If you have acquired a newfound admiration and addiction to cooking and baking, then you must be aware of the basics before stepping foot in the kitchen. Apart from the safety reasons, it is better to acquaint yourself with the essential baking and cooking equipment and pretty nifty strategies during the process. The list of baking essentials is necessary and a must-have for every home-based baker. Specific tools and particular baking items provide convenience and trouble-free application of decorating skills and baking techniques performed through durable baking equipment that positively reinforces the recipe and guarantees an exceptional result.
What size pan is 2 quarts?
What size is a 2-quart baking dish?
The most common 2-quart baking dish ( 2-quart casserole dishes) is 8 inches wide by 8 inches long by 2 inches deep. Round dishes are 9 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep.
A casserole dish is as essential as other utensils such as baking pans, application brush, measuring spoons, rolling pin, and measuring jars. For individual use and preference, the size of baking pans and crockery may differ according to the recipe and ingredients used. Similarly, a large size casserole dish is 9×13 inches in length with a rectangular pan. This is the widely used dish mainly utilized for casserole making, followed by an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 size square dish. The 9 x 13 large-sized casserole dishes can accommodate about 3 quarts of volume so that they can be interchangeably used with a 3-quart Dutch oven.
Depending on the size of the casserole recipes, an average baker would require dishes of multiple sizes to accommodate casseroles. Suppose you have the option to modify or alter the casserole recipe provided or do not have a suitable casserole dish. In that case, you can purchase a large size casserole dish which would be the 9 x 13” rectangular pan. You can also get your hands on the 8 x 8” casserole dish as these two options are considered as the most practical ones that also come with snap-on lids making these pans highly versatile to every kitchen as they can be used as regular storage boxes.
Since casseroles are baked in an oven, for safety purposes and delicious results, try using an oven-safe dish. Depending on the recipe, the types and shapes of the casserole pan may differ. Tuna noodle casserole, for example, is baked according to its particular volume and surface area and is packed in a 2-quart dish. Pyrex-based 9 x 13 oven dishes are usually considered handy and practical because of the snap-on plastic plate available; therefore, they are also used for storage purposes and potlucks. Other pans can also be used for casseroles; however, you would need to alter and vary recipes according to the pans available. If you are baking a layered casserole that initially demands a 9 x 13 pan but is baked in a smaller pan with less surface area, then the casserole will be thicker and require extra cooking time. If you increase the surface area of the casserole by putting it in a rectangular or spread out dish, then the casserole would be ready in less amount time because it would be spread out evenly and would be thin.
It is possible that a typical cook may not own the 9 x 9“casserole dish in their kitchen. Therefore it is essential to familiarize yourself with the basic steps to reduce the size of the casserole recipe. It is no doubt that casserole dishes are particularly used to cater bigger crowd of 8 to 10 people. However, if you were cooking for a smaller group and getting the needs of about 2 to 3 individuals, then you need to alter the measurement of basic ingredients used for the recipe. Casserole dishes are ideal for bigger gatherings and large-scale events; however, they can be sized down. They can be altered down to half that size, reducing their chances of leftovers and food wastage. The trick to reducing the casserole serving or any other oven-baked dish you need to be familiar with two fundamental aspects. The volume and surface area needs to be understood before the baking process. The formal refers to the quarts or liters of ingredients where is the latter speaks for the total surface area or the square inches of ingredients spread on the top of the casserole dish. Volume control is primarily the prerequisite for cutting down the size of the casserole. If a recipe provides 3 quarts or liters of cheesy pasta, you can reduce it using ingredients that will provide 1.5 quarts of the dish. Therefore if you need to bake a casserole dish of 1.5 quarts, then the baking dish should also be according to the volume. However, 1.5-quart dishes come in a variety of shapes as some are either tall or narrow. This is a factor to consider as some of the dishes which are not created equally may result in a different proportion of the casserole top and a different inside texture. Similarly, if you use a wide and shallow dish, then the casserole would be baked quickly.
2-quart baking dish vs. 9×13
The size of the 8 x 8” baking pan is slightly bigger in size than a half 9 x 13” pan which can create a problem with the recipe.
Therefore, to make a particular casserole recipe, you need to prepare it in an appropriate dish with the right amount of volume for the reduced recipe and has similar proportions to the dish used. If you are using a 9 x 13” baking pan, it can easily accommodate about 12 and 14 cups with 117 square inches of surface area. Having said that, a baker would require about 6 to 8 cups or 60 square inches of the surface area to bake half the size of that casserole. An 8 x 8” baking pan, on the other hand, can accommodate around 8 cups of volume with 64 in.² of the surface area. These pans are conveniently available in any utensils shop or are found in any typical household kitchen.
The size of the 8 x 8” baking pan is slightly bigger in size than a half 9 x 13” pan. Reducing the recipe in half size would also require the baking time to be reduced by 5 to 6 minutes back, honestly checking up on the casserole in between. Therefore you can easily size down the casserole recipe by baking it in an 8 x 8” pan. If you are still apprehensive about doing all the measurement math, you can easily store casseroles by splitting the recipe between two 8×8 dishes and freezing the entire baking pan for later use. You can also bake the original recipe in the 13×9 inch pan and reduce individual portions. They can be easily thawed by placing them in the microwave oven for an ideal lunch.