Baking Sheet Question

[shel]

Over the years I've done a reasonable amount of cooking, but have never had the need for a baking sheet. Now I do, and I'd like to get a high quality sheet that will be durable. What should I liik for? Is this a good sheet?

Williams-Sonoma | Catalog

I've only picked this one as it was one of the first to come up on a Google search, and it seemed as good a place to start as any. Comments and suggestions very welcome, especially with regard to material, coatings, thickness. And what's the deal with these silicon mats I've heard about? How do they affect things like pizza crust or cookie crispness?

BTW, is a baking sheet and a cookie sheet the same thing?

Thanks!

Shel

[paul.d.]

i use silicon mats as if looked after will last you years and nothing will ever stick to them

[m brown]

shel, my darling,

go to the nearest restaurant supply store and get half size sheet pans, sometimes called jellyroll pans. (they should cost you 7-14 dollars each)

DO NOT BUY OR USE NON STICK WITH TEFLON - it's environmentally not so good and not good for you.

invest in a box of parchment paper sheets (not the rolls, they never lay flat) that you can cut in half to fit your pans, keeps cookies from sticking, great for sugar work etc.. (48 dollars for 500 to 1000 sheets, should last a home baker a lifetime) {and you can make pastry bags with them, writing cones and paper hats! also good for tracing and chocolate work}

light pans take on less heat while dark pans absorb more heat.

[m brown]

some ideas from the cheftalk.com link to amazon:

pans:
Amazon.com: sheet pan


parchment:
Amazon.com: Parchment Paper Sheets - 13 × 18: Home & Garden

[phatch]

Jelly roll pans are what I use the most.

One of the specialty kitchen equipment stores in my area sells packs of pre-cut parchment paper for the jelly roll pans. Very handy, though I also have silpats

I do have some of the air insulated sheets too. They have some specialty uses, but I mostly use it for a huge peel for cooking big pizzas as it doesn't have sides.

[shel]

Thanks all - you've been a big help and have refreshed my memory about these items. I've gotta get over to the local restaurant supply house, even if only to look around.

Shel

[Frayedknot]

Shel, I agree with M Brown, jelly roll pans should work just great, I have several for the house. They fit in my home oven. Parchment...well that stuff is great, helps with clean up a bunch, when fillings, syrup, sugar spill over etc... just ball it up and in the trash. Generally they are impregnated with silicone, but I still use non stick spray. If you use parchment you really do not need "non stick" pans they only scratch when cleaning anyway. I also use a sil pat (silicone sheet) for specialty stuff I do not want to stick, florentines, tuille cookies etc. As others said nothing sticks.. I do not use any other silicone stuff ie: muffin trays etc. seems to me to be to flexible to handle when filled with batter...just a personal opinion.

I have been reading your posts about you starting to bake, you will enjoy it. When I first started school I wanted to "cook" and the classes were filled. I was asked to take the baking & pastry first...hmmm OK... I am glad I did, taught me alot of discapline when cooking. A good lesson. Another good kitchen item (tool) you may want to consider is a decent digital scale, alot of baking formulas are written using weight, not volume, ie: 1 lb of bread flour = 4 cups BUT 1 lb of cake flour = 4 1/2 cups But as the old joke goes between lead and feathers... a pound is a pound...

Good luck.... enjoy

[Mezzaluna]

I have half-sheet pans I got at Williams-Sonoma; I think they were $12. I use parchment most of the time and Silpats occasionally. I can even get two uses from a sheet of parchment for some cookies. Parchment is also nice because you can portion out the next batch of cookies (rugelach, in my case) while the pans are in the oven. Swap the sheets and you're ready to go with the next batch.

[shel]

Originally Posted by paul.d.

i use silicon mats as if looked after will last you years and nothing will ever stick to them

The real question is how do the mats affect the results ....

Shel

[shel]

Originally Posted by m brown

shel, my darling,
light pans take on less heat while dark pans absorb more heat.

So, is there a preference for light or dark pans depending on what's cooking?

Shel

[m brown]

i like a dark pan for pizza and a light pan for cookies and cakes.

[castironchef]

For 1/2 sheets, check out Costco. They usually have some fairly sturdy and inexpensive ones.

[Mezzaluna]

I use silpats only for delicate things like FrayedKnot noted (tuiles, fricos). Also I have only two of the mats, so I must remove one batch and put the next one onto the hot mats. Drop cookies start spreading out before they're even in the oven, which I can't think is good. Sometimes the mats need to be wiped down (melted chocolate, etc.). With parchment I can cut a sheet to fit the pan and pre-scoop the next pansful. When the first pans come out of the oven I just swap out the sheets and pop the next batch in the oven.

I also use Silpats for rolling out dough (pie crust, rugelach). But I'm more of a parchment fan these days.

[shel]

Originally Posted by castironchef

For 1/2 sheets, check out Costco. They usually have some fairly sturdy and inexpensive ones.

Thanks for jumping in, but as I mentioned, perhaps in this thread, I don't shop at big box stores unless absolutely necessary.

Shel

[Crema]

I agree with the posters who suggested you go to a restaurant supply for your pans. Count me among the Silpat fans. NOTHING sticks, they are reusable, and cookies and breads/rolls/biscuits don't get too brown on the bottom. For pizza I use a stone or a cast iron pizza pan.