1/4 Sheet pans that are easy to clean

March 29, 2016 6:14 AM

I need a quarter sheet pan (~9x13 inches) for cooking (not baking) at 350-450 F, 4-5 times a week. I have used 5 different Teflon-coated pans in the last year, and the Teflon on each has started to flake off in about 4 to 8 weeks. I don't want to eat Teflon. I'm careful with utensils and cleaning materials -- I don't use anything metal. I'm open to any type of material, non-stick or not, as long as it is easy to clean. Hit me with specific recommendations.

Ease of cleaning is essential, which is why I've been trying Teflon. We wash dishes with a plastic mesh sponge and never scrub with metal or use metal utensils. I'd prefer to not soak stuff, because that's gross and it also tends to rust under the rim of the pan. I'm completely open to other materials. I am in the US. Please link me to specific brands and types of pans.

In case it matters, the kinds of things I'm cooking are: frozen breakfast sausages, roasted asparagus, root veggies, etc. I use plenty of oil on the pan. The reason I've been using non-stick is because of the ease of cleaning, not because of concerns about fat or calories.

posted by OrangeDisk to Food & Drink (36 answers total)

I would just get a couple of quarter-sheet silpats and use them either on top of what you already have, or buy a straightforward stainless steel pan and use it on top of those. They're hugely easy to clean because they're so slick, and they keep my pans mostly pristine after years of use.

They're a little expensive, but I've gotten so much use out of them.
posted by punchtothehead at 6:19 AM on March 29, 2016 [11 favorites]

Best answer: I have this Nordic Ware aluminum pan and it's great for roasting. No worries about rusting with aluminum, and I've never had trouble scrubbing it clean (especially when using lots of oil).
posted by MadamM at 6:20 AM on March 29, 2016 [3 favorites]

I do an end run around this scrubbing problem by using aluminum foil or parchment paper to line baking sheets. This allows me to choose ones without Teflon (which is horrible for the environment) and helps pans last longer AND I don't use as much water (and time) to wash.

I've never met a baking sheet that was easy to clean all that gunk off.
posted by bilabial at 6:20 AM on March 29, 2016 [12 favorites]

I just use a plain aluminum pan. These "Scrub Daddy" scouring pads are amazing for cleaning off roasted gunk.
posted by Kriesa at 6:29 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Parchment paper is another alternative, and even easier to clean than Silpats. It just goes into the compost bin after use. Generally the sheet pans need no cleaning after, though we give them a rinse just for piece of mind.

We've done everything you mention on parchment paper. They all come out fine. The quantity of oil doesn't matter. This is one advantage over Silpats that just cover the bottom of the ban, but which may allow the sides to become oiled. With paper, you can cut it a little larger than the pan, which makes it a sort of boat, keeping the whole sheet clean.
posted by bonehead at 6:33 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

So...you DON'T cover your baking sheets in Aluminum Foil first? Why ever not?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:42 AM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]

Chicago Metallic makes really great sheet pans, but I think you either want to Embrace The Patina or else start using a liner (either disposable parchment paper or reusable Silpats).
posted by wenestvedt at 6:42 AM on March 29, 2016

I cook on our regular, aluminium, catering store grade sheet pans all the time, and always line them with parchment paper first. I can often use the pans a few times this way before they need cleaning.
posted by nerdfish at 6:42 AM on March 29, 2016 [3 favorites]

good quality AL sheet pan + Parchment here as well.
posted by JPD at 6:50 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

Ha, came in to say parchment paper as well.

I also like enamel pans, but I haven't seen them in a true quarter sheet.
posted by Mchelly at 7:07 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

nthing parchment paper. My pans look like crap after years of trying to clean them. Parchment paper can be composted or tossed and unlike foil, no sticking / no need to spray with cooking oil.
posted by MandaSayGrr at 7:09 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

For roasting vegetables I use a use a standard glass 9x13 pan (this basically). Afterwards I throw it straight in the dishwasher, or just clean it right away if you hand-wash. Easy to soak if you let it sit, as well.

For most other things, I use a heavy-duty aluminum sheet pan with tinfoil or parchment paper lining depending on what I'm cooking. Silpat is a good reusable alternative if you are willing to spend more to reduce waste. I basically never wash my sheet pans.
posted by muddgirl at 7:10 AM on March 29, 2016 [5 favorites]

Nthing using some sort of liner. Foil molds to sheet pans the best and prevents spillover onto the pan to the largest degree both widthwise and lengthwise. Parchment is also good but I find that it leaks more than foil does. In either case, this should minimize the amount of crud that gets onto your pans, thus minimizing the necessity to scrub.

I'm wary of nonstick in the oven, for the most part - I've always been told with my nonstick pans to keep them over low/low-medium heat on the stovetop so that you don't get Teflon in your food; oven temperatures for roasting just seem too high to do this safely to me. Regular aluminum/steel sheet pans with a liner don't have this problem.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 7:13 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

you DON'T cover your baking sheets in Aluminum Foil first? Why ever not?

Things that develop a fond can stick to foil and make a mess of the food. Bits of foil on sausage are a convincing argument for me to spend a little more on parchment paper. We find the browning for meats and veg a little nicer on the paper as well.

Another possibility for what OrangeDisk is asking for is seasoned cast-iron. We use a 12" frypan for meats, roasts mostly, when we want to develop a pan gravy. It's also easy to clean and doesn't have the problems of teflon. Oil varnishes indeed help the season.
posted by bonehead at 7:19 AM on March 29, 2016

Best answer: Seconding the above-mentioned Nordic Ware pans + parchment paper liner.

Over time you will still probably build up a patina around the edges. If this really bothers you, you can throw the pan in a self-cleaning oven and run a cleaning cycle. Really! It works! And if you have a high-quality (non-Teflon!) baking sheet (like the Nordic Ware), there won't be any warping.
posted by Maecenas at 7:39 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Seconding MadamM's NordicWare suggestion. I have had three since early November, and they lasted through cookie baking season, veggie roasting season, pizza reheating season, etc with the same beautiful shine. They are a dream to clean, and no warping at all!
posted by kimberussell at 7:42 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

I use non-stick foil.
posted by AugustWest at 7:43 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Plain aluminum pans (without grooves) are great. They heat pretty evenly and cool quickly after removing from heat. Parchment and silpat are perfect for most baking, but if you're cooking with lots of fat you won't always need even that... I generally only use a liner for sugary/burny baking. And if anything sticks, it doesn't matter if you scratch the aluminum in removing it.
posted by zennie at 7:45 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

Does this parchment paper trick work if you stirring/mixing during cooking?

My experience with Teflon skillets is that they last three years or so being used once a week. And at that, they fail by stuff starting to stick rather than by the Teflon sluffing off. 450F is pretty hot for Teflon, though a Google search suggests the recommend limit is 500F.

Sausages should not make a huge mess. I roasted some last night in a Le Creuset enameled Dutch oven. It comes clean with a Dobie. Note: Le Creuset is very expensive, but less brands are lesser. I've heard several complaints about Emeril pots of varying types.

I think you may be using too much oil on veggies. I would see if you could get good results with lower temps and more water-based moisture.
posted by SemiSalt at 7:58 AM on March 29, 2016

You can have ease of cleaning, or you can have no Teflon flaking.

You could try a ceramic nonstick sheet like this (that's a half, I think - finding a quarter is going to be harder). I just replaced my one egg pan with a ceramic-coated and it is certainly slick. I don't know how long it will hold up.

I use a covering on all my Teflon pans - foil for anything I want to brown that isn't high-sugar-content or acidic, parchment for anything else. The pans last a long time if you never ever use them uncovered, and the teflon is just a bonus in the case of parchment, which is not completely impermeable. The downside of Teflon pans is that unless you buy the very expensive ones, they warp and pop in the oven as they get hot, which occasionally will actually fling contents off the sheet. One day I am going to bin them all and start with a modern set, probably commercial aluminum from a restaurant supply.

There's a reason commercial kitchens use aluminium - it's cheaper to pay a pair of dishwashers to scrub, scrape, boil, and razor them clean than to constantly replace pans.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:16 AM on March 29, 2016

I use a 9x13 Pyrex dish.
posted by vignettist at 8:46 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

Does this parchment paper trick work if you stirring/mixing during cooking?

If you're stirring/mixing, wouldn't you want a pan with higher edges anyway? Or maybe I'm just unusually clumsy.

I did another mental inventory and here's what I use in the oven on a near-weekly basis:

(1) Cast iron dutch oven, for most meats that will drip fat (chicken, steak)
(2) La Creuset oval baking pan, for smaller quantities/roasting veggies
(3) 9x13 pyrex baking pan or even the 8x8 for smaller quantities - roasting veggies
(4) Aluminum pan with lining for peppers, whole potatoes, fish, sausages, or reheating food - anything that doesn't need to be stirred or can just be flipped over with tongs.
posted by muddgirl at 8:56 AM on March 29, 2016

We use glass pans for this sort of thing. They only units we have that was new (my spouse has a drawer full of glass cooking wear) is from Anchor hocking and is part of a set. When we broke the large pan (totally our fault) we emailed them for warranty and they sent us a complete set not just the one pan. That was 16 years ago and the five pans are still going strong without any build up or discolouring.

We do soak them after sugary sort of glazes but because they are one solid cast piece there isn't any lip or fold to accumulate crude. And obviously they won't ever rust or corrode.
posted by Mitheral at 9:14 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

We use unglazed stoneware baking dishes for this sort of thing, like these. There are cheaper options than Pampered Chef.
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:47 AM on March 29, 2016

The big Corningware French White dishes are also good for this. I almost always use my big oval, or my cast iron pan, for roasting root vegetables, brussles sprouts, and other stuff that's going to go a long haul.

Barkeeper's Friend will clean pretty much anything off the Corningware.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:48 AM on March 29, 2016

I tend to use heavy regular aluminum ones. My trick is that I keep a set for baking and one for roasting things. I don't mind if the roasty ones start to develop a little patina, but I don't want that on my cookies/bars/etc.
posted by advicepig at 9:52 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Beautiful old Corning ware 10.5"x16" P35-B baking trays have an actual baking surface closer to 9"x14", and there are lots of them available on eBay starting at about $10.
posted by jamjam at 10:02 AM on March 29, 2016

A good point above from Mitheral. Anything sugary should be soaked as a first resort, not last. Even if it looks black, there is sugar in it which will dissolve, and cleaning the rest will be easy.
posted by SemiSalt at 10:25 AM on March 29, 2016

Wait. That's not how they're supposed to look? The patina on my aluminum sheet pans is a source of secret pride. The patina is there because I'm lazy and only use foil even though I own both silpats and parchment paper. And I use the shit out of 'em, like multiple times per day.

Interesting to hear parchment use aids browning!

My equally used expensive stainless steel pans look shiny like the day I bought them. Aluminum sheet pans are cheap and replaceable, but I only see the need to replace one if it gets too warped. No, you can't scrub them shiny like people are describing if you use them that frequently, I didn't even know people bothered to try!

Please don't use Teflon *shudders.*

Seeing a spotless kitchen and a well worn sheet pan tells me you know how to cook. Embrace that patina.
posted by jbenben at 11:06 AM on March 29, 2016

I use aluminum pans, but the pan doesn't really matter much at all because I use parchment paper like it's my religion. For everything. I buy a double pack of large rolls from Costco and use it with abandon for anything going into the oven (with the exception of lasagna). Pans get occasionally washed, but often don't even need a rinse because the parchment goes directly into the compost bin and the pan remains clean.
posted by quince at 11:14 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

+1 parchment

Indispensible.
posted by stellathon at 2:11 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Nthing parchment (or foil, depending on what I'm cooking) and commercial/restaurant/catering-grade aluminum pans. My chef friend turned me on to this — cheaper than specialty kitchen store prices and way more durable. Go to a restaurant supply store (or buy online — that's what I do).

Here's a good pan, and some pre-cut parchment sheets (no rolling up! cut half-size sheets in half for quarter pans), and some reusable silicone mats (again, cut in half for quarter-sheet pans).
posted by mon-ma-tron at 3:04 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

I use these silicone-coated pans. They're a dream to clean and you don't need to mess with a separate liner.
posted by magicbus at 6:37 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Go to a restaurant supply store, they have what you want.

Then get Silpats to fit.

Most 'parchment' paper (at least restaurant grade) is impregnated with silicone and therefore unsuitable for compost; it's just waste.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:53 AM on March 30, 2016

I don't like cleaning silpats. I have them for baking but don't use them for non-baking. I find the surface doesn't come clean or rather feel clean. I think because it is lipophilic or something.

To FFFM's point, certainly from a waste perspective Silpats are a better option - as is going to a restaurant supply store.
posted by JPD at 6:11 AM on March 30, 2016 [2 favorites]

For the kinds of things you mention, I use two 8x8 silicone cake pans on a normal cookie sheet (I have these). They're easy to clean and reuse like the baking mats, but the edge contains any juice spillover like a foil/paper boat. Also, you can make cake or brownies in them.

If you have anything that's too large to fit in an 8x8 you can get larger casserole size silicone dishes, but they're kind of pricey. Personally I like the 8x8s because I can use just one for half the cleanup if I'm only cooking a smaller amount.
posted by anaelith at 5:37 AM on April 2, 2016