Chicago Metallic Professional Nonstick Round Cake Pan Set - 6 Inch

Why it's worth it

This set gives you 6-, 8- and 10-inch aluminized steel rounds with a nonstick coating, which is exactly what a tiered cake needs. The metal and gauge are close to the top pick's, and the surface is smooth rather than ridged.

Three graduated sizes in one box solves a specific problem. If you've ever wanted to make a tiered birthday cake, you know you can't do it with matching pans. Buying a 6-, an 8- and a 10-inch separately from a premium brand costs several times what this set does. Owners who bake for small businesses report buying multiple sets, which is a decent signal about whether the pans hold up.

The metal is the same story as our top pick, just cheaper to make. Chicago Metallic uses heavy-weight aluminized steel, so you get the same reflective, even-browning behavior that keeps cake bottoms from going dark. That's the single most important spec in a cake pan, and it's why this set beats similarly priced dark-coated steel from other brands.

From our review of 8 nonstick cake pans and baking sets, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +Three graduated sizes in one box solves a specific problem
• +The metal is the same story as our top pick, just cheaper to make
• +The coating is smooth PTFE rather than corrugated, so release depends more on greasing than on pan texture
• +Chicago Metallic lists these as dishwasher safe while recommending hand washing

What to know

• –The rolled edges under the rim are sharp enough that owners have cut themselves handling the pans
• –This is a smooth PTFE coating, so it's the least PFAS-conservative option among our picks
• –The 6-inch pan is small enough to be a bit of an odd duck on its own