air-insulated baking sheets?

[danimalarkey]

I don't know if this belongs in cooking equipment, or here, so please move accordingly.

At my local TJ Maxx, they have Cuisinart Chef's Classic 17" jelly-roll pans. They're quite heavy, and $10/each. But they're also air-insulated. what does that mean? is it effective and useful, or just another worthless gimmick?


Thanks!

[KyleW]

Hi Dani and welcome to CT. Air insultated baking sheets have a 2 layer bottom. There is a thin space between the 2 layers and the resulting air pocket is alledged to help prevent burning, promote even heating etc. I've never used them but have never had a reason to stray from my heavy, rolled rim, aluminum 1/2 sheet pans.

[sucrechef]

Dani:
I own both regular and the air insulted cookie sheets. The insulated ones are better for thicker items or items for which you want the tops to cook faster than the bottoms as the insulation slows the cooking on the bottom. They also work well for rich doughs (high in butter or other fat content.) Which pan I use depends on whatt I'm making, but over time you will discover which pans work better for each item you wish to make.

[Zukerig]

My opinion of insulated baking sheets is in exact agreement with Sucrechef's remarks. Also, when I'm concerned that the undercrust of an item might cook too rapidly, I'll set it upon an insulated sheet during the baking phase.

[kuan]

My MIL used to have some of those, water got in between the sheets.

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by kuan

My MIL used to have some of those, water got in between the sheets.

Kuan,
Your mother-in-law specifically owned Cuisinart Chef's Classic 17" jelly-roll pans?

danimalarkey,
As sucrechef and others suggest, if you have use for them, by all means, get them. If you take care of them they'll last you for decades.

[danimalarkey]

everyone, thank you for the information.

The sense that I'm getting, though, is that these pans aren't necessarily a substitute for normal pans. If I'm going to own only one set of jelly roll pans (for now, at least), ones that I can use for baking as well as making oven fries, meatloaf or pork spareribs in the oven, I should go with the normal ones, right?


-Dan

[kuan]

Originally Posted by mudbug

Kuan,
Your mother-in-law specifically owned Cuisinart Chef's Classic 17" jelly-roll pans?

Uh nope, sorry I didin't make that clear. I don't know what brand they were. They had no lip on three sides and on one side there was a 45 degree lip for handling. The cookies all slid off.

[phatch]

The handling instructions for insulated cooking sheets indicate they shouldn't be immersed in water for washing or put in the dishwasher. I've had no problems with mine in the dishwasher though. I store them on edge though, so any water inside seems to drain out if there was ever any in there I've had no problems.

Phil

[gardenman]

A lower cost option to the air insulated pans is an old technique called 'dead-panning' in which two conventional cookie sheets are stacked together. This is a great use for older cheap cookie sheets that are past their prime. Discount stores sell low-cost cookie sheets for a minimal price ($3 or so) that are perfect for this purpose. For items that you want to have a brown bottom crust, or are quick cooking, a single layer cookie sheet will give you the best results, but when you don't want the bottom to burn or brown quickly, simple placing the cookie sheet atop an old cookie sheet will give you the reduced bottom browning that one gets with an insulated sheet at a minimal cost. I read about this in an old cookbook and it seems to be a largely forgotten technique, but it works great. You can minimze the cost while optimizing your options. If you want the bottoms to brown quickly, use a single sheet. If you want the bottom to cook more slowly, place an old cookie sheet under it and you'll achieve the same results as you would with an air insulated cookie sheet.