a few things to bear in mind if you wish to resize your baking pan.

Depth as the Minimum Pan Resize Pans of the Same Height

It should be noted that if you wish to lower the size of the pan, make sure that the height of your pan meets what is required for the recipe.

The pan’s depth cannot be altered.

You will need to acquire a deep pan if you need one. It is in your best interests to invest in a variety of pans for the future.

This is particularly useful if you bake often and want to experiment with different recipes and approaches.

Resizing Pans is most effective with square or rectangular pans.

It should be noted that this resizing trick works best with rectangular and square pans. You may experiment with different shapes of pans.

Nevertheless, keeping the foil wall erect in a circular form may be difficult.

Instead of resizing, consider scaling up your recipe.

You may change the recipe if you don’t want to use this pan resizing trick. You may adjust the recipe to suit your current, bigger pan.

The cooking time in your recipe may alter as you scale it up. As a result, you must keep an eye on the food in the oven to ensure that it does not overcook or burn.

With this choice, you will produce more food.

As a result, if you’re cooking for a large group, you should think about it. If not, save the leftovers and consume them later.

Last Thoughts

Although resizing a pan is a wonderful option when you’re short on time, it’s always ideal to obtain the necessary equipment to bake meals properly.

FAQs

What to do if my baking pan is too big?

If your recipe asks for an 8-inch cake pan but you only have a 9-inch, don’t worry. Just raise the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and cut the baking time in half. In this case, since your pan is 1 inch bigger, more surface area will be exposed.

How do I substitute baking pan sizes?

The most basic substitution: 8″ square = 9″ circular

You’ve just seen the most basic pan substitution: an 8″ square pan and a 9″ round pan have the same capacity (64″) and may be used interchangeably in any recipe.

Can I use a 9×9 pan instead of 9×13?

*It depends on what you’re creating. If you’re cooking brownies or cookie bars that don’t rise much, a 9-inch square pan and a 13-by-9-inch rectangle pan may be used interchangeably. You cannot use them interchangeably when creating a cake or anything with a looser batter.

How do you split a 9×13 pan?

For a 139 pan, begin on the shorter side facing you. Cut away from you after measuring to the center point.
Cut all the way down to the midway point between the edge and the center cut. Repeat on the other side of the center cut.
Flip the pan longwise.
Rep on the other side of the main cut.
Sep 21, 2022

What happens if the size of pan used is too large?

“If the pan is too large, the edges shield the batter and slow down the baking,” Levy Beranbaum explains, indicating that the final cake will be drier and paler than desired.

How do you reduce a pan?

A Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Pan Reduction
Step 1: Empty the Pan…
Step 2: Add the oil and onions or scallions.
Step 3: Pour in the wine…
Step 4: Cut back.
Step 5: Pour in the broth.
Step 6: Season and taste.
Step 7: For Balance, add Lemon Juice.
Step 8: Season with herbs.

Is it better to cook in a pan too big or too small?

“A smaller, 8-inch skillet creates more evenly dispersed heat and the potential to attain high temperatures,” Billingsley explains. A 10-inch pan provides greater space without crowding and with minimum heat loss.

Can I use a 9×13 pan instead of 8×8?

A 9×13 pan has a surface area of 117 square inches. A 9×13 pan, on the other hand, has a surface area of 64 square inches, or almost half that of an 8×8 pan. This means you can just halve a recipe to scale it down from a 9×13 pan to an 8×8 pan. To convert from an 8×8 pan to a 9×13 pan, double the recipe.

Can you double a 9×9 recipe for a 9×13?

With the 9- x 13-inch pan, divide 117 by 64 to get 1.82, which is near enough to 2 to securely double the recipe.

How long to bake 9×13 to 9×9?

The 13-by-9-inch cake will take 5 to 10 minutes less time than the 9-inch tiers. Start checking around 15 minutes before the time specified in the original recipe. Cupcakes typically require half the time of a 9-inch circular cake.