Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For years the only option available to me for round baking pans was the Wilton brand. I was satisfied with their performance but I really had nothing else to compare them to. Shopping on Amazon allowed me access to a number of brands and based on reviews I decided to try the Magic Line brand. This review is a head to head comparison of the Magic Line 6 x 2 inch pan and the Wilton 6 x 2 inch pan. Wilton is made in China. Magic Line is made in the USA. The Wilton pan actually fits inside my Magic Line so I decided to measure them. When I measured both pans from side to side, the Magic Line Pan had an interior diameter of 6.024 inches. Wilton measured 5.90 inches. I used a digital caliper for the measurements. I could also feel the difference in weight between the two pans so I used my postal scale to weigh them. The Magic Line pan weighs 5.9 ounces while Wilton comes in at 3.2 ounces. Because of the differences in the pans, I wanted to compare them in actual baking. I put two cups of vanilla batter in each prepared pan, attached the Wilton bake even strips and baked them side by side in my oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit. The cake in the Wilton pan did not rise as tall as the other and had a small but pronounced hump in the center. I had to cut off/level the top so that it would sit flat on the cake board. The cake was darker in color on both the top and bottom. The cake from the Magic Line pan was almost completely flat. The taste test revealed both pans had done a good job in baking the cakes. There was no discernible difference in taste, and both were nicely baked without being dry. Also, both pans have straight sides. At one time I had about ten Wilton Round pans in two and three inch depths. All of them had dents from being dropped at one time or another. I've slowly been replacing the Wilton pans with Magic Line and can report that with heavy use and dropping them a time or two, they have remained undented during the time (apx. 1 year for most) I've owned them. While Wilton doesn't make a bad pan, there are better options out there, at least for me.