Ryan Whitaker

I’ve baked more quiches than I can count, and the one problem that haunts every home baker is the soggy bottom crust. After running our team through 12 different ceramic quiche pans over 60 days of testing, we finally found which ones actually deliver even baking from edge to center. The best ceramic quiche pans … Read more

I have baked at least 200 quiches in the last three years, and I can tell you this: nothing ruins a beautiful brunch faster than half your quiche sticking to the pan. After testing dozens of pans in my home kitchen, I pulled together my honest notes on the best quiche pans with removable bottoms … Read more

I burned through three soggy-bottomed tarts before I bought my first fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. The day that pan arrived, everything changed. Since then, our team has tested dozens of pans across hundreds of bakes. We have pulled apart lemon tarts at midnight, dropped quiches on the kitchen floor, and pushed pâte … Read more

I still remember the first tart I tried to unmold from a regular pie dish. It crumbled into pieces, and I ended up scooping sad chunks onto a serving plate while my guests politely pretended nothing went wrong. That disaster is exactly why a tart pan with a removable bottom exists, and why I spent … Read more

I still remember the first time I pulled a bundt cake out of a real heritage pan at my grandmother’s house. The crust was deep golden, every swirl and ridge had popped clean, and the cake sat on her counter like something from a magazine. That moment hooked me on collecting these pans, and twelve … Read more

I have baked hundreds of Bundt cakes over the past decade, and if there is one thing I have learned, it is this: the pan makes the cake. After testing 10 different models from Nordic Ware’s lineup, I can tell you exactly which ones deliver that perfect golden crust and clean release every time. Cast … Read more

After my third failed pumpkin bundt came out with half its ridges stuck to the pan, I ordered the Nordic Ware Anniversary and never looked back. I have spent the past four months baking in cast aluminum every weekend, and the difference in pattern fidelity is impossible to ignore. If you are searching for the … Read more

Last winter, I pulled a $45 clay pot out of my cupboard, dumped in dried chickpeas, tomatoes, garlic, and a glug of olive oil, and walked away for four hours. When I came back, the chickpeas had cooked through without soaking, and the broth tasted deeper than anything I’d ever made in my Dutch oven. … Read more

There is something special about gathering around a steaming pot of broth at the dinner table, dipping thin slices of beef and fresh vegetables as the aroma fills the room. That communal experience is what makes shabu shabu at home so appealing. The right donabe pot can take your hot pot nights from good to … Read more

I’ll be honest with you: my first attempt at brioche a tete failed because I tried baking it in a muffin tin. The dough slumped sideways, the iconic little “head” disappeared, and I ended up with something that looked like a sad dinner roll. That embarrassing moment is exactly why I went down the rabbit … Read more