The Best Baking Sheets

Buying Guide for Baking Sheets

Why buy a baking sheet?

Why buy a baking sheet, you ask? Cookies, pastries, sheet cake, and macarons, that’s why! No sweet tooth? No problem. The baking sheets we review here are perfect for broiling meat, toasting seeds and nuts, or roasting vegetables. They’re useful in almost any recipe. You can even cook a whole meal on one large baking sheet: roasted pork, potatoes, and asparagus, for example. They’re also ideal for baking up those chicken nuggets in your freezer. Basically, if you own an oven, you’ll need a baking sheet. 

What should you look for in a baking sheet?

• Material: Baking sheets are made with aluminum, ceramic-coated steel, stainless steel, and carbon steel. A great choice for its heat conductivity is aluminum; this metal browns food evenly. Stainless steel, carbon steel, and steel alloy are all rust-resistant and easy to clean.
• Size: The most common size for home kitchens is usually a half sheet (13 x 18 inches), but the other common sizes would be quarter sheets (9 x 13 inches) and sizes between the two. Full sheets are popular, too but more so for commercial kitchens, as they can be too large for some home ovens. If you want a variety of sizes, you can find sets.
• Features: As you browse, note features like silicone grips, non-stick coating, cooling racks, and colors. Consider baking pan sets, too. Having three different-sized pans on hand allows you to cook a wider variety of dishes and portions.

How should you wash your baking sheets?

Some baking sheets can be washed in the dishwasher for super easy cleanup, but that doesn’t always mean they should. Hand washing is the best way to clean baking sheets if you want them to last as long as possible, since dishwasher detergent can damage the coating and baking quality over time. If you have super stuck-on food on your baking sheet, try soaking it in warm water or applying baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. 

Our Picks for the Best Baking Sheets

Pros: Fans of Nordic Ware consider this pure uncoated aluminum baking sheet a luxury. The aluminum provides ideal heat conductivity to brown your cookies evenly. The Nordic Ware baking sheets work well with parchment paper and silicone mats. They also feature encapsulated solid-core steel rims. The half-sheet size is perfect for meats, fish, cookies, sheet cakes, and more.

Cons: The listing says hand wash recommended, but should probably say required. If you put them in the dishwasher, they’ll likely lose their nice and shiny finish.

Bottom Line: Nordic Ware has a stellar kitchenware products reputation; we think you’ll see why with this baking sheet. It’s made of the best materials and is perfect for everyday use.

 

Pros: A quality rimmed baking sheet is great, but a non-stick sheet is even better. Zero toxins are released at high temperatures, and the carbon steel has several advantages over other metals commonly used in ovenware. It heats more quickly, distributes heat evenly, and saves time and money.

Cons: A few users say the baking sheet warps over time if used at higher than 428 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bottom Line: CHEFMADE went all-out to make this non-stick baking sheet user-friendly. It has extended handles to prevent your oven mitt from touching the food you’ve baked. We give this baking sheet a thumbs-up.

 

Pros: Do these non-stick, durable steel-rimmed baking sheets live up to the Rachael Ray brand name? Yes. Yes, they do. All three sheets are non-stick and make removing your finished creations easy. You get a 9 x 13, 10 x 15, and an 11 x 17-inch baking sheet, all popular sizes for your favorite recipes. These pans also have a bonus feature: extra-wide grippy handles. You won’t have to worry about dropping hot cookies while transferring them to a cooling rack.

Cons: At high temperatures, like the recommended max 500 degrees Fahrenheit for these sheets, the silicone grips may begin to degrade and lose color. 

Bottom Line: For a reliable set of baking sheets that you’ll certainly get lots of use from, try these cookie sheets from Rachel Ray.

 

Pros: Just Google “Wilton,” and you’ll see why we had to include their Easy Layers Sheet Cake Pan. The company has quite a presence in bakeware and cake decoration products. Many bakers find layered sheet cakes challenging to perfect, but the hard work comes up when you put the layers together. This set will set you up right. These durable steel pans are non-stick and scratch-resistant, providing ease when removing cakes disaster-free.

Cons: These pans tend to warp when they get hot.

Bottom Line: These baking sheets are perfect for creating a nice layer of rectangle cake. Don’t overlook the fact that with this two-piece set, you can bake two layers simultaneously, making your job even easier.

 

Pros: A lot of thought went into the design of these baking sheets. They’re made of quality stainless steel without chemical coating. The two cooling racks fit perfectly inside the two baking sheets if you want to cook some chicken wings on them or stack them for storage. The baking trays’ deep sides make them more convenient to use and grab with your oven mitts. Of course, you won’t need the racks for everything you bake, but they’re great to have for cooling cookies or keeping a stack of fresh pancakes from losing their crispiness. 

Cons: Some users found that these pans warp at higher heats.

Bottom Line: The Wildone Baking Sheet and Rack Set come in five sizes, from as small as 9 x 7 inches to as large as 18 x 13 inches. They’re all dishwasher safe for effortless cleanup.

Final Thoughts

However culinary skilled you are, baking sheets are extremely useful and versatile kitchen tools that every kitchen should have. We’ve gathered some of the best in this roundup.