Recommend baking sheets that don't flex?

August 18, 2011 10:22 AM

Please recommend good baking sheets that won't flex.

One way I use baking sheets is under quiches and pies, so if I jiggle it while putting it in the oven, it doesn't splatter all over.

Unfortunately, my baking sheets tend to flex when they get hot - making the quiche jump, and splattering it all over.

Can you recommend good baking sheets that DON'T flex when they get hot?

I think ideally they'd be suitable for sitting under quiches, making cookies and (non-loaf-pan) bread, and probably be non-stick.

Thanks!

posted by kristi to food & drink (18 answers total)

I have AirBake sheets (but not that exact one) which are two layers of aluminium with an air gap. The fact that they're like a tiny little box makes them extremely stiff. They hardly flex at all.
posted by GuyZero at 10:24 AM on August 18, 2011

I like these jelly roll pans from Bed Bath and Beyond. I have had them for 5+ years, and they've held up admirably.
posted by purpleclover at 10:27 AM on August 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just get a good, heavy sheet from a local kitchen supply store, which has a thick lip around the edge. When you pick it up from one corner, it shouldn't flex under its weight.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:28 AM on August 18, 2011 [12 favorites]

Seconding' BP. They're generally called "half-sheets."
posted by entropicamericana at 10:45 AM on August 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Nthing half-sheet pans from the nearest restaurant supply store. Because they're intended for commercial use they're generally heavier duty than you can find elsewhere, plus the rim around the edge helps them stay flat. I've never had one of my half-sheet pans warp in a hot oven. (Now if only I could find something of similar quality but sized for a toaster oven...)
posted by Lexica at 10:47 AM on August 18, 2011

Another vote for a half-sheet pan from a restaurant supply store. They're also reasonably priced--I think I paid something like $8 each a couple years ago for the half-sheet pans I have. I'm pretty sure mine is "Lincoln" brand, but Cook's Illustrated now identifies their top rated baking sheet model as the "Wear-Ever Half Size Heavy Duty Sheet Pan (13 gauge) by Vollrath (formerly Lincoln Foodservice), model 5314".
posted by jroybal at 10:57 AM on August 18, 2011

yet another vote for half-sheet pans.

You can get a two pack at Sam's Club for $10.
posted by royalsong at 11:03 AM on August 18, 2011

yeah, the restaurant supply store's half aluminum pans. Get the ones with rolled edges.

(pro tip: get a stack of quarter size pans while you're at it; they're amazing for setting out ingredients, ferrying stuff to the grill, marinating stuff, and putting under pies/other potentially drippy things. Even if they've never occurred to you, once you have some you'll be constantly wishing you had more.)
posted by peachfuzz at 11:16 AM on August 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

I have the half-sheet pans from Sam's Club and they are good. If you don't have a local restaurant supply that's open to the public (some require you to be a business), try Instawares or another of the online ones.
posted by cabingirl at 11:17 AM on August 18, 2011

You can also put the quiche or pie on one rack, and the baking sheet on another rack below it. That way the baking sheet can flex without upsetting anything.
posted by jon1270 at 11:25 AM on August 18, 2011

The best is USA pan. You can get them online @ amzon.zom or in some kitchen supply stores. If you want to overpay you can get them at Williams-Sonoma.
posted by rdurbin at 11:31 AM on August 18, 2011

Half-sheet, restaurant supply. $30 for a nonstick pan?!?! Sakes alive! We use our half-sheet pans for everything: broiling, cookies, roasting, candy making, even pizza. If a nonstick surface is needed, throw in a knockoff Sil-Pat or some parchment paper. If the pan gets dirty, use a scouring brush or steel wool, and still hand it down to your grandchildren (this is not theoretical). Professional cooks need a sturdy pan and they certainly would not put up with one that warps under the broiler, spilling quiche filling everwhere, which has happened to me.
posted by wnissen at 11:31 AM on August 18, 2011

2nd USA pan. Best non-stick pans ever. I'll never go back to other manufacturers.
posted by kathryn at 12:08 PM on August 18, 2011

America's Test Kitchen recommends this pan, in the 12-7/8'' x 17-3/4'" x 1" size. Sayeth ATK (sub. req.):

Recommendation Status: Highly Recommended

Testers’ Comments: "Perfect" cookies, oven fries, and jellyroll in this "flawless" pan. Pork produced "lots of fat but no worries about spilling—pan is solid as a rock." Jellyroll browned and released perfectly. Pan can't be twisted and doesn't warp easily. "The search is over."

It's the only one that ATK rates as "highly recommended." We own one. It's as advertised. It will not bend.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 1:10 PM on August 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

I should add that the sheet I suggested is the same as the one jroybal mentions. Cook's Illustrated = America's Test Kitchen.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 1:13 PM on August 18, 2011

You seem to be in SF go to Trimark Economy Restaurant Supply (base of Potrero Hill) pick up one of their commercial baking sheets, they're cheap and sturdy as all hell.

I love that place.
posted by bitdamaged at 1:22 PM on August 18, 2011

I bake bread at 500 degrees sometimes, and I only have one pan, made by Chicago Metallic that can withstand that. The others fuck up the rise/oven spring on the bread because they bounce back.

Don't listen to people saying you shouldn't get a professional/commercial quality one if you regularly bake at high temperatures. I use my sheet pan with a silpat, but even that won't keep the cheap ones from flexing in the oven. It's totally worth the investment - mine are totally filthy now, but have held strong for years.
posted by guster4lovers at 10:45 PM on August 18, 2011

Great answers, everyone - thank you all!

Extra gratitude points to bitdamaged for mentioning a local restaurant supply place - MOST helpful.

Thanks!
posted by kristi at 1:27 PM on August 20, 2011