A tart pan is a tray that is used to bake the crust for a tart dessert. Depending on the recipe, you can bake your complete tart in the pan instead of just the shell. Tart pans can be made out of porcelain, steel or nonstick material.
Use
The tart pan is typically constructed so that inside each cup where a tart sits, the bottom can be popped out of it. After the tarts cool, you press up under each tart cup to pop the bottom out and remove the pastry. This ensures that you can remove the tarts without damaging the crust.
Styles
Pans are available for a tart to be baked as one large pastry or for cooking individual tarts. Large tart pans are available in sizes as large as 9 1/2 inches across. Pans for individual pastries are available so that you can cook four, six or eight in one sheet.
Design
Unlike a pie, a tart isn't presented in its baking dish, so these pans tend to be plain instead of decorative.
Manufacturers
Some of the companies that make tart pans are Wilton, Williams-Sonoma, SCI/Scandicrafts, Kaiser, Fat Daddio's and Wilkinson.
Shapes
These pans can bake tarts in a variety of shapes of molds, including circular, rectangular or square.
Other Uses
Tart pans can be used to bake miniature quiches and muffins. They can also be used to chill molded desserts (such as gelatin) and salads.
Tags: Tart pans, tart pans, used bake
