Like I'm sure many of you who are reading this review are intending, I bought two of these specifically to make layered cakes with. While they accomplish that task with ease (and at a fantastic price for such a high quality product), I'd be doing these pans a disservice to write them off as merely "cake pans". I use them far more regularly for meals I can whip together in the morning and bake for lunch or dinner than I use them for cakes! The tall, round shape allows you to create dishes as convenient and simple as a casserole, but which look quite a bit more visually exciting. While I love a good casserole as much as the next, the sort of creations you can put together in a springform pan are decidedly more appetizing to the eye, while looking deceptively more complex than they really are. Most recently, I've been using these to make black bean tortilla pie. It's sort of like a Mexican-inspired "lasagna", but unlike traditional lasagna dishes, it serves beautifully and sets up pretty firm, so it's minimally messy while still rich in flavour. I've attached some pictures; doesn't that look delicious? It's really quite simple to make, too. I just cut 4 tortillas to fit inside the pan (you can stack the base of the pan on top of the tortillas and trace a knife around it, to ensure they fit perfectly) then I cook up a diced onion, about 6 cloves minced garlic, a minced jalapeno, and a minced chipotle in adobo in olive oil and a bit of butter over medium/medium-high heat until they're softened. Then you can throw in about a teaspoon or so of cumin, as well as some salt and pepper. Once the cumin has sizzled and incorporated, about a minute or two, you add a can of drained diced tomatoes, cook those for about 3-5 minutes to soften, and then throw in two cans of drained and rinsed black beans with a scant cup of vegetarian chicken stock, raise heat to a simmer, and cook down until almost all of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes (I just use hot water and about a half-teaspoon ofBetter Than Bouillon, No Chicken Base, Vegan Certified 8 oz (Pack of 2) ). In the last minute, add some corn (about half a can, give or take). Once the liquid is mostly cooked off, remove from heat, mix in some cilantro (I use 1/3 cup, but you could do more or less or skip it entirely if someone you're serving can't eat it), and then add the juice of about 3/4th a lime (I use the last 1/4th of the lime on top, after it's out of the oven). To assemble the pie, layer it like so: tortilla, 1/4th of the veggie & bean filling, about a half-cup of cheese (enough to cover well), repeat until you're out of tortillas and filling, and put some extra cheese on top. I use a mixture of extra sharp white cheddar and some yellow cheddar, but just about anything will come out tasty, so feel free to experiment. Bake it at 400 for about 23 minutes, sit it on a wire rack to cool, and unfasten the form, giving it about 10 or 15 minutes before to slice into it, so it sets up beautifully and doesn't mush too much when you go to cut into it. Top it with sour cream or pico de gallo or salsa, or all three, whatever your preference; I usually sit some of each out in a little bowl, so guests can top to their preference, as not everyone likes sour cream (I myself enjoy a great big dollop). Could you make something like this in a regular casserole dish? Oh, I'm certain you could. However, if you're looking for it to cook up into something that's beautiful to slice and serve, you really can't get the same result without a springform pan. This one is outrageously affordable and, most importantly (to me) - easy to clean! So if you're looking for another dish to add to your kitchen, I can say that I firmly recommend this one.
