Essential bakeware pieces for the home chef

Having the proper bakeware in your kitchen gives you the tools you need to cook your favourite dishes properly. Whether you're trying a new recipe or making a classic family favourite, you'll want to have this cookware on hand.

Baking dish:

• Usually made of stoneware, porcelain, earthenware or glass, and sometimes enamelled cast iron, baking dishes range in size from individual gratin dishes to lasagna pans.
• They are relatively shallow and open, although cooks often cover contents with aluminum foil.
• Used for baking large main course dishes or desserts such as cobblers.

Broiler pan:

• A two-part cooking pan, a broiler pan is designed to cook meat quickly on a rack under direct heat while its juices and fat collect in a pan underneath.
• Most ovens are equipped with a large broiler pan.
• Smaller versions are preferred by most cooks because they are handier and fit more easily into a sink or a dishwasher.

Roasting pan:

• Made of aluminum, stainless steel, enameled metal or even ceramic, roasting pans come in a wide range of sizes to suit different sized roasts.
• The depth of an open roaster ranges between five and 10 centimetres (two and four inches).
• A French roaster has a cover and may be 15 centimetres (six inches) deep or more.
• Most roasters have a rack to hold the meat or bird above the fat while it cooks.
• A roaster should fit the roast. An eight kilogram (18 pound) turkey, for example, will require a larger roaster than a 2.5 kilogram (five pound) chicken, so you may need more than one roasting pan.

Casserole:

• A casserole is made of heat-resistant, tempered glass or a ceramic that looks like porcelain and may be round, oval, or square with a tight-fitting lid.
• Many casseroles are handsome enough to go from the oven straight to the table.
• Sizes range from 1 1/2 litres to seven litres (1 1⁄2 to seven quarts), with three to five litre (three to five quart) sizes being the most popular.
• High-tech models can go directly from the freezer into the oven and later into the dishwasher.

Soufflé dish:

• Soufflé dishes are round with deep sides to allow whipped batters to expand and set quickly during baking.
• Made of porcelain, heat-proof glass or stoneware, these distinctive baking dishes come in many sizes, from individual soufflés to three litre (three quart) family dishes.
• The smaller-sized soufflé dishes can double as custard cups.

Terrine:

• Usually made of enameled cast iron, earthenware or porcelain, and measuring about 30 x 10 x 10 centimetres (12 x 4 x 4 inches), this baking dish is used to make a paté-like loaf of layered ground meats, vegetables or seafood called a terrine.
• The one to two litre (one to two quart) sizes are most common.
• Terrines can also be used to make patés and small, elegant meat loafs.
• Some terrine pans are handsome enough to be used as serving dishes.

Simplify the inventory of pots and pans in your kitchen. Many pieces of cookware can do more than one job.

• You can make a perfectly serviceable double boiler by putting a shallow heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of water.
• A roasting pan with a lid or an oval Dutch oven with the rack from a broiler can become a makeshift fish poacher.
• You can bake a casserole in a soufflé dish, using aluminum foil for a top, if you need one.