Cookie Sheets

[KathyLeary]

I'm feeling the need to replace my cookie sheets. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to buy. Also, how do I prevent them from becoming rusty and gross. Should I not be putting them in the dishwasher?

Thanks

Kathy

[donleyk]

Kathy,

I think my biggest problem has been using cooking spray on them. I swear, you can't get that off! I bought a new cookie sheet and have been using parchment paper to bake on. So far, no sticky residue!

[BarbaraL]

I don't bake much (got to watch those calories), but my mom got me some cookie sheets that have two layers with an air layer in between, I think. They're supposed to keep the bottom of the cookies from burning (mom frequently burns cookies -- sorry, Mom). They've been great.

[KellyD]

Kathy - I've learned the hard way to buy the highest quality, restaurant-type cookie sheets I can find. To be technical, I actually use professional nonstick jelly roll pans. They are not cheap, but so far I have no rust and they look great, and they last far longer - I never get the "warped" effect when I put it in the oven. Since a cookie sheet really is the "pan" I use the most, I don't mind the investment. Seriously, I have friends who come over to my house and covet my cookie sheets! I do put them in the dishwasher, and I agree with the cooking spray comment. I also find that lighter oils can have the same effect. I bought mine at Sur La Table, and I tried to find the brand in the online catalog, but I don't see it listed. I think I also picked up one of the same brand at Garden Ridge on sale.

[hka]

I concur with Barbara. I have a couple of the cookie sheets with the air in between and it's real hard to burn your cookies on the bottom unless you've kept them in there too long! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I would definitely recommend those or even stone cookie sheets as they're supposed to cook more evenly. I personally haven't tried those but I do have some cooking stones that I love and they do cook very evenly.

[Vanessa]

I love using my air bake sheets. The cookies come out so nicely and the bottom is golden not burned http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Mine are NOT dark but the shiny metal kind

[cindyluwho]

I like the air bake cookie sheets alot too--I used to burn cookies all the time but these sheets have helped dramatically in that department. I almost never wash my cookie sheets, actually, because I never put anything directly on them--I always cover them with foil or parchment, and that way the cookie sheets stay clean.

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I use my Pampered Chef baking stones all the time. They truly bake the best breads, cookies,and pizza crusts. I've given up on regular cookie sheets. No matter how hard I tried to keep them nice, I had to replace them pretty often.

[JLS]

I bought a Calphon black sheet that I tried, and was not overly impressed in relation to the cost of it. So, I would suggest buying a lesser expensive one that would produce equal results.

Has anyone tried the Silpat sheets? Any comments?

[Chefmom]

I used to use the air-bakes many, many years ago, but since turning "pro" I have stocked my kitchen with ONLY half sheet pans. Those are the restaurant's names for the heavy 12x18 size baking sheets with rolled edges. They last forever, and you can scrub them with brillo pads, unlike non-stick.

I found with the air bakes, that the cookies in the middle of the pan were NEVER done when the cookies around the edges were. So I would have to remove the edge cookies and then put the sheet back in the oven. With sheet pans I don't do this.

Also, I found 3 sheet pans at Costco for $12.99 so shop around locally before buying these for $25 EACH from a catalog.

And, I have purchased tons of the same sheet pans in the little 9x13 size and they are perfect for transferring dough to the freezer, setting things on in the fridge, I keep an old one on the stove for a spoon, spatula and tong rest.

And yes, I am a BIG believer in the Silpat mat. They were around LONG before Martha ever used them. I am proud to say that I was using them in my home kitchen before she had them on TV. But, they came about in the 80's for professional pastry kitchens, and sometime in the mid 90's they came available in the half sheet size for home cooks.

And, for those of you who balk at the price. Silpats are actually cheaper to use than purchasing parchment paper in bulk. When you break down the cost with parchment paper (even the cheaper bulk price) the Silpat is cheaper to use. I have slowly covered many of my sheet pans with Silpats and I am SOOOOOO excited that they now have a 9x13 size mat for clay work, gumpaste work, and they will fit my little sheet pans. The only place I have seen them so far are at www.kingarthurflour.com (http://www.kingarthurflour.com)

But, definitely DON'T go back to the wobbly cookie sheet from the discount shop. Those will rot, and yes, wash by hand NOT in the dishwasher. Water gets in the sides and will prematurely rot your pans. Cooking spray is quite nasty, it's worth it to purchase a few sheet pans and at least some parchment paper or a silpat or two.

Good Luck with those cookies!!!

Tami

[BeckyM]

Here's my experience with different types of cookie sheets (for what it's worth). I had three different types of cookie sheets, and I wanted to see which I liked best, because I needed to get rid of some of them. The types I had were: the flat, dark-colored Calphalon ones, shiny aluminum airbake style with jelly-roll sides, and my Pampered Chef stones.

I decided to do an experiment with the traditional Nestle Toll House cookie recipe. I baked cookies on each type of sheet and compared results. With the Calphalon Sheets, the bottoms definitely got TOO brown -- in fact I would call them burned -- by the time the tops were cooked. The cookies from the airbake pans and the Pampered Chef stones were all nicely golden brown, so I thought both cooked equally well. But when it came to clean-up, the stones definitely won! The stuck-on crumbs on the airbake pans were definitely harder to clean off than on the stones. I also don't really like that my airbake pans have little holes in the bottom, and water gets in there when I wash them, then it doesn't come out entirely.

So since I've done my little experiment, I bake cookies exclusively on my Pampered Chef stones. My Calphalon pans are in a box for a garage sale (they're actually in great shape -- got them for our wedding and probably only used them once or twice), and the airbake pans are hanging around as backup, in case I get in a real baking frenzy and need more pans.

Though I'm happy with my stones, I'll have to find out more about those Silpat things. I've seen them mentioned on the board before, but I haven't done much investigation.

[chefbec]

Originally posted by Kelli Kerrigan:
I use my Pampered Chef baking stones all the time. They truly bake the best breads, cookies,and pizza crusts. I've given up on regular cookie sheets. No matter how hard I tried to keep them nice, I had to replace them pretty often.

I also swear by my Pampered Chef flat baking stones as cookie sheets. Just be aware that you can't use them for broiling. To keep any baking sheet (or pots and pans) from getting that sticky goo, stay away from cooking oil sprays and use plain oil. We sell a great Kitchen Spritzer that works like a charm for that.

[Lisa D]

JLS
I have been using a silpat for about 2 years now after seeing it on Martha Stewart, she uses them for everything, I think she may sleep with them under her pillow! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif This admission is a little embarrassing as I try to be the opposite of Martha. OK, enough, back to the silpats. They are actually fabulous, cookies slide right off and bake very evenly. I use it now instead of foil for pizza, or other such items that go on the cookie sheet/jelly roll pan so cleanup is easier.
Jeez, maybe I should try that pillow thing! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[mandarin2j]

I've been wanting to buy the airbake cookie sheets, but I've had to become a major cheapskate since my student loans came due http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

On the bright side, I experimented the other day and devised a cheapskate solution to burnt cookie bottoms, though. I just used two regular cookie sheets stacked one on top of the other for a do-it-yourself airbake, and it worked like a dream! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

-Amanda

[funnybone]

I bought 4 jelly roll pan/cookie sheets (17 x 11, I think) from Costco that really work. they are a light aluminum color. I use parchment paper all the time and have never had problems with my cookies. I have considered buying SILPAT, but at about $20 a piece, I hesitate because I would want 4. I don't bake cookies that often, but when I do, I have double ovens and do atleast 4 sheets of them.

As for the non-stick, darker pans, I have heard that those actually require less baking time, and possibly an oven temperature of 25 degrees lower. I have not used those in years because of the warping. Maybe they warp because of the higher heat. Just a thought.

[junietoo]

Since I'm generally a gearhead kitchenware owner, I've tried several different kinds of sheets: air cushioned, professional jelly roll (with four sides), heavy stainless sheets (just one side for grabbing) and the Ekco jelly roll pans you can get in the grocery store.

Ever since I bought the heavy stainless sheets, I use them almost exclusively with parchment. If I'm making a delicate cookie where I don't want the bottom to brown, like amaretti, I'll use the air cushion sheets. Otherwise, I don't use them much anymore for the same reason everyone else mentioned here: they don't brown the cookie bottoms -- I like browned cookies.

Has anyone tried the All-Clan bakeware yet? It looks nice, but I'm not convinced they're worth the price -- we're talking cookies and brownies here, not cioppino or risotto.

[schuh]

I guess I'm the lone dissenter...

I hate my air bake cookie sheets. They are not nonstick, bake unevenly, do not sit levelly, and take cookies longer to cook. I rarely use them.

The Pampered Chef baking stones are also tricky, as they do not cool off like cookie sheets do. So cookies don't "set" when you leave them on the baking stone for 5 minutes, as many recipes call for. The end result is that you have to take the cookies off the stone when they are still quite gooey, and the cookies lose their shape when you put a spatula under them. They also sag between the wires on a cooling rack. The next dilemma is the second batch of cookies -- you don't want to put them on a hot stone, but if you rinse it under cold water it will crack. The obvious answer is to use parchment, which seems to defeat the nonstick property of the stone, and also is difficult to eyeball when you only have a round stone! The only exception to this that I've found is spritz cookies, which seem to do better on the stone for some reason but still have the dilemma of the second batch.

I personally like my Wilton non-stick cookie sheet just fine. When that goes, I'm going to invest in really good "professional" cookie sheets.

I am a big fan of parchment and haven't invested in a silpat yet(those are also "future buy" list). I can agree with everyone, though, that the cooking sprays really mess up cookie sheets.

[This message has been edited by schuh (edited 03-31-2001).]

[Sara Emily]

I use either parchment or Silpat on heavy duty metal baking sheets, but want to pose an additional question. I heard that the non-stick effect of the Silpat will eventually wear out. Anyone have a reasonable estimate on how many times in the oven it might take to wear one out??

[Grace]

I have to agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY with Chefmom!! Sheet pans all the way. I read articles in Cook's Illustrated and elsewhere that showed shiny (not dark or non-stick) produced the best cookies.

I have had problems with the cooking sprays ruining my old cheap (i.e, Ekco brand) cookie sheets (and those always warped, too), but I have not had any problem at all with the big thick half sheet pans. I saw them in a 3 pack at Costco too, but I got mine from a restaurant supply outlet store. Anyway, as someone who bakes more than I do anything else, I have to say go with the heavy, professional grade half sheet pans! You won't be sorry, and they'll last forever (for all of you who say they have to replace theirs often!)

[chefbec]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by schuh:

The Pampered Chef baking stones are also tricky, as they do not cool off like cookie sheets do. So cookies don't "set" when you leave them on the baking stone for 5 minutes, as many recipes call for. The end result is that you have to take the cookies off the stone when they are still quite gooey, and the cookies lose their shape when you put a spatula under them. They also sag between the wires on a cooling rack. The next dilemma is the second batch of cookies -- you don't want to put them on a hot stone, but if you rinse it under cold water it will crack. The obvious answer is to use parchment, which seems to defeat the nonstick property of the stone, and also is difficult to eyeball when you only have a round stone! The only exception to this that I've found is spritz cookies, which seem to do better on the stone for some reason but still have the dilemma of the second batch.

Just wanted to set the record straight here for anyone having trouble using Pampered Chef flat stones for cookies. They work like a charm IF you use them properly. When you bake the first batch of cookies (on a room temp. stone), leave them in for an extra 5-10 minutes than the recipe says until they look fully baked, then place the stone on a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, the cookies will come right off if baked properly. You can then immediately scoop the next batch of cookies right onto the hot stone. They will start to heat up, but that's okay! Then bake every batch after the first the regular time the recipe says.

[Chefmom]

For those wondering about Silpat mats, yes the non-stick will eventually wear out. I remember the number was 1500 uses when I first was introduced to Silpats around '95 and I have now heard the number around 2000.
But...I purchase silpats and bulk parchment paper from Bridge Kitchenware. www.bridgekitchenware.com (http://www.bridgekitchenware.com)

I buy 80 sheets of parchment and cut the sheet in half to fit my half sheet pans.

160 sheets = $7.00 add $1 for shipping (I always order several things to make shipping worth it) so, $8.00 by 160 sheets is $ .05 per sheet. Each sheet averages 4 uses. Some get more, some less. So it's about $ .01666 per sheet.

A Silpat is $20 (17.95 + 2.00 average shipping) and gets about 2000 uses. That is $ .01 per use. Who knows how long it will take to get that many uses, or it might last longer. When you break it down, a silpat is cheaper and it bakes BEAUTIFUL cookies.

My sugar cookies is where I notice the biggest difference. The bottoms look perfect, smooth and evenly browned. Also they don't "puff" in the center, but raise evenly and brown PERFECTLY even.

I buy a silpat a year for my pans, Sometimes Bridge Kitchenware has specials, and so I jump on that. Even though I love my silpats, I will never give up parchment, it has many other uses in the kitchen as well. The silpats are for cookies only.

You CAN bake without it, and now parchment is easier to purchase (I still like the bulk sheets though), but I will stand behind silpats all the way!!

Tami

[junietoo]

Tami: Oooooo -- I think I love Bridge Kitchenware. They have the 8x3 inch removable bottomed pan I need for Julia Childs' Ruffle Cake (I've been improvising.)

But, I didn't see parchment. Did you order it from them? And, shipping is $7.50 for all ordered under 30 lbs -- not bad by industry standards these days, and if you're ordering a lot of light pans (I want the pullman bread pan, too.) But, it's not the $1 you indicated in your post.

Barbara

[SusanT]

See if your local restaurant supply company sells to the public. I bought half sheet pans for $4.50 each that are the best pans I've ever owned!