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Which one should you buy?

If you make popovers or Yorkshire puddings often, a proper 6-cup popover pan gives you the tallest rise. If you make them twice a year, the muffin tin you already own will do. Here's what I'd point you to:

Popovers and Yorkshire puddings are the same thing in different accents. Eggs, milk and flour, whisked into a thin batter and baked hot until they balloon up, crisp outside and hollow and tender inside. Where I come from, a Sunday roast without Yorkshire puddings isn't a Sunday roast.

You don't need special kit to make them. But if you want the tall, proud, show-off kind, a popover pan is the tool that gets you there.

How a popover rises

There's no yeast and no baking powder in popover batter. The rise comes from steam. As the batter heats, the water in the milk and eggs turns to steam and pushes the batter up and out, while the egg proteins set around it like a balloon hardening in place.

A popover cup is deeper and narrower than a muffin cup, with steep sides. The steam has nowhere to go but up, so the batter climbs instead of spreading. The cups are also spaced apart, so hot air reaches all the way round each one and the sides crisp up evenly. In a muffin tin the cups are shallow and packed close together, so you get a shorter, wider puff. Still delicious, just less dramatic.

Chicago Metallic popover pan at a glance

What to look for in a popover pan

• Deep, steep-sided cups. This is the whole point of the pan. Shallow cups give you a muffin-shaped popover.

• Space between the cups. Cups held apart, often on a wire frame, let hot air circulate so each popover crisps all over.

• A nonstick coating that can take the heat. Popovers bake hot. Check the pan's oven limit against your recipe, and give yourself some headroom.

• Six cups is plenty. Most popover recipes make six. More cups mean a bigger pan that may crowd your oven.

The Chicago Metallic has deep cups, good spacing and a nonstick finish. Its limit is 450°F, which is fine for most popover recipes but leaves no room for very hot Yorkshire pudding methods.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

Good for you if

• You make popovers for weekend brunch more than now and then

• You want the tallest, most dramatic rise

• You make Yorkshire puddings at 450°F or below

Skip it if

• You make popovers once in a blue moon; your muffin tin will do

• Your Yorkshire pudding method uses a smoking-hot oven above 450°F

• You're short on cupboard space for a single-job pan

How to get the best from it

Rest the batter if you can

Whisk the batter until smooth, then let it sit. An hour at room temperature is great, and you can make it the day before and keep it in the fridge. Resting lets the flour soak up the liquid. If you're in a hurry, don't fret. Unrested batter still works.

Grease well

Even with nonstick, brush each cup with shortening or a little oil, right up to the rim. Butter can burn at popover temperatures.

Hot pan or cold pan?

Both work, and cooks argue about it endlessly. Plenty of good recipes simply grease a cool pan, fill and bake. Others heat the pan first for an extra burst at the start. If you preheat it, don't let the empty pan go above 450°F, and take care pouring batter into a hot pan.

Keep that door shut

Opening the oven before the popovers have set lets the heat out and they'll sink. Use the oven light to watch them. When they're tall and deep golden brown, they're nearly done. Pierce each one with a small knife to let the steam out, then give them a few more minutes so the insides dry and they hold their shape.

Bread flour for extra height

All-purpose flour works perfectly well. Bread flour has more protein and can give you a little more lift.

Looking after it

• No sharp tools. Ease the popovers out with a wooden skewer or a plastic spatula, not a knife.

• Not under the broiler, and keep the oven at 450°F or lower.

• Wash gently with warm soapy water and a soft sponge, and dry it well.

The one rule

Don't open the oven door until they're set. Patience is the secret ingredient.

Questions people ask

Do I really need a popover pan?

No. A muffin tin works. Popovers baked in one won't rise nearly as high, but they're still crisp and lovely. For rounder popovers in a 12-cup tin, fill every other cup so they have room.

Why did my popovers collapse?

Usually the door was opened too early, or they came out before they were fully set. Bake until deep golden, pierce them to let the steam out, then give them a few more minutes.

What's the difference between a popover and a Yorkshire pudding?

Very little. Same batter. Yorkshire puddings are traditionally baked in hot beef dripping, popovers in a greased pan, often with a little butter. Both are wonderful.

Can I make Yorkshire puddings in a popover pan?

Yes, and they come out beautifully tall. Just check the pan's oven limit. This one is safe to 450°F, so it's not the pan for a method that calls for a hotter oven.

Should popover batter be at room temperature?

It helps the rise get going quickly. If your batter has been in the fridge, let it sit out for a while before baking.

Cook with it

Serve them warm with jam and butter alongside something from my Brunch recipes.

Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.