When choosing a pie pan, the most important thing to remember is your crust needs to cook fast. All shape and flakiness will be lost if the fat melts before the protein structure starts to set.
GLASS pans conduct heat evenly, giving your crust the most thorough bake. While other materials bake by heat conduction only, glass bakes by both conduction and radiant heat energy. This allows the heat to go directly through the glass to the crust.
CERAMIC pans are the most beautiful and also conduct heat fairly evenly, but unlike glass, you can’t see through them to determine if your crust is done.
METAL pans brown crust more quickly because they become hotter in the oven. Get one with a dull finish rather than a shiny one. (Dark or dull metal pans absorb heat and bake faster than shiny pans.) Heavier metal pans made of a good heat conductor, like aluminum, give you a more evenly baked crust than thinner, less conductive metal surfaces like tin.
