Baking with a black pan vs. a silver one?

Question

I was watching a cooking show and the lady was making pizzas. She noted that she was baking them on a silver pan, and if you wanted an even crispier crust to bake it on a black pan. Why would she assume a black pan would get hotter than a silver one? I know with car seats, black leather gets hotter in the sun. But I thought that was because black draws in heat from sunlight (whereas lighter colors reflect sunlight and are therefore cooler). What does that have to do with oven heat though? Aren't all pans black in a dark oven?

Answer 1

I have noticed that baking bread or cookies in a black pan causes them to brown more and burn easier than in a shiny silver pan.

Because I don't like the darker version results, I always bake in a shiny silver pan.

Answer 2

Dark pans absorb heat, regardless of the lighting conditions.  Metallic-colored (silvery) pans reflect heat, and thus bake with less browning or burning.

Dave

Answer 3

It's true -- I can't explain the chemistry (or is it physics...?) of it, but using a darker pan does make the bottoms of your baked goods brown faster (and often, burn faster), so I usually try to avoid the dark pans.

Answer 4

Black pans absorb the heat. Silver reflects it.

Black pans turn bread and cookies really dark on the bottom. If all you have are dark pans make sure you lessen the cooking time.

Answer 5

the black pan contac heat more evenly  than  silver ones do

Answer 6

It seems as though the black pans heat up faster and maintain the heat and heats quicker. The silver pans seem to be a more gradual heating.

I know I have burned more cookies on a black pan then a silver one. It does seem strange though.

Have a good day!