This review is on the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker, item #1430 in the Pampered Chef catalog under the Stoneware section.

From the Catalog:

"From casseroles to desserts to bubbling lasagnas... great results every time. 9 x 13 inches, 14 cup volume."

About Stoneware:

Some may say that stoneware is the latest cookware fad, but in fact, people have been baking on clay for hundreds of years. I am sure you have seen signs on restaurant doors and in menus that state certain recipes are baked in brick or clay ovens. The benefits of cooking on clay stone is something that professional chefs and bakers have known for quite some time and take advantage of in many of their recipes.

The reason stoneware bakes so much better is because of the microscopic pores and even heat distribution. These pores pull in and circulate the evaporated moisture from the food while it is baking to allow for crisper crusts on pizzas and moist interiors of meals such as casseroles and meats. Stoneware also heats evenly so you no longer have to have black bottomed cookies or brownies that are dry on the outside but raw on the inside. Foods are guaranteed to be cooked the way that they were intended. Once seasoned, stoneware also becomes a natural non-stick surface allowing for easy food removal and cleanup. Even better, since it is stone, you can use any tool you wish without worry of removing the nonstick surface. No more yelling at the hubby or the kids for forgetting to use the plastic spatula.

Why the Pampered Chef Stoneware is better than other brands:

Most stoneware pieces available on the market are made with red clay. Because red clay cannot be fired at the same high temperature as grey clay, it will still develop the same microscopic pores, yet the pores will be much larger causing the stone to pick up food odors. This means if one night you choose to make a nice salmon, even after cleaning, that salmon will hang around in your kitchen much longer than originally intended. These larger pores also allow a higher chance that your stone will crack or break. Possibly the most scary of all is that most red clays also contain lead! I really don't think that having a lead soaked, salmon scented apple berry cobbler appeals to me, and doubt it would appeal to anyone else.

The Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker, as with all of the items in Pampered Chef's stoneware line, is made with all natural grey clay and water, nothing else. The clay is then fired in a kiln at a very high temperature resulting in a very durable product. Both the clay and the glaze used is 100% lead free allowing for safe cooking. The pores are so tiny, that while they absorb moisture, there is no absorbing of odor. This means that you can bake fish in your dish and the next day bake a sweet dessert without any mingling of odors or flavors. It also comes with the Pampered Chef Stoneware guarantee of 3 years.

(The above 2 sections, About Stoneware and Why Pampered Chef Stoneware is Better than other Brands, have been copied and pasted from my review of the Deep Dish Baker for the sole purpose of providing information on the baking clays. All other sentiments are original to this review and written only for this review.)

Sight and Feel:

The Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker arrived in a cardboard box that opened much like a pizza box. Inside the baker was packaged securely with more cardboard. There was also an instruction booklet that included information on "Preparing Your Stoneware", "Baking With Your Stone", "Use and Care", "Cleaning", and 6 yummy sounding recipes. I was quite happy to see this booklet as it answered many of my questions and helped me feel more confident in my ability to use this product. Also included was a brown nylon scraper to be used for scraping food particles off of the baker during the cleaning process..

Most stoneware pieces are HEAVY. The Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker is no exception at an approximate weight of 5 pounds. The advantage to this design vs. some other stoneware pieces is that there are extended lips on either side which act as handles. This makes it a lot easier to remove the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker out of the oven. Granted, the handles could be bigger. Those with larger hands might find it a bit cumbersome.

When the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker came out of the box it felt rough as would be expected from any unseasoned stoneware. It was also a tan color, but that changed over time. Once seasoned (explained later) my baker became dark brown. Not so pretty to look at, but it was worth it when considering that the roughness was gone and replaced with a virtually non-stick baker to cook in. To those who may like a more presentable baker, for about $10 more, Pampered Chef also makes one that is glazed on the outside. This way you have the benefits of the clay baking while still being able to use your baker as a great looking serving dish.

Another big plus that I noticed right away was how deep this is. My glass baking dish is only about 2 1/2 inches deep, but the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker is a full 3 inches. To be exact, the measurements are 9 x 13, so this works with traditional recipes. The only thing that one might be bothered with is that the corners are rounded. This shouldn't be a problem, but if you have children who are always checking to make sure that their sibling didn't get more than they did, then it might be a good idea to not serve one a corner piece and the other a non-corner piece.

Uses:

Deep Dish Pizzas, Casseroles, Awesome Lasagnas.

Roasted Whole Chickens, Turkeys, Baked Hams.

Cornbread, Rolls and Biscuits.

Family Sized Cobblers, Brownies, Cakes and other desserts.

The possibilities are endless and only limited to your imagination.

The Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker is freezer safe, so you can use it to freeze your meal/dessert and as long as it is thawed in the refrigerator before placing it in the oven, you will still get to enjoy the great tasting food that only a clay baker can provide. CAUTION!!! If you do not thaw food completely before placing in the oven or you run the risk of the stoneware shattering.

Accessories to this Product:

Stoneware Rectangular Lid/Bowl: Can be used separately as a family sized baking bowl (great for potlucks) or as a lid for the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker to create your own clay baker. This item is seen as item b in the review photo above.

Rectangular Lid: Plastic snug fitting lid to help aid in storage and transporting food.

My Experience:

The Pampered Chef Rectangular
Baker was actually my third stoneware purchase. I liked the way my food cooked on/in the other two pieces, so I was ready for the step up in size. Since Pampered Chef recommends that the first time the Baker is used, it is used to make something high in fat, I chose to make a nice roasted chicken. Yum. The chicken turned out crisp on the outside, but very moist on the inside. For my next meal, I did the big test. I decided to make a vegetarian lasagna. As most people who make lasagna can attest, the best parts are normally found along the middle, unless of course, you enjoy the dried crunchy yet somewhat chewy noodles, or the black cheese and sauce. I had not yet been able to make the "perfect" lasagna, at least until the test. Having owned another baker type stoneware piece, I knew that it was likely that it would come out to be my best lasagna ever, but, I was still skeptical. SURPRISE, the lasagna actually came out better than I expected. The top was gorgeous, it was crisp and brown with a bit of bubbling on the sides. The best part, however was when I cut into it. The pieces slid out easily (I did spray the sides a bit with olive oil since my baker was not yet well seasoned) and the sides were evenly done. Another thing that I noticed right away was the lack of the annoying lake of liquid at the bottom of my baking dish. While the extra moisture was absorbed, the lasagna itself was amazingly moist. In fact, it looked like a picture in the menu of an Italian restaurant menu. I yelled at my husband and showed him my masterpiece. Of course, he just raised his eyebrows and looked at me like I had lost it and asked me if we were actually going to eat or was I going to stare at the food all night. The joke was on him though because as much as he didn't want to care, as he was eating he commented on how great the lasagna tasted and said that maybe the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker was a worthwhile expense.

I have also made one of the best chocolate cakes in thePampered Chef Rectangular Baker. The cake came out so moist that it was hard to believe that it came out of the box. I am not a big cake fan, but I just adored the cake. So did my family, it didn't last very long in my house. I think that someone snuck downstairs and snuck a few pieces while I was sleeping. I took it as a compliment and relished in the fact that I made someone's tummy happy.

I have not had any experience with cracking, but a close friend of mine had a baker that broke in the oven. Since there is a 3 year warrantee, all she had to do was send a piece of he baker back to Pampered Chef (no need to send the entire baker) and within a couple weeks, there was a brand new Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker waiting for her at her doorstep.

Care and Handling:

This product requires seasoning. Seasoning occurs when natural fats and oils from foods adhere to the stoneware. Over time, this will create a non-stick surface. In the beginning you may need to use a light spray of vegetable or olive oil to keep food from sticking, but once seasoned, nothing additional will be needed.

The Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker is not dishwasher safe and in fact, cannot be washed with soap at all. The soap will remove all of the seasoning and will also end up flavoring the food baked on the stone. To clean, run under hot water and scrape off stuck on food with the brown scraper that is included with your baker. Once all the food is scraped off, just dry with a towel and you are done. If you do not feel comfortable not using soap to clean, you can use a paste of baking soda and water to clean. Just make sure that your stone is rinsed well afterwards.

Any Negatives About the Product?

It is a very heavy piece. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who has painful arthritis or a weak wrist. The cleaning can also be a bit annoying if you are not used to it, but the quality in the food makes up for the extra 3 minutes that it adds to cleanup time.

My favorite thing about the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker:

The fact that my food comes out beautiful every time. Since my purchase, I will not use any other casserole dish. I have baked 2 identical items side by side, one in glass, the other in my stoneware baker, and not only was the texture better, but there was a noticeable difference in taste.

How To Purchase:

The Pampered Chef Rectangular Bakeris available only through Pampered Chef consultants or their websites.

To locate a Pampered Chef consultant call 1-800-266-5522 (US)

You can also learn more about Pampered Chef products at
http://www.PamperedChef.com.

Other Pampered Chef reviews include:
Cake Tester
Crinkle Cutter
Deep Dish
Baker
Garlic Press
Deluxe Mini Muffin Pan
Pizza Cutter
Baker's Roller
Oven Mitt
Oven Pad

Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 32.00