Parrish Magic Line 8 Inch Round Aluminum Cake Pans

Pros: strong, sturdy, heavy duty, bakes evenly, made in USA
Cons: None

I love these pans. Purchased them directly from the company based on reference from a baking book that was published from the 80's! Aluminum pan bakes evenly without the tough thick crust you find in most retail pans (dark steel or aluminized steel). Rounded edges are also nice and wider than those found on Wilton pans. Also a matter of fact, I owned several Wilton pans and these are far superior to the Wilton ones. Thicker, more durable, and better made. This company has been around for four generations and still makes their pans in the U.S.A.

I had one 8 inch pan I recieved as a gift that I wanted more of but didn't know the brand. Turns out it was one of these Magic Line pans. When I went to order a second one I was distracted by other brands with high reviews. I ended up getting a 9 inch set of the Chicago line and a 9 inch square Fat Diddio pan as well as my second 8 inch of these. I was less impressed with the other brands. This line is so much sturdier. My white and yellow cakes come out so perfectly cooked and evenly but barely golden brown when I turn them out. Fruit upside down cakes come out perfect. The sides are strait and the whole thing is smooth with no name embossed or anything on the inside and they are thick! You can't bend these things. They will hold their shape forever. I can't think of anything to improve with these. I wish I'd ordered all the sizes I wanted in these instead of the other brands.

My original 8" cake pans had suffered the effects of 6 kiddos and 32 years (do the math--that's a lot of cakes!) and I accidentally replaced them with 9" dark pans. I wasn't happy, so--to Amazon!

These pans are a bit more pricey than some alternatives, but their quality makes them worth it. I put a bit of parchment paper in the bottoms and my cakes bake beautifully and never stick. The color of anything baked in them, like homemade cinnamon rolls, is lovely, and the pans themselves are what I call old fashioned heavy duty quality. They wash up nicely (I personally hand wash), too.

I'll be back for other items by this manufacturer. They've earned it, IMO.

Edit, 11/28/11--after using these for a couple of months (dozens of times), I had to come back to say they still look new. Their performance is exceptional, and I cannot believe how inexpensive they are for what you get. Worth every penny, and then some! Buy them, buy them. :)