Baking Pan Substitutions

When you want to substitute one baking pan for another or reduce a recipe and bake it in a smaller pan, you can measure the volume in cups, but the best pan to substitute is one that keeps the mixture at the same depth as the original, or a pan that is the same size on the bottom, or half that size if you are halving the recipe.  
You can substitute a pan of approximately the same square inches and bake the mixture in about the same time.  For instance, a 9” round pan and an 8” square pan have about the same square inches of surface , see the pans in the bottom right corner. 

Here’s the chart I use.  I have found it to be more dependable than the amount of cups of water that will fill a pan.  For example, if I want half of an 11 x 7” pan, a 7 x 5” inch casserole is about right.  If I want to substitute another pan for half a 15 ½ x 10” half sheet, I could choose an 11 x 7” or a 10” round pan.  Notice I am looking for something about the same depth when possible.

Pan Size	Square Inches	Half
7 3/4" x 3 4/8" x 2 1/4"	28	14
9 x 5 x 3"`	45	22.5
7 x 5" casserole	35	17.5
Brownie pan 6 3/4 x 10 3/4"	73	36.3
Toaster oven roaster pan 7 x 9"	63	31.5
8 X 1 1/2" round	50	25
11 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4"	50	25
9 x 1 1/2" round	64	32
8" square	64	32
11 x 7 x 1 1/2"	77	38.5
10 x 1 1/2" round	79	39.5
16 x 5 x 4"	80	40
13 x 9 x 2"	117	58.5
15 X 10 X 2	150	75
15 1/2 X 10 1/2 X 1"	160	80

Some rules of thumb: 

• A baking dish, if called for in a recipe in most cookbooks, means a glass baking dish or casserole.  If the recipe calls for a baking pan, they usually mean a metal pan.
• A 7” pie pan holds half as much as a 9” pan.  An 8” skillet will hold half as many chops as a 10” pan.  
• If a recipe calls for 45 minutes cooking time, half the recipe will be done in about 30-35 minutes, and a double recipe will cook in about an hour.
• Remember that food baked in a round dish browns more evenly – no burned corners.  
• The sides of a pan should be just high enough to hold the contents after rising.  Sides that are too high prevent browning of the top crust of cakes, bars, pies and cookies.  That’s why cookie sheets are low-sided or flat.   
• Meats and poultry in a pan with too-high sides will steam instead of roast.  I usually use the broiler pan with insert that comes with most ovens for roasting for that reason.