As we head in to spring and summer, not only do we start to see more flavorful tomatoes, peppers and other veggies start to appear in stores and markets, but we’re a lot more likely to want to eat them than we are during the winter, when many people seek out heartier comfort foods. Stuffed peppers and tomatoes are often a particular favorite, since they’re a great way to turn some very simple veggies into a hearty meal. IF your tomatoes and peppers look anything like mine do, however, they’re not always designed to stand perfectly upright on a baking sheet after they’ve been stuffed and I often have to get a little creative to prop them up while they cook. My muffin pans are too small for most of the peppers I work with, but Chicago Metallic’s Stuff-It-Up Pan is designed with peppers in mind. This pan has six unusually shaped cavities that are designed to hold peppers perfectly. Each of the nonstick cavities has a four-loop shape that mirrors that of your average bell pepper. The wells are each about 2-inches deep, which is deep enough to keep the peppers from tipping over no matter how much filling you pile in to them.
IF you’re not stuffing vegetables, you can also use this pan like you would any other baking pan and use it to makes small cakes and brownies. The nonstick surface will release a little cake as well as it will release a pepper, and you’ll get desserts with a little more character than you’ll find in your regular pans.
What do you think?