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Can Rachael Ray Pans Go in the Oven? (Quick Answers)

Rachael Ray pans are a great combination of high quality and reasonable pricing. If you own one of these, you may be wondering: So can Rachael Ray pans go in the oven?

Rachael Ray pans can safely go in the oven. The exact temperatures your Rachael Ray pan can handle should be specified in its product use instructions. That said, you can expect them to manage 400°F (204.4°C) on average.

In this article, you’ll learn how to ensure your pans are oven safe, which pans aren’t suited for oven baking, how to take care of Rachael Ray pans, and other things you may want to know regarding your cookware.

Can Rachael Ray Pans Go in the Oven: Baking With Your Rachael Ray Pan

Want to try an exciting recipe that requires baking in a pan? No worries! As mentioned, Rachael Ray pans can go in the oven without any heat damage.

To ensure your utmost safety when baking with a Rachael Ray Pan, keep these handy tips in mind:

• Check the maximum temperature your pan can handle. This can range from 350°F to 500°F (177°C to 260°C). If you’re in doubt, consult Rachael Ray’s official website to find out the specific recommendations for your frying pan.
• Your pan can go in the oven along with its glass lid. Glass lids can withstand temperatures up to 392°F (200°C). It’s important not to go beyond that value to avoid shattering the glass.
• Don’t change your baking temperatures abruptly. Drastic temperature changes can damage your pan — especially the glass lid. 
• Don’t put your pan under a broiler. Although Rachael Ray pans can safely go in the oven, they shouldn’t be used with a broiler. Otherwise, the heat from the broiler may do a number on the metal parts of the pan.

What To Bake With a Rachael Ray Pan

Rachael Ray’s website is a great place to find a variety of recipes that are not only delicious but also simple to prepare using Rachael Ray cookware. If you want to be absolutely certain that the dish you’re making is safe for your pan, you can check the above link for ideas recommended by the brand manufacturers.

Here are a couple of baking-in-a-pan recipes I personally enjoy:

• Carbonara Frittata with Ricotta and Mixed Lettuce Salad with Fennel
• Heirloom Tomato Frittata Pizza

How Do I Know if My Racheal Ray Pan Is Oven Safe? 

Although Rachael Ray pans can go in the oven without issues, you might wonder what protects them from heat damage and makes them oven safe. After all, knowing what contributes to making a pan oven-proof can help you sort things out with your other cookware too.

Your pan is oven-safe if it is made of oven-proof materials (such as stainless steel or cast iron), has a heat-resistant coating, an oven-proof handle, or one that can be detached to avoid heat damage. You can check the packaging for an icon indicating the pan is oven-safe.

If you need more clarification on the above (e.g., what on Earth is heat-resistant coating), I’ve got your back. Read on for a complete explanation of how to tell whether your pan is oven-safe.

Look for Oven-Proof Materials

Oven-proof materials can manage high temperatures without getting damaged. This is the most critical factor, as you want to ensure that nothing in your pan will melt, crack, or shatter while you’re cooking. (That’s going to leave quite a mess, as you can imagine.)

If you can’t tell on sight what your pan is made of, consult its manual or website for more information. Once you get hold of that info, check if any of the materials are on the following list:

• Stainless steel
• Cast iron
• Ceramic
• Copper
• Aluminum

If your pan is made of at least one of these materials and doesn’t have plastic elements (or other non-safe materials), you’re good to go.

Check if the Coating Is Heat-Resistant

Modern pans often have a non-stick coating that protects your pan from damage and makes cooking easier. While such coatings can be true life-savers, not all of them are oven safe.

Rachael Ray pans use PlatinumShield coating that can typically handle temperatures up to 450°F (232°C). The coating is heat-resistant and can go in the oven with no problems.

The most famous non-stick coating is probably Teflon. Its reputation is somewhat controversial, as it’s PTFE based. In very high temperatures, the coating can melt, releasing potentially dangerous and toxic fumes.

That’s no shiny prospect, but before you throw all your Teflon away, I should clarify that by ‘very high temperatures,’ I mean 500°F (260°C) or higher. If you need to go beyond that value, you’re generally better off using a baking sheet or other oven-safe cookware.

Your best bet would be to keep it low with non-stick coatings. 350°F (177°C) would be optimal. If unsure, always consult the manual regarding your pan’s heat resistance capability.

Let’s Talk Handles

It’s best to have a pan with a detachable handle. Just remove the handle when you want to bake something in your pan and use safe thick oven mitts when moving it around.

Of all the oven mitts you can buy online, I recommend the Gorilla Grip Heat Resistant Silicone Oven Mitts Set (available on Amazon.com). I like that it’s 12.5 inches (31.75 cm), meaning it can cover not only your hands but also a bit of your lower arms, maximizing your safety. 

If the handle isn’t detachable, you might have issues with it. Sometimes pan handles are made of the same material as the pan itself, so it’s likely to transfer the heat from the pan to the handle — not ideal when you’re cooking under high temperatures.

Also, when you’re cooking in the oven, and the handle is wooden or plastic, the high temperatures will damage it. If it’s made of plastic in particular, it’s going to melt and give out potentially toxic fumes.

That said, handles are typically made of materials that don’t get as hot as steel and metal so you can hold them and not get burned while cooking. 

On the other hand, handles made of silicone or rubber can usually handle temperatures between 330°F and 475°F (166°C and 246°C). That would be enough for almost any type of baking. 

Rachael Ray Pans, for instance, typically have silicone handles, which is why they can safely go in the oven. 

What Pans Can You Not Put in the Oven? 

Now that I’ve discussed the features of oven-safe pans, let’s talk about what kinds of pans won’t work for your baking. 

You cannot put pans with wooden or plastic handles in the oven. If your pan has a non-stick coating, make sure to not go beyond 500°F (260°C) for Teflon and 600°F (316°C) for ceramic coatings. 

That said, most pans are actually oven safe. If anything, you’ll have a harder time finding one that isn’t. Here are all the other things you need to know about oven-safe pans.

Most Pans Are Made of Oven-Proof Materials

Looking through the list of oven-proof materials I’ve discussed, you’ll realize that most pans are made of them. Some cheap brands can be irresponsible about their quality, but for the most part, frying pans can withstand temperatures of at least 350°F (177°C).

Non-Stick Coatings Are Only Unstable at Very High Temperatures

As mentioned, non-stick coatings can degrade and release toxic fumes at temperatures above 500°F (260°C). Ceramics is a safer option, but it will also get damaged at 600°F (316°C) or higher.

Remember that the average temperature for baking is 325-350°F (163-177°C). If you need anything higher than that, you’re likely baking some really crunchy cookies, homemade pizza, or something similar — so why would you even need a pan?

So, while it’s best to stick to lower temperatures to protect your coating, it’s not bound to be an issue if you only use the pan for baking.

Protect Your Handles

Many handles aren’t heat-resistant. However, experienced cooks get around that by wrapping it around with foil to protect the material from heat. You can also use thick oven mitts (as I talked about earlier). 

If your pan doesn’t have a silicone or detachable handle, you can still use it at medium temperature with some precautions.

Taking Care of Your Rachael Ray Cookware

Let’s conclude by talking a little more about the proper treatment of your Rachael Ray pans. Apart from not exposing them to very high temperatures, there are other things to keep in mind, too.

• Handwash your cookware. Just like with blackstone griddles – wash your pans in warm water with mild soap and a soft sponge. If you put your Rachael Ray cookware in the dishwasher, there’s a chance it may get damaged.
• Do not clean your pan with abrasive cleansers or steel wool. These can damage your non-stick cookware (i.e., they’ll scrape away the non-stick coating and defeat the whole point of using non-stick tools in the first place).
• Prepare a vinegar mixture to remove food particles. Combine two parts water with one part vinegar and boil the mixture in your pan for about 10 minutes. Afterward, rinse the pan thoroughly. You don’t want your baked goods to have the distinctive sour taste of vinegar, after all. 
• Remove oil residue. This part can be especially tricky after frying, so use degreasers to make the process easier or consider using baking soda.

Final Thoughts

So can Rachael Ray Pans go in the oven? Yes Rachael Ray Pans can go in the oven, as all their products are oven safe. However, make sure to check the recommended temperatures for your pan, as they can vary based on the model.

While most pans can be used for baking, here are the factors you should pay attention to when deciding whether or not your pan can go in the oven:

• It should be made of oven-proof material.
• If it has a non-stick coating, it should be heat resistant.
• The handle should be made of silicone, rubber, or metal.