Lush Food & Drink

Buying Guide ·Cookware

Best Roasting Pans for Lifting a Loaded Pan Safely

No rack in this pool has a hanging loop, so the deciding specification is what each maker gives you to lift by, and only two put handles on the rack as well as the pan.

By the Lush Editorial Team·Researched & Compared

  • Researched & ComparedSpecs pulled from the manufacturer listing
  • Like-for-LikeSame measures across every model
  • No Paid PlacementsNobody pays to appear here

I compared how each maker describes its handles, whether the rack has handles of its own, the measurements taken with and without them, oven ceilings and published weight across five roasting pans, using each maker's own listing text and nothing else.

Our shortlist

Five products, one set of published numbers.
  1. Cuisinart 16-Inch Roasting Pan
    Best for handles on the pan and the rack

    Cuisinart 16-Inch Roasting Pan

    The only pick publishing both the pan at 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and the handles with the rack at 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in, on riveted stainless steel.

    • Cuisinart
    • 16-Inch
    • 7 lb
  2. Farberware Bakeware Nonstick Roaster
    Best for lifting the roast out separately

    Farberware Bakeware Nonstick Roaster

    Wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel handles on the pan and wide handles on a removable chrome plated rack, at a published 3 lb.

    • Farberware
    • 11" x 15"
    • 3 lb
  3. 16 Inch Roasting Pan with Lid - Covered Oval Roaster...
    Best for a closed handle on a covered roaster

    16 Inch Roasting Pan with Lid - Covered Oval Roaster...

    The only loop handles in the pool, on enamel over a carbon steel core with a 600 F oven ceiling and a published interior of 15 by 10.5 by 3.5 in.

    • VANKUTL
    • 16 Inch
    • 3.79 lb
  4. Tifanso Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with...
    Best for deep sides and no coating

    Tifanso Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with...

    Riveted steel side handles beside 3 inch deep sides and a flat rack, in stainless steel the maker states carries no chemical coating.

    • tifanso
    • 15.5"x11.6"x2.8"
    • Weight not listed
  5. Circulon Total Bakeware Nonstick Roaster
    Best for a wide grip on a large pan

    Circulon Total Bakeware Nonstick Roaster

    17 by 13 in with a U shaped rack and a 450 F oven ceiling, behind wide handles the listing never describes in material or fixing.

    • Circulon
    • 17 Inch x 13 Inch
    • 3.2 lb

Side by side

Blank means the maker does not publish it.
ModelBrandSize (capacity)WeightBest for
Cuisinart 16-Inch Roasting Pan Cuisinart 16-Inch 7 lb Best for handles on the pan and the rack
Farberware Bakeware Nonstick Roaster Farberware 11" x 15" 3 lb Best for lifting the roast out separately
16 Inch Roasting Pan with Lid - Covered Oval Roaster... VANKUTL 16 Inch 3.79 lb Best for a closed handle on a covered roaster
Tifanso Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with... tifanso 15.5"x11.6"x2.8" not published Best for deep sides and no coating
Circulon Total Bakeware Nonstick Roaster Circulon 17 Inch x 13 Inch 3.2 lb Best for a wide grip on a large pan

Each pick in detail

What the listing says for it, and against it.
1 Best for handles on the pan and the rack

Cuisinart 16-Inch Roasting Pan

The only pick publishing both the pan at 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and the handles with the rack at 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in, on riveted stainless steel.

  • For it
  • The only listing here that publishes a measurement including the handles, 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in with the rack
  • Publishes the pan separately as well, 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in
  • Riveted stainless steel handles on the pan and stainless steel handles on the rack
  • Induction compatible and stated to suit a large turkey
  • Against it
  • Publishes 7 lb, the heaviest weight here before anything goes in it
  • Its dimension fields of 20.75 by 13.25 by 6.25 in match neither figure in its own bullet
  • Publishes no oven safe temperature at all
2 Best for lifting the roast out separately

Farberware Bakeware Nonstick Roaster

Wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel handles on the pan and wide handles on a removable chrome plated rack, at a published 3 lb.

  • For it
  • Wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel handles, the most specific handle description in the pool
  • Wide handles on the chrome plated rack as well, stated to aid removing roasts
  • The rack is stated removable, so the pan can be used on its own
  • 3 lb published, the lightest weight on this page
  • Against it
  • Publishes no oven safe temperature
  • Publishes no interior figure, so what fits inside is unknown
  • Publishes 11 by 15 in in its own words against fields of 11.25 by 16 by 2.5 in
3 Best for a closed handle on a covered roaster

16 Inch Roasting Pan with Lid - Covered Oval Roaster...

The only loop handles in the pool, on enamel over a carbon steel core with a 600 F oven ceiling and a published interior of 15 by 10.5 by 3.5 in.

  • For it
  • Sturdy carbon steel loop handles, the only closed handle in the pool
  • 600 F oven ceiling, the highest among these five
  • Publishes both outside and inside figures, 16 by 12 by 6 in and 15 by 10.5 by 3.5 in
  • Induction safe and dishwasher safe, both stated
  • Against it
  • No rack at all, so the second lift is left to forks
  • Publishes 3.79 lb, so a full pan is heavy on two loop handles
  • Publishes no warranty
4 Best for deep sides and no coating

Tifanso Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with...

Riveted steel side handles beside 3 inch deep sides and a flat rack, in stainless steel the maker states carries no chemical coating.

  • For it
  • Riveted steel side handles stated to give sturdy and secure lifting
  • 3 inch deep sides to stop oil splashing and to collect drippings
  • A flat rack included, stated to stand tall enough to keep a turkey out of the juices
  • Stainless steel with no chemical coating, so nothing can flake
  • Against it
  • Its dimension fields read 15.5 in three times over, which cannot be a roasting pan
  • Publishes no weight at all
  • Publishes no oven safe temperature
5 Best for a wide grip on a large pan

Circulon Total Bakeware Nonstick Roaster

17 by 13 in with a U shaped rack and a 450 F oven ceiling, behind wide handles the listing never describes in material or fixing.

  • For it
  • Wide handles stated for a confident grip on a 17 by 13 in pan
  • A U shaped rack that keeps meat off the bottom of the pan
  • A 450 F oven ceiling, published plainly
  • Heavy duty steel construction for even heat
  • Against it
  • Never says what the handles are made of or how they are fixed
  • Says nothing about lifting the rack out
  • Publishes no interior figure

Our verdict

Cuisinart is the only pick publishing both the pan and the handles, 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in with the rack, and it puts handles on the rack too. Farberware pairs wide dual riveted cast stainless handles with wide handles on a removable rack. VANKUTL has the only loop handles in the pool and a 600 F ceiling. tifanso states riveted side handles and 3 inch sides. Circulon states wide handles and nothing about them.

“The second lift is the one nobody plans for.”

Lush Editorial Team

What separates these five

Handles on the rack too Cuisinart and Farberware both put handles on the rack. VANKUTL has no rack, and tifanso and Circulon say nothing about lifting theirs.
How the handle is fixed Riveted on Cuisinart, Farberware and tifanso. Loop handles on VANKUTL. Circulon says wide and nothing else.
Measured with the handles Only Cuisinart publishes it: 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in with the rack against 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in for the pan alone.
Weight published Farberware 3 lb, Circulon 3.2 lb, VANKUTL 3.79 lb, Cuisinart 7 lb. tifanso publishes none.
Oven ceiling VANKUTL 600 F and Circulon 450 F. Cuisinart, Farberware and tifanso publish no figure at all.

How we chose

Priorities, not a computed score. The inputs are published specifications, so we rank by what matters most and say how much.

  1. 30% How the handle is describedA loaded roaster is carried by two joints, and three of these five say riveted while one says only wide, which is the difference between a specification and an adjective.
  2. 25% Handles on the rack as wellGetting the pan out of the oven is one lift and getting the roast off the rack is another, and only two of these five address the second at all.
  3. 20% A measurement that includes the handlesOne maker publishes both the pan and the pan with handles, 4.3 inches apart, and on the other four the space an oven shelf needs is a guess.
  4. 15% Weight published, as a proxy for loadNo listing in the pool states what a handle will carry, so the pan's own weight from 3 lb to 7 lb is the nearest figure available.
  5. 10% Whether the figures agree with themselvesTwo of these five publish dimension fields that contradict their own sentences, one of them three identical numbers that no roasting pan has.

How the Five Compare on the Numbers

The keyword asks for a roasting pan rack with a hanging loop and there is no hanging loop anywhere in the eight listings on this fact sheet. What there is instead is a great deal of talk about handles, and one listing that uses the word loop for something else entirely. So this page ranks by what each maker gives you to lift with, which on a loaded roaster is the thing that matters before any other figure.

Three listings were left off for the same reason. Granite Ware and Granite bowl describe enameled roasters with lids and never mention a handle at all, and Glad quotes its interior as 15 by 10.3 by 2.8 in excluding handles without ever saying what those handles are. None of the three can be placed on a ladder about grips. The five that remain all describe a handle, and two of them describe handles on the rack as well.

Specification Cuisinart Farberware VANKUTL tifanso Circulon
Pan handles described Riveted stainless steel Wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel Sturdy carbon steel loop handles Riveted steel side handles Wide handles for a confident grip
Rack handles described Stainless steel handles on the rack Wide handles on the chrome plated rack not published not published not published
A measurement including the handles 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in with the rack not published not published not published not published
Interior published 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in not published 15 by 10.5 by 3.5 in not published not published
Rack supplied Steel rack, shape not named Removable chrome plated rack No rack, a lid instead Flat rack included U shaped rack
Oven ceiling published not published not published 600 F not published 450 F
Weight published 7 lb 3 lb 3.79 lb not published 3.2 lb
Size in the maker’s own words 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in 11 by 15 in 16 by 12 by 6 in 15.5 by 11.6 by 2.8 in 17 by 13 in
Published dimension fields 20.75 by 13.25 by 6.25 in, discarded below 11.25 by 16 by 2.5 in 12 by 16 by 6 in 15.5 by 15.5 by 15.5 in, discarded below 13.4 by 17.3 by 6 in
Material stated Stainless steel exterior Heavy duty steel with a nonstick interior Enamel over a carbon steel core Stainless steel with no chemical coating Heavy duty steel with a nonstick coating
Induction stated Yes not published Yes not published not published
Dishwasher stated not published not published Yes Yes not published
Warranty stated Lifetime Quality assurance guarantee, no term given not published not published Limited lifetime guarantee

Two rows of dimension fields are printed and then set aside. Cuisinart’s fields read 20.75 by 13.25 by 6.25 in while its own bullet gives the pan as 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and the handles with the rack as 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in, so the fields are some mixture of the two and the maker’s sentence is used instead. The tifanso fields read 15.5 in three times over, which is a placeholder rather than a measurement, while its size field gives 15.5 by 11.6 by 2.8 in. The table also cannot tell you how much any of these handles is rated to carry, because not one listing publishes a figure for it.

What You Actually Lift It By

The Only Loop Handles in the Pool

VANKUTL is the one listing that uses the word loop, describing sturdy carbon steel loop handles for easy handling on a 16 inch enameled roaster with a lid. That is a closed handle rather than a hanging loop, which is a real difference: a closed handle takes a whole hand or a folded towel, while a hanging loop is a hole meant to go over a hook. Nothing on this page is meant to hang.

What the loop shape buys is grip from any angle, which matters on a covered roaster because the lid has to come off before the pan moves and both hands are then holding steel. VANKUTL also publishes the highest oven ceiling among these five at 600 F and states induction and dishwasher use, so the handle is attached to the best documented body here.

Wide, Riveted, Cast: Three Ways to Say Handle

Farberware is the most specific: wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel handles, which names the material, the fixing and the number of rivets per side. Cuisinart states riveted stainless steel handles on a stainless steel exterior. tifanso states riveted steel side handles beside 3 inch deep sides. Circulon states wide handles for a confident grip and leaves the material and the fixing out.

Riveted matters on a roaster because a welded or spot fixed handle is the joint that fails when 20 pounds of bird and fat swings. Three of these five say riveted. The one that does not, Circulon, publishes a limited lifetime guarantee instead, which is a different kind of answer to the same worry and not a substitute for knowing how the handle is attached.

The Second Lift Nobody Plans For

Two Racks Have Handles of Their Own

Getting the pan out of the oven is the first lift. Getting the roast off the rack and onto a board is the second, and only two listings here address it. Farberware states that wide handles on the chrome plated rack aid in removing roasts and seafood, and that the rack is removable. Cuisinart states a sturdy rack with stainless steel handles that allows elevated cooking and makes removing items easy.

The other three leave it. Circulon describes a U shaped rack that keeps meat off the bottom of the pan and says nothing about lifting it out. tifanso describes a flat rack that elevates food and stands tall enough to keep a turkey out of the juices. VANKUTL has no rack at all, which is consistent with a covered roaster but leaves the second lift to a pair of forks.

Nobody Publishes a Load Rating for a Handle

Not one of the eight listings states what its handles will carry. Granite Ware mentions a 7 lb bird and Granite bowl mentions 16 pounds of poultry, both as capacity rather than as a handle rating, and neither is a pick here. On a pan that may hold a turkey and an inch of hot fat, the absence of any figure across the whole pool is the clearest single gap on this page.

Weight is the nearest proxy and it is published on four of the five. Cuisinart publishes 7 lb, the heaviest here and a stainless pan before anything goes in it. VANKUTL publishes 3.79 lb, Circulon 3.2 lb and Farberware 3 lb, the lightest published weight on this page. tifanso publishes no weight at all, which on a pan sold on the strength of its riveted handles is an odd thing to leave out.

Reading the Figures on a Pan With Handles

One Maker Measures Twice, With and Without

Cuisinart is the only listing in the pool that gives both figures. It publishes the pan as 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and then publishes the handles with the rack as 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in. That second figure is what an oven shelf and a worktop actually have to accommodate, and it is 4.3 in longer than the pan, which is the space two handles take.

Nobody else separates the two. Glad, not a pick here, states its interior as excluding handles without giving the outside figure. Circulon publishes 17 by 13 in without saying which. VANKUTL publishes 16 by 12 by 6 in outside and 15 by 10.5 by 3.5 in inside, so its handles are either inside that 16 in or unaccounted for. A buyer measuring an oven should assume several inches more than the headline.

Two Sets of Fields That Cannot Be Right

The tifanso dimension fields read 15.5 in for width, depth and height alike. A roasting pan is not a cube, and the same listing’s size field gives 15.5 by 11.6 by 2.8 in, so the three matching figures are a placeholder and the size field is the product. Cuisinart’s fields are the other failure mode, mixing the pan and the handles into 20.75 by 13.25 by 6.25 in, which matches neither of the two figures its own bullet publishes.

This page uses the maker’s own sentence in both cases, which is the rule that has to apply when the two disagree. It is worth saying plainly that a pan bought on the field values alone would be the wrong size on two of these five listings, and that the one maker who published a with-handles measurement is the only one whose figures can be taken straight to an oven door.

Which One Fits Your Kitchen

Somebody who wants to know what actually fits the oven. Cuisinart, the only pick publishing both the pan at 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and the handles with the rack at 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in, with handles on both the pan and the rack and a lifetime warranty.

Lifting the roast out without wrecking it. Farberware, for wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel handles on the pan and wide handles on a removable chrome plated rack, at 3 lb, the lightest published weight here.

A covered roaster and two hands on hot steel. VANKUTL, for the only loop handles in the pool, on enamel over a carbon steel core with a 600 F oven ceiling, induction and dishwasher use stated, and a published interior of 15 by 10.5 by 3.5 in.

Deep sides and nothing coated. tifanso, for riveted steel side handles, 3 inch deep sides and a flat rack, in stainless steel with no chemical coating. Its 15.5 by 11.6 by 2.8 in size field is the figure to use, not the fields.

A large pan and a wide grip. Circulon, 17 by 13 in with a U shaped rack, a 450 F oven ceiling and a limited lifetime guarantee. It publishes wide handles without saying what they are made of or how they are fixed.

What We Could Not Verify

Every figure above comes from the maker’s own listing text. These are the things we went looking for and could not source in any of them.

  • Not one of the eight listings publishes a hanging loop, a hook or a hole, so the keyword’s own feature does not exist anywhere in this pool.
  • No listing states a load rating for its handles, which on a pan holding a bird and hot fat is the figure that matters most.
  • Three of the five picks say nothing about lifting the rack out, so the second lift is undocumented on the majority of this page.
  • Only Cuisinart publishes a measurement that includes the handles, so on the other four the space an oven shelf needs is unknown.
  • tifanso publishes no weight at all, and its dimension fields read 15.5 in three times over, which cannot describe a roasting pan.
  • Farberware and Cuisinart publish no oven safe temperature, so two of these five cannot be compared against the 450 F and 600 F the others give.

Frequently asked questions

Do any roasting pans have a hanging loop?+

None of the eight listings on this fact sheet does. The closest is VANKUTL, which describes sturdy carbon steel loop handles, but a closed handle on the side of a pan is not the same as a hole meant to go over a hook. No maker in this pool publishes a hanging hole, a hook or a rail fitting. That is why this page ranks by the handles each maker does describe, which is what a loaded roaster is actually lifted by.

Which roasting pan handles are best described?+

Farberware gives the most detail: wide, dual riveted cast stainless steel handles, naming the material, the fixing and the number of rivets. Cuisinart states riveted stainless steel handles. tifanso states riveted steel side handles. VANKUTL states sturdy carbon steel loop handles. Circulon states only wide handles for a confident grip, with no material and no fixing, and offers a limited lifetime guarantee in place of the detail.

Why do handles on the rack matter?+

Because there are two lifts, not one. The pan comes out of the oven and then the roast has to come off the rack and onto a board. Farberware states that wide handles on the chrome plated rack aid in removing roasts, and Cuisinart states a rack with stainless steel handles that makes removing items easy. Circulon and tifanso describe their racks without mentioning lifting them, and VANKUTL has no rack at all.

How much space does a roasting pan need with its handles?+

More than the headline, and only one listing here says how much. Cuisinart publishes the pan as 16.8 by 12.8 by 3.4 in and the handles with the rack as 21.1 by 12.8 by 5.8 in, a difference of 4.3 in in length. Circulon publishes 17 by 13 in without saying which. Glad, which is not a pick here, quotes its interior as excluding handles without giving the outside. Assume several inches more than the stated size.

How heavy is a roasting pan before anything goes in it?+

Between 3 lb and 7 lb across the four that publish a figure. Farberware states 3 lb, Circulon 3.2 lb, VANKUTL 3.79 lb and Cuisinart 7 lb, the heaviest here and a stainless steel pan with a steel rack. tifanso publishes no weight at all. Since no maker in this pool states what its handles are rated to carry, the pan's own weight is the nearest thing to a load figure available.

Which of these dimension figures should not be trusted?+

Two sets. tifanso publishes 15.5 in for width, depth and height alike, which is a placeholder rather than a measurement, while its size field gives 15.5 by 11.6 by 2.8 in. Cuisinart's fields read 20.75 by 13.25 by 6.25 in and match neither the pan nor the handles figure in its own bullet. Where a listing's fields and its own sentence disagree, this page uses the sentence, and both discarded readings are left in the table so the decision is visible.

Specifications come from the manufacturers' own published listings. Lush Food & Drink may earn a commission if you buy through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. How we research.