Made In's Baking Slab Has Brought Some Much Needed Crunch Into My Life

"Digging a spatula or cake cutter down below the rim of a normal baking pan gives me broken crumbles of brownie that I tuck away to eat quietly by myself in a corner after serving everyone else. So when an ad for a baking slab-a piece of cookware that appears to have been designed specifically to solve my brownie and bar problem because of its low walls- popped up on my computer screen one day, I clicked it (something I've trained myself not to do)."

"Made In's baking slab looks simple. An almost entirely unembellished white porcelain rectangle, it might not look like anything more than a shallower-than-normal baking pan. But I went ahead and ordered one a couple weeks before Thanksgiving because, at the very least, having an extra piece of cookware around this time of year is never a bad idea. And I'm glad I did. It helped improve everything I made in it in sneaky, subtle ways."

"Because this slab isn't as deep as a regular baking pan, I thought it would make it easier to slice and serve-and I was right. The slab is only 1.5" tall and I had no problem getting a spatula all the way underneath that first chocolaty corner. But I assumed there would be a trade-off, that less height on my brownies would mean drier, crumblier squares. I'm pleased to say that was very much not the case."

The baking slab is an almost entirely unembellished white porcelain rectangle with low 1.5-inch walls. It was ordered a couple weeks before Thanksgiving as extra cookware for the season. The slab's shallow depth makes it easy to slide a spatula fully underneath brownies and bars for clean slices without leaving broken crumbles. Brownies baked in the slab maintained a soft, fudgy core beneath a cracking crust when using Stella Parks's glossy recipe. The slab stretches surface area so items get more exposure to high heat, which favors browning and crust development on top. The dish improved results for multiple recipes in subtle, sneaky ways beyond just solving the first-corner removal problem.

Read at Bon Appetit