ProfessionalNon-Stick
Chicago Metallic 26121 Professional 12-Cup Non-Stick Mini-Popover Pan, 16-Inch-by-10.75-Inch
4.7 / 5 · 2,221 ratings
- Model
- 26121
- Material
- Professional-grade steel
- Size
- 12 cups, 2.25 × 2 in each
Chicago Metallic Muffin and Cupcake Pans
Nine items on Amazon, from a 24-cup mini tray to a six-cup jumbo pan, plus popover, madeleine and mini-cheesecake pans. Seven are non-stick, one is uncoated.
Three of these pans measure 15.75 inches wide and produce completely different results, because what decides the muffin is the shape of the well rather than the size of the tray.
All Nine Models
Cup count and cup dimensions are given where the manufacturer publishes them, alongside the overall tray measurement.
ProfessionalNon-Stick
Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Muffin Top Pan, 15.75-Inch-by-11-Inch
4.7 / 5 · 3,298 ratings
- Model
- 16640
- Material
- Heavy-weight carbon steel
- Size
- 15.75 × 11 in, 6 cups
ProfessionalNon-Stick
Chicago Metallic Professional 6-Cup Non-Stick Muffin Pan, Make up to 6 large muffins, cupcakes, quiches, egg cups, and more,14-Inch-by-10.25-Inch
4.7 / 5 · 3,298 ratings
- Model
- 16669
- Material
- Heavy-weight carbon steel
- Size
- 14 × 10.25 in, 6 jumbo cups
Chicago Metallic 12-Cup Mini-Cheesecake Pan, 14-Inch-by-10.75-Inch
4.6 / 5 · 1,263 ratings
- Model
- 77122
- Material
- Heavy-weight aluminized steel
- Size
- 14 × 10.75 in, 12 cups
ProfessionalNon-Stick
Chicago Metallic Professional 12-Cup Non-Stick Madeleine Pan, 15.75-Inch-by-7.75-Inch
4.7 / 5 · 1,009 ratings
- Model
- 26631
- Material
- Carbon steel
- Size
- 15.75 × 7.75 in, 12 shells
Arch TexturedNon-Stick
Chicago Metallic 5228794 Arch Textured Non-Stick 12-Cup Cupcake/Muffin Baking Pan, Champagne
4.7 / 5 · 68 ratings
- Model
- 5228794
- Material
- 0.5 mm carbon steel
- Size
- 15 in, 12 cups
Chicago Metallic Mini-Muffin Pan, Perfect for Cupcakes, eggbites, quiches and more! 15.75-Inch-by-11-Inch
4.8 / 5 · 59 ratings
- Model
- 17724
- Material
- Carbon steel
- Size
- 15.75 × 11 in, 24 cups
Commercial IINon-Stick
Chicago Metallic Commercial II Non-Stick 12-Cup Muffin Pan. Make muffins, cupcakes, mini quiches, egg cups, and more, 15.8 L x 11.3 W x 1.5 H;
4.8 / 5 · 56 ratings
- Model
- 59612
- Material
- Alloy steel
- Size
- 12 cups
Chicago Metallic Cupcake/Batter Dispenser
4.3 / 5 · 853 ratings
- Material
- Plastic with quick-release handle
- Size
- Accessory, top-rack dishwasher safe
Sizes and Specifications
| Model | Size | Coating | Line | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
26121 | 12 cups, 2.25 × 2 in each | Non-Stick | Professional | 4.7 (2,221) |
16640 | 15.75 × 11 in, 6 cups | Non-Stick | Professional | 4.7 (3,298) |
16669 | 14 × 10.25 in, 6 jumbo cups | Non-Stick | Professional | 4.7 (3,298) |
77122 | 14 × 10.75 in, 12 cups | – | – | 4.6 (1,263) |
26631 | 15.75 × 7.75 in, 12 shells | Non-Stick | Professional | 4.7 (1,009) |
5228794 | 15 in, 12 cups | Non-Stick | Arch Textured | 4.7 (68) |
17724 | 15.75 × 11 in, 24 cups | – | – | 4.8 (59) |
59612 | 12 cups | Non-Stick | Commercial II | 4.8 (56) |
| Accessory, top-rack dishwasher safe | – | – | 4.3 (853) |
Muffin Pan Sizes and Cup Counts
Four pans in this range are general-purpose muffin and cupcake pans. They differ by how many cups sit in the tray and how deep each cup runs, which is what decides the size of the finished muffin rather than the overall footprint of the pan.
Standard 12-Cup
Model 59612 is the Commercial II 12-cup pan in alloy steel with a non-stick coating, rated to 230 °C and hand wash only. Model 5228794 covers the same 12-cup count in the Arch Textured line, built from 0.5 mm carbon steel with a textured base and domed rims that add grip when the pan comes out of the oven. Both take a standard cupcake liner.
Jumbo, Six Cups
Model 16669 trades cup count for cup volume: six oversized wells in a 14 by 10.25 inch tray, heavy-weight carbon steel with a non-stick coating, rated to 450 °F. Bakery-style muffins, individual quiches and deep cupcakes all need the extra depth that a standard tray cannot give.
Mini, 24 Cups
Model 17724 fits 24 cups into a 15.75 by 11 inch tray, each cup 2 inches across and 0.75 inches deep. Carbon steel with a non-stick surface. The shallow well is what makes it suited to egg bites and two-bite muffins rather than scaled-down standard muffins.
Muffin Top, Six Shallow Cups
Model 16640 is the most unusual shape here. Six wide, shallow wells in a 15.75 by 11 inch tray produce only the domed top of a muffin, the part most people eat first. Heavy-weight carbon steel with a non-stick coating, rated to 230 °C. The same shallow wells also work for baked eggs, sandwich cookie halves and small flatbreads.
Specialty Pans
Four items in this category are built for one job each, and the geometry of the pan is the whole point.
Mini-Popover Pan
Model 26121 holds 12 popovers, each well 2.25 by 2 inches. The cups are separated and joined by crossbars rather than sitting in a solid block, so hot air reaches the sides of each well. Popovers rise on steam alone, with no chemical leavening, and that airflow is what drives the climb. Aluminium with a non-stick coating, rated to 232 °C, and it also handles Yorkshire puddings.
Madeleine Pan
Model 26631 stamps 12 traditional shell shapes into a 15.75 by 7.75 inch tray. Carbon steel with a silicone-based non-stick coating, rated to 450 °F. The ridged shell pattern is the identifying feature of a madeleine, and it only comes from the pan.
Mini-Cheesecake Pan
Model 77122 bakes 12 individual cheesecakes in a 14 by 10.75 inch tray. Heavy-weight aluminized steel with an uncoated traditional baking surface. A cheesecake cannot be turned out of a solid well, which is why this pan exists as a separate item rather than as a variation on the 12-cup muffin tray.
Batter Dispenser
The cupcake and batter dispenser is an accessory rather than a pan. A trigger handle releases a measured amount of batter into each well, which keeps fill levels even across a tray and keeps batter off the rim. Top-rack dishwasher safe.
Crown, Texas and Commercial Muffin Pans
Several Chicago Metallic muffin pans belong to the foodservice catalogue and sell through restaurant supply channels rather than Amazon. Model numbers 43026 and 43645 for the large crown pans, 45265 and 43215 for the Texas muffin pans, 45525 for the 24-cup cupcake tray, and 26100 for the six-cup popover pan are all outside the consumer range covered here.
Crown and Texas pans are both oversized formats. In the consumer range the closest equivalent is model 16669, the six-cup jumbo pan, which gives the same oversized muffin without the commercial tray dimensions that suit a bakery rack rather than a home oven.
Non-Stick Surfaces and Textured Bases
Eight of the nine items are pans, and seven of those are coated. The exception matters, and so does the way one pan replaces coating with geometry.
Non-Stick Coating
Models 26121, 16640, 16669, 26631, 5228794, 17724 and 59612 all use a non-stick surface, described as silicone-based on the madeleine pan. Muffin and cupcake wells are deep and narrow, which makes release harder than on a flat sheet, so a coating does more work here than it does on a baking sheet.
Textured Base
Model 5228794 adds a textured bottom under its coating. The raised pattern reduces how much of the pan surface touches the batter and lets air move underneath, which is the same principle used on the uncoated textured sheets and loaf pans elsewhere in the range.
Uncoated
Model 77122 is the only uncoated item, in heavy-weight aluminized steel with what the manufacturer calls a traditional baking surface. Uncoated metal browns more directly, and there is no coating layer that can degrade over time.
Specifications and Care
- Hand washing is recommended by the manufacturer across this category, including on the pans its own listings mark dishwasher safe. Models 17724 and 59612 are listed as hand wash only.
- Pooled ratings. Models 16640 and 16669 both display 3,298 ratings because Amazon groups them under one parent listing. They are different pans, a muffin top tray and a jumbo tray, and the figure covers both.
- Temperature ratings appear in different units. Models 16669, 26631 and 17724 state 450 °F. Models 26121, 16640, 77122 and 59612 state 230 to 232 °C, which is the same range expressed in Celsius. Model 5228794 publishes no figure.
- Metal thickness is published only for model 5228794, at 0.5 mm. No other pan in this category gives a gauge, so they cannot be compared on metal weight.
- Rating sample sizes vary sharply. Model 16640 has 3,298 ratings while models 59612, 17724 and 5228794 have 56, 59 and 68 respectively. A 4.8 average across 56 ratings is thinner evidence than 4.7 across several thousand.
- Cup dimensions matter more than tray dimensions. Models 16640, 17724 and 26631 all measure 15.75 inches wide and produce completely different results, because the wells are shallow, mini and shell-shaped respectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a popover pan and why are the cups separated?
A popover pan has deep, narrow wells joined by crossbars instead of sitting in a solid block of metal, so hot air can reach the sides of each cup. Popovers rise on steam rather than baking powder, and that airflow drives the rise. Model 26121 holds 12 wells, each 2.25 by 2 inches, and also works for Yorkshire puddings.
What is the difference between a jumbo muffin pan and a standard one?
A jumbo pan trades cup count for cup volume. Model 16669 has six oversized wells in a 14 by 10.25 inch tray, producing bakery-style muffins, while the standard 12-cup pans such as 59612 and 5228794 take an ordinary cupcake liner. The pans are similar in footprint; the wells are not.
What is a muffin top pan used for?
Model 16640 has six wide, shallow wells that bake only the domed top of a muffin rather than a whole one. The same shape suits baked eggs, sandwich cookie halves and small round flatbreads. It measures 15.75 by 11 inches in heavy-weight carbon steel with a non-stick coating.
Why does a mini-cheesecake pan need removable bottoms?
A baked cheesecake cannot be turned out of a solid well the way a muffin can, so the base has to lift out from underneath. Model 77122 bakes 12 individual cheesecakes in a 14 by 10.75 inch tray of heavy-weight aluminized steel with an uncoated traditional baking surface.
Does Chicago Metallic make Texas or crown muffin pans?
Texas muffin pans 45265 and 43215, large crown pans 43026 and 43645, the 24-cup cupcake tray 45525 and the six-cup popover pan 26100 are part of the foodservice catalogue and are not sold in the consumer range on Amazon. Model 16669, the six-cup jumbo pan, is the closest consumer equivalent for an oversized muffin.
Chicago Metallic 26121 Professional 12-Cup Non-Stick Mini-Popover Pan, 16-Inch-by-10.75-InchBuy on Amazon