The best pan for macarons is using an aluminum baking sheet.
- Aluminum is the best metal at conducting heat over other baking sheets like stainless steel
- heats up to temperature faster than stainless steel
- resists warping, and are extremely sturdy and durable
- conducts heat evenly throughout the pan
Aluminum is a light colored baking sheet; it doesn’t absorb heat like other metals, such as stainless steel.
With a lighter colored pan, you can bake for a shorter amount of time than if you used a stainless steel pan.
Aluminum baking sheets are used in high grade commercial bakeries around the globe.
Macarons require the pans be perfectly clean without any oily residue. Using an old stainless steel pan with oily residue can ruin your macarons, even if you made the batter perfectly.
If you’re having trouble baking your macarons, you can use fresh parchment paper on your aluminum baking pans. The parchment paper will hold back as much oil as it can.
Another option is to use a Silpat on top of your aluminum baking pans. A Silpat is a silicone baking mat that helps the macaron spread out to be flatter and rounder than using parchment paper. A Silpat is designed for even heat distribution to bake your macarons. It is considered the gold standard for baking commercial macarons.
Nordicware makes an aluminum baking sheet with high sides on the edge of the baking pan. The Silpat fits directly inside the baking sheet right to the edges.
The high edges of the pan allows the Silpat to stay in place when banging out the air bubbles of your macarons. The Silpat ensures the macarons do not move around like parchment paper does.
I’ve been using Nordicware aluminum baking pans for over a year now, and I’ve had a lot more success making macarons with them over stainless steel. I used to use an old stainless steel pan, and the moment I switched to aluminum I have had consistent success baking macarons.
