Letters to the Editor
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yuck.
I don't like the edges. I like the fudgier texture of brownies from the middle. Would thy could make a pan for edge-*less* brownies!
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$34????!!!!!
For a brownie pan???!!!
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$34 for a pan?
You're not paying for these toys out of pocket, are you?
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agree on the price comments
You said that a $34 brownie pan wouldn't "break the bank" yet compared it to a $5 model that you found in a grocery store and found it produced very similar results. Heck, a quick search turns up name brand (Calphalon) standard pans for $15, less than half this gimmicky pan.
If they're selling out of these things, someone is making a bundle on some stamped metal and some forms. I think you need a different definition of breaking the bank.
Somewhere along the line, someone decided that we need gimmicks in our gadgets, forgetting that the best gadgets are those that are simple, versatile, and reliable. Find some of those to review.
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Brownines
I didn't know such a thing existed. I learn so much reading Salon.
Personally, I prefer the inside brownies, all gooey and soft.
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I have a $125 saucepan
I love it. Suck it hippies. Cook on a hot rock over a camelshit fire.
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It seems to come down to a price/performance issue
Which makes sense to me. The garden thing loses because it's really expensive and doesn't do much. The blender is better, because at least it's a really good blender, but for significantly less money you can get a blender that's as good.
The eggamuffin maker is gimmicky, but for what it does it's also inexpensive. Fun, not too much money, and you can make toast with it when you're out of eggs. Necessary? No, but I got one for my daughter for Christmas because she doesn't have a toaster already and will have fun with it. Good value for the money.
Then there's this. If it was $10 and I was deeply committed to edge brownies, sure, maybe. But at $34, no thanks. I'm one of those who likes the gooey center brownies myself, but my wife likes the edges and I've seen her use three bread pans rather than a sheet pan to make all-edge brownies. We already have the bread pans, they're not unitaskers, and they're inexpensive to replace. AND she gets the same result.
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I'm with Juliebird
I end up cutting the edges off my brownies. I can't imagine using a pan that makes more edges!
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For full disclosure
I think you need to share the recipe. Or did you use a mix?
And yeah, you can get a really high-quality pan for $15 or so and take care of those uneven areas. You won't need a special spatula (that will inevitably get lost) either.
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@persia, re recipe
As I pointed out in the piece, I used Cook's Illustrated's brownie recipe. There's a link the subscription-only page in the story.
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Brownie edges and pudding skins - YUCK!
But no offense at all to those who love brownie edges and pudding skins, I'll gladly give you all mine! Though I'll never figure out why people like the brownie edge; ironic that we now have loaves of white bread with no crusts because so many people (kids?) hate the crusts (which on white bread are pretty wimpy to begin with in the first place). Go figure.
Anyway, thing about baking brownies (or making pudding or whatever), is, are you planning on eating them all yourself? If so, go for the pan. But if not, and I'm a strong advocate of the "make food to share with other people" club, just make a regular pan of brownies and share them and you might be surprised that some people like the edges, some love the gooey middle, and very often they'll work it out so everybody gets a piece they like.
Hey, it could happen!
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Edge pieces? Who the heck wants edge pieces?
How about a pan that makes nothing but the soft, chewy inner pieces? I've never heard anyone profess a preference for the crunchy side pieces.
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It can...
This review misses a trick that's essential to understanding why this is valuable and can do something that a regular pan can't. If you use the Edge pan and shave a few minutes off of the recipe, you'll get all perfectly-cooked gooey center pieces with no discernible edge crust. You simply can't replicate that with a regular pan without undercooking the center.
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They already make one of these.
It's called a muffin tin.
I'm not a big brownie fan, but I am very fond of edge-pieces when I do have them, just as I'm also a fan of edge pieces on cornbread. So when I make it myself, I don't make cornbread; I make corn muffins, using a non-stick muffin pan so that I get the yummy browned bottoms.
I'm pretty sure the same thing would work with brownies. Just make individual-serving brownies in a muffin tin.
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What I want
Is a muffin pan that only gives muffin tops. Of course, the downside is the resultant increase in my muffin top. As for Jeanette, who removes the edges from her brownies - I wish you were in my social circle. We could line up a trade. Edges are great crumbled on ice cream. Om nom nom nom.
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Edges rule!
I love brownie edges, and especially corners. (I also like bread crusts & muffin tops) My wife loves the middles. This arrangement works quite well, as you might imagine.
For me, getting this pan would be selfish.
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What about the Cleanup Phase?
Just how hard is it to wash this dealie? If it's configured to give you all edges (yucko!), it must be all edges itself. Lots more surfaces and possibly tight crevices to scrub. How hard is it to get out the baked-on brownie edge? How about the burnt-on brownie edge?
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use a muffin tin
If you bake brownies in a muffin tin,
* every one is a corner
* they bake in 15 minutes
* you can dress them up nicely with a bit of heavy whipped cream and a strawberry
A family-size box of brownie mix makes 18 muffin-tin brownies, but you can save 6 for yourself and tell people that it only made 12.