Buying guide for Best popover pans
A popover is a delicious and easy-to-make treat, whether you prefer to eat yours for breakfast with butter and jam, with meat for lunch or dinner, or with whipped cream and fruit for dessert. Made of milk, eggs, flour, butter, and sometimes sugar, these light, airy rolls puff up as they bake to create a crisp outer shell and soft, rich interior.
The best way to make popovers is with a popover pan. You could use a standard muffin pan, but you won’t get that classic popover shape if you do. Dedicated popover pans have deep cups and straight walls that allow the batter to puff into a golden dome. Some popover pans are designed to encourage airflow and heat circulation, which helps promote the ideal popover texture.
Key considerations
Material
Stainless steel: Strong and durable, stainless steel is a common popover pan material. It isn’t prone to warping and is fairly easy to clean — some stainless steel popover pans even feature a nonstick surface. However, stainless steel doesn’t conduct heat as well as other materials, which can affect the consistency of your baked goods.
Aluminum: This material conducts heat extremely well, and it is evenly distributed so you get perfectly-puffed, golden-brown results. The drawback to aluminum popover pans is that they can easily dent and warp unless it's cast aluminum. Regular pressed aluminum is dentable, but cast aluminum is as strong as cast iron.
Carbon steel: This lightweight, durable material features an alloy of carbon and steel. It has a naturally nonstick surface and is easy to clean. However, it does not heat as evenly as stainless steel and is vulnerable to rust.
Expert Tip
Cover the entire bottom and sides of the cup interiors when greasing for easy rising during your bake.
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Popover number and size
Like muffin and cupcake pans, popover pans have a specific number of cups, usually ranging from 4 to 12 per pan. A six-cup popover pan is a good option for most because it fits in nearly all ovens. The cups in a pan with four or six are generally larger, too, so you can make more substantial popovers.
If you’re baking for a larger crowd, you might prefer a pan that makes 8 to 12 popovers at a time. That way, you don’t have to bake them in batches (or you can get away with baking fewer batches).
Design
Popover pans feature cups like a muffin or cupcake pan, but they often have a slightly different structure. Many have an “open” design in which all cups attach to a frame but the individual cups don’t attach to one another. This design allows heat to circulate evenly around the cups for truly perfect popovers.
Other popover pans sport a closed design similar to that of a muffin pan. Still, there is more space between the cups so the popovers have room to puff up without baking into one another. Your results with these pans may not be as consistent, but you can also use them to make muffins and cupcakes.
You can even find some individual popover cups that can work well if you only need to make one or two popovers at a time. If you’re making popovers for a group, though, individual cups can be tedious to work with.
Expert Tip
Prepare your oven for tall popovers. They’ll be baked in the center of the oven, so place your rack one notch below the center. This gets the pan and batter dead-center of the oven. Then, remove any racks above that to ensure clear air space for maximum height for the popovers.
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Features
Shape
For the best-looking popovers, seek out a pan with deep cups. This helps give the base of the popover a more uniform shape. With deep cups, the popovers tend to be tall with asymmetrical heads — the classic popover look.
Color
The color of a popover pan can actually determine how the popovers turn out. Darker pans conduct heat efficiently, which allows your goods to cook evenly and puff up as they should. Lighter pans often produce uneven popovers.
Dishwasher safe
Dishwasher-safe pans are much easier to clean. However, some popover pans require hand washing. This can be challenging since you must brush the interior of the pan’s cups with butter to give popovers their delicious taste and golden brown color. The butter can leave behind a greasy residue that makes cleaning a bit difficult.
Handles
Oven mitts or gloves are still needed to protect your hands, but a pan with non-slip handles is easier to put in and take out of the oven.
Did You Know?
Popovers are perfect for breakfast with butter or jam. They’re also delicious as a dinner roll with chicken or steak.
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Accessories
Whisk: To properly mix popover batter, you need a quality whisk.
Hand mixer: If you prefer not to mix your popover batter by hand, you’ll need a hand mixer to make quick work of the job.
Baking sheet: If you choose a silicone popover pan, you'll want to place a sheet pan underneath to move it around.
Popover pan prices
Inexpensive
The most affordable popover pans are typically individual cups that aren’t connected. They’re usually made of aluminum and cost between $4 and $13 for a set of six.
Mid-range
Popover pans between $14 and $29 usually feature an open design in which the cups all connect to a thin frame but not to each other. They may be made of aluminum, carbon steel, or stainless steel with a nonstick coating and 6 to 12 cups.
Expensive
High-quality stainless steel and aluminum popover pans with 6 to 12 cups and nonstick coating may cost between $25 and $50. Many pans in this price range are dishwasher safe.
Expert Tip
Avoid using pan spray on nonstick popover cups. It can get gummy over time, and traditionally these get butter or beef lard instead of oil or spray to help them slide up the sides during baking.
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Tips
- Preheat your popover pan for best results. To do so, simply place the pan in the oven while it’s preheating.
- Do not overmix your batter. Mix it until it’s smooth and free of large lumps. (Small lumps are fine.)
- A popover pan may be greased with melted butter or nonstick cooking spray. Take care to grease not only the cups but also their rims and edges.
- Bake them on the lower rack. Because popovers puff up, the lower rack gives them room to expand.
FAQ
Q. Do I still need to grease inside the cups of a non-stick popover pan?
A. With a nonstick pan, you typically don’t need to grease the cups. However, it’s common for nonstick coating to wear down over time, so it’s a good idea to grease the pan just in case.
Some recipes specifically call for greasing the pan with butter, which not only prevents the popovers from sticking but also lends flavor and a golden brown color. Don’t skip that step if your recipe includes it.
Q. How long do popovers stay fresh after they are baked?
A. Not long at all! It is advised that you eat them soon after baking them.
Q. What are the best popover flavors?
A. That depends on your personal preference, of course, but some people love popovers with just the basic ingredients: flour, milk, eggs, butter, and perhaps a little bit of salt. That said, there are some great variations out there. Savory iterations may incorporate herbs, cheese, bacon, or ham. Sweet iterations may include chocolate, cinnamon, fresh berries, or other fruit.
