I read so many negative comments below, so I wanted to leave mine. I believe that every person who prepares should prepare their workplace perfectly, I did not understand the importance of this until I went to these guys on courses https://www.culinarylabschool.com/, having worked with professional culinary devices, I can assure you that without them the life of any cook will be a living hell :(
1
How do you keep it from splattering the oven all to heck? I can't find a oven splatter guard for roasting. Anyone have any ideas?
I have a really good heavy stainless steel skillet that works just fine in the oven for dinner for two. With a trivet and a towel wrapped around the hot handle it makes a fine serving platter as well. Out of the oven, onto the stove top and into the dining room. We have a well equipped small kitchen and we have been filling it for 50 years and my wife has announce that one more pot and it goes out of the window. I have given up on ever getting an electric pressure cooker without having to toss the bread machine. Four steel pans? Insanity.
1
@Sheldon Bunin
LOL!
I just have the large sheet pans, but will probably buy some of the quarter sized ones. But as for cleaning (no dishwasher here, so they're only hand-washed) I too often use parchment paper, or sometimes line them with foil. Even so, things leak, sauces get burned or something causes discolorations, so I use "Bar Keeper's Friend Cookware" (the one in the silver can). The original Bar Keeper's Friend in the gold can works okay, but my pans look better when I use the cookware one. Sometimes have to use a steel-wool product on the edges and corners, but not too often. My pans are probably 10-12 years old, and other than a few scratches, and a shadow where I set one on a hot burner, they look great. I wonder if the quarter-sizes will be as resistant to warping as the full sized ones? Will look for them at the local restaurant supply store.
3
With all we know and espouse about good food, good health and the global impact of feeding the world, I expect at least one vegan/vegetarian option in a food article of this depth.
4
Yes - and I'm not even a vegetarian but I eat that way many days of the week for pleasure. C'mon NYT.
1
Eliminate the chicken, sausage or pork chops- voila! Vegetarian.
7
I've never had a dishwasher so cleaning pans is not that big a deal. However, I thought the whole purpose of sheet pan cookery WAS to mesh all those fats and flavors together. I guess it's nice to keep "improving" but I see this as an over-complication of what should be a straightforward, easy way to whip out a tasty meal. If I need something smaller than a sheet pan, there's always the 9x13 pans laying around. Nobody seems to measure them so I'm safe!
5
You do mean, cookie sheets, right?
6
We live, full-time, in an RV where space is at a premium. We exercised a delete option for a small gas oven when we bought our rig, and got an electric Breville mini-oven instead. It is large enough to do a 12" pizza or accommodate a quarter-sheet pan. I have both a flat sheet and a rimmed sheet, and find them very convenient for tasks like roasting brussels sprouts or cooking chicken breasts. I also have an Instant Pot which handles the other dishes simultaneously. Having the right tools makes dinner preparation so much easier!
5
I have 4 quarts sheet pans and have for years. They are the perfect size for our family of 3. I cook pretty much everything that goes in the oven on them, with one reserved for desserts.
As far as cleaning -- eh, over time, they develop a patina of suppers past. Just make sure that there's some oil or fat in whatever you roast to minimize sticking and use some Bon Ami to scrub if you feel it's icky.
4
I find that cooking chicken on a sheet pan dries it out more. There's something about the higher walls of a roasting pan that makes it juicier. Also cooking chicken on too high a heat dries it out.
2
Are you adjusting the cook time when using sheet pan vs. roasting pan?
Because there is more air around the meat, the cook time needs to be shorter in the sheet pan than in a roasting pan.
5
Cleaning these things is a real problem. What about foil lining? Just another hassle to deal with. Put them in the oven on high heat, then scrape off the charcoal? All sounds like a real hassle.
1
The photographs are not of quarter sheet pans. Round pans do not measure 9 by 12.
4
That's a plate.
The pan can be seen to the right of it.
5
Oh dear.
6
Pigs are intelligent animals, and the smell of pork is revolting to me. Cows are gentle giants from my experience with them. I don't agree with the American hamburger, fast food culture. It's not healthy, and eating their flesh is wrong, and unnecessary. It can become an un-acquired taste if you look for tasty, vegetarian alternatives.
4
yaaaas.
2
Something tells me that if we all became vegans you would just find something else to lecture us about. I think we'll all be happy to bow to your moral superiority if you'll just agree to stop hectoring us.
16
Wow, you call that hectoring? It's 5 sentences. It's one person's response to the article. No less valid than any other.
5
I use mine to make flatbread pizzas... Makes it really easy and fast.
Does anyone know of a good stainless steel sheet pan?
1
I love the quarter sheet pans and have several. Beside using them in the oven, they fit nicely in the toaster oven, too. I buy the "Nordic Ware Toaster Oven 2-Piece Broiler Set". It includes a broiling rack that fits inside the pan.
1
Martha Stewart used to sell them from her online store. I bought a couple maybe 10 years ago. You might check there.
@ct I recommend visiting some restaurant supply stores. I cook for a living and buy most of my cooking equipment (for my home kitchen) at these stores. There is always more variety + items tend to be more affordable!
I need this 1/4 sized sheet pan like I need a hole in the head....
4
love that expression
1
In fact, you really do need several holes in your head. You need them to breathe, eat, drink and smell and to cradle your eyeballs. I can live without a sheet pan, but I can't imagine not having any holes in my head.
5
What's with all this nonsense about oaky wines being something to be avoided? Is 'non-oaky, maybe even steely' the new, millennial 'thing?' Its nice being in my 7th decade and knowing better.
3
I think the hatred for oaky Chardonnays started when they were artificially enhanced in about the 1980's. They were fake and they tasted fake. A good oak age, in a real oak barrel, is great.
I realized years ago that oak-y white wines tended to give me a headache before I could finish the glass. Even the scent of most chardonnays make my forehead start to hurt, so I stick with sauvignon blanc, pinot gris or grigio. It could be a learned response, but I know other people have the same symptoms. At least if I get a headache, it's usually the next morning, not within ten minutes.
I have 3 quarter-sheet pans and use them on a daily basis--could not do without.
I recommend Nordic Ware because they are sturdy and durable. I do not put them in the dishwasher. It always shocks me when I see the greasy, black condition of the pans in these articles because my pans do not look like that. If I am going to cook something I know will be messy, I put down aluminum foil. However, for things like baking croissants, a good scrub gets them clean.
One of the best things about the Nordic Ware quarter sheets is they sell an optional hard plastic cover. I make Texas sheet cake in this pan, which is perfect to take to picnics and tailgates. The covers are very handy when I transport the cakes.
13
@MadelineConant - None of these pots and pans should go in the dishwasher.
1
Can't remember when I last turned on the gas stove or oven.
I follow the Bachelor's Cookbook, a very brief tome, only one page;
"Microwave until warm...!"
4
I did that for years (decades) as well. Then a friend hand-over-handed me with sheet pans and various foods, in the oven at 400 degrees. Eventually (I am a slow learner, lots of resistance), she sold me on the oven. It has turned out to be well worth overcoming my resistance. One result: I don't own a microwave anymore (no moral implications implied). Yes, takes on average thirty minutes instead of two minutes for the stuff I cook, but the caramelized result is what my microwave simply can't deliver.
4
That's so sad.
1
I agree with those who say they miss the Melissa Clark videos. Get NYT to sponsor a TV show for you, Melissa!
12
What are the recommendations from Wirecutter? A link in the article would be helpful.
4
This is genious!
I never cook on sheet pans without lining them with foil. Sometimes two sheets. It doesn't take long to permanently ruin the surface.
11
I agree, that sheet pan with the pork chop on it will never be clean. My dishwasher takes the finish off of the sheet pans, so I have to wash them by hand. They are still great tools, but I try to use aluminum foil when possible.
2
I use parchment paper to line my sheet pans.
15
Amen sister... all these negative comments... jeez. As a bakery owner, sheet pans and parchment are our friends! Indispensable. Of course, the full size and half size are great for our commercial use, I too, picked up the quarter ones for display and home use. They are used daily, for so many uses...setting up coffee stations, condiments, etc...as well as the pleasure of cooking with them. I find any little tip like this a game changer. Keep them coming. I've shared this article w all my family and friends that value "good tips". Great wedding shower gifts w/ parchment or hotpads. Great way to start up a kitchen. Thanks so much!
22
Use parchment paper. You have almost no clean-up and you can compost it when you’re done.
28
I have a heavy aluminum sheet pan (not non-stick) that is about 9x12. I received it as a wedding shower gift almost 50 years ago. I use it for everything! I'm sure this author believes she has discovered a wonderful thing, but there's nothing quite like an old cook with lots of experience!! My pan has a slotted broiler insert also so when I say everything, I mean it ;-)
12
I have a whole bunch of these but I just called them "cookie sheets" all these years. Blue Apron and Hello Fresh focus on roasting vegetables to the exclusion of all other methods. Color me less than excited.
14
Thank you for saying it. I thought I was going crazy.
12
@Sherrod Shiveley
Cookie sheets and sheet pans are different animals
3
Rather than go out and buy a quarter sheet pan, I was able to figure out how I could use 1/4th of my full-size pan. #ingenuity
14
I just use roasting pans, I don't know what the big deal is about sheet pans. And I don't line anything with foil or parchment paper. I simply scrub it when I'm done cooking. I don't have a stand mixer, or a cuisinart, or a bread maker. I have a wooden spoon, a knife, a large bowl, and my own hands. I prefer to work a little when I cook, and I think back to how my ancestors did the same tasks.
4
Lucky you to have an oven that fits a full size sheet pan, which most home ovens will not.
how do you cook 2 things that require different cook times?
2
Not one photo of the cool thing, Melissa?
8
It's in all three pictures.
3
OK, Melissa, we get it. My mother used sheet pans in the 60s. It is not a technique you invented, and it annoys me that the Times allows you to hawk your sheetpan cookbook so often. It seems unethical.
27
tp — I, for one, value Ms Clark’s recipes and tips. And I hope they will continsue coming, groundbreaking and original or not. Not all of us starch our aprons,
23
What is the big deal about sheet pan meals? Honestly, people are carrying on as if it was invented last year. This is really a new concept to some people?
21
Yes. There are a lot of people who are learning new things about cooking. Also, articles such as this share ideas that maybe one hasn't thought of in some time.
23
I use half-sheet pans and quarter-sheet pans all the time. They are my go-to kitchen workhorses.
Tips:
Buy good quality heavy-gauge aluminum without a nonstick finish, which may be unhealthful and which will not withstand high-heat convection or the broiler. Vollrath is great.
If you care about discoloration, never put aluminum into the dishwasher. (I myself long ago gave up on keeping anything I use for roasting pretty.)
A simple stainless-steel baking rack in coordinating size can be useful when you want to lift your food above the pan surface.
Some commenters complain that high-heat roasting of meats or well-oiled veggies in the oven leads to splatter inside the oven. That's true, but it's easier to clean the oven periodically than to watch that same splatter build up in your kitchen and then try to deal with airborne grease residue everywhere.
Some commenters are irked that this feature includes animal protein recipes. I'm not sure why, as the NYT is not a vegetarian publication. However, please know that sheet pan roasting is great for vegetables alone – – caramelized roasted vegetables are delicious, and even child-friendly (as long as you start early).
27
Amen! I use my quarter sheet pans in so many different ways, both sweet and savory. I’ve made everything from one-pan roasted meals to pizza to cookies to bake sale bars. They work both in my stove’s oven as well as in my large counter-top oven. I own two new-ish and quite heavy, made-in-USA brand, non-stick that are a breeze to hand wash; no dishwasher!
5
The second best thing- parchment paper. Line the pan with paper, and the food will cook better AND there will be no mess to clean up.
23
In a feature about sheet pans... can we please see the sheet pan?
63
Yes!
4
yes please! I love these recipes, but can we see what it looks like? Is it different from the cookie sheet pan, shallow roasting pan?
https://www.jbprince.com/sheet-pans/standard-18-gauge-1-2-sheet-pn.asp?m...
Not necessarily recommending this brand—it's the first page that came up on Google. But this is all you need. The quarter sheets look just like this only smaller.
Any thickness or brand recommendation?
6
I love my two USA Pans (from Amazon) that are non-stick. Handwash only but very easy to clean.
1
Yeah, but I DO NOT want to wash that pan. This dinner doesn't look worth the mess.
4
Sheet pans! I have one half sheet and two quarters. I use parchment paper or foil on them and NEVER put them in the dishwasher - maybe it's time?
5
After watching "Babe" with my kids, it's hard to think of eating slices of pigs. Even the ones not in movies are playful and intelligent.
6
I agree. At the Fryeburg fair in Maine there was a barn filled with pigs. Mom pigs surrounded by squealing, playful piglets: each pen filled with piglets of different ages. If I remember correctly, there were posters on the wall showing how to cook them.
Then in the goat shed, the pens were occupied by 2 goats of various breeds.
In one pen there was one goat jumping up at the pen barrier and looking out VERY worried. I could see that its mate was being milked. I started talking to the goat in a calm reassuring manner. “Don’t worry, your friend will be back soon, it’s okay” and so on.
That goat looked directly into my eyes and calmed down.
Also, my dentist told me that he and his wife have a hobby farm. He told me that goats are very intelligent and affectionate. The baby goats jump into his wife’s lap to be cuddled.
8
I agree; the smaller size sheet pan has a multitude of uses.
Want to point out that it's worth seeking out a heavier-weight pan than the ones you typically see in Department stores. A solid, well-made pan is a pleasure to use, and you don't want your pan flexing with you're pulling a tray with hot grease out of the oven!
A restaurant supply store, either physical or on-line, will have much sturdier pans and may even be cheaper than the department store offerings.
12
Definitely an item that would change my weeknights into dishwashing nightmares. I'm sure it's nice to have a dishwasher and that caveat should be at the top. There is still a cohort of us out there for whom "easy to clean (by hand)" is more important than "makes cooking easy" in predicting whether a kitchen item will make our lives easier.
6
I've had eight quarter sheet pans in my kitchen for several years now, and my spouse had the same reaction when I brought them home. She's completely changed her opinion after a month of use not just due to the fact that they have SO much utility and are easy to handle in so many situations, but because we use parchment paper when we aren't cooking with high heat or the broiler to reduce the need to wash. And even hand washing these pans is still easier than cleaning a heavy cast-iron pan (which is the best option, IMO).
9
The sheet pans aren't actually hard to clean at all. Especially if you don't put them in dishwasher (which somehow actually makes them harder to clean - ruins the finish I guess?) - I use mine - 1/2 and 1/4 sheets - all the time, and they wash up quick, even if they 'look' like they won't. - I generally don't use parchment or foil when doing sheet pan suppers - as things don't brown as well. Once in a while I may have to soak them a little bit, but usually not. These pans - and this technique is a wonderful time-saver, and the key to many quick, delicious meals. Love. Them.
2
Bought the Breville oven, then the quarter sheet pans. I have four that fit perfectly on top of the oven. From this two old people can happily enjoy many small meals and sheet cakes, and yes, they make great cookie sheets. There are, drum roll here, silpat sheets for quarter sheet pans. Lilliputian cookware for two little people.
21
Done the same. Works perfect. The Breville pans (that come with the oven) are high quality and can be used with a broiler etc in very high heat in any oven. I sometimes use my old toaster oven pans all at once in my big oven.
6
I got my Breville oven and two quarter-sheet pans a year ago since there are only two of us in this household, too. I really love that cleanup is so much faster with the small pans and the small oven; that the kitchen stays much, much cooler when baking and roasting compared to when I run the large oven (which is helpful in Florida); and that a cooler kitchen means less use of the air conditioner. I've used my regular oven only once since the Breville took up residence, to cook the Thanksgiving turkey.
7
Ha Ha -- I use my big oven to keep my house warm in winter!
Next challenge, M. Lyon: Do Thanksgiving dinner in the Breville! I remodeled my home through the winter; yet I brought my normal contributions to Thanksgiving and Christmas, done in the Breville. It's a better roaster for small portions than a big roaster so I use mine daily. It is also great for baking! It's nice to bake small batches of cookies daily.
4
In most middle eastern stores, you can buy deep sided aluminum pans (about 2-3 inches high). They come in different sizes. The smallest are usually 12 inches wide, the largest the size of an extra large pizza. They are used for kneading and baking. As I realized recently, however, they are great to use as sheet pans. On a Sunday night a couple of weeks ago, I roasted a whole fish, a couple of red skinned potatoes, and a pear for a one-pan dinner. They are a steal, too. Because they are made from aluminum, they do react with acidic foods, so, if you are going to roast tomatoes, line the bottom with foil or parchment paper.
7
Great article Melissa. I discovered the utility of these pans a few years ago and wondered why they weren’t more ubiquitous. Top tip - put four of these to work for your fantastic salad of roasted vegetables with lentils. With each veg on a separate quarter-sheet, each can come out of the oven when it is perfectly cooked.
1
I miss thee videos by Melissa Clark. Please bring them back.
37
I find it stunning that intelligent people are focused on sheet pans. However did I manage as the working divorced mother of three kids, with a few of my mom's discarded kitchen items and a few pans I picked up at second hand stores? What a fatuous time we live in.
30
I watch YouTube videos of street vendors in Asia cooking fabulous food with one dented pan and a knife. I would bet, though, that given the opportunity to replace the dented pan with top-of-the-line cookware, they would jump on it.
Good quality cookware doesn’t make a good cook, but it is soooo much easier to cook in a professional pan, don’t you think?
11
Goodness — what a comment. As a single mom who is always moving fast to make dinner for child and elderly parents, I find that a variety of sheet pans in different sizes helps me get dinner on the table quickly. Nothing beats roasted veggies. I’m always open to good suggestions and would not shut someone down for offering one.
53
No doubt.
One can get anywhere on a bicycle. What times we live in that people discuss automobiles.
23
Does "Bake King"strike a chord?
I still use my decades-old, well-seasoned Bake King pans, rightly peddled as "The King of Baking," on a daily basis for oven cookery.
I bought a "real" commercial-kitchen quarter-sheet pan--heavy. lovely stainless steel--several years ago for just this kind of cooking. Thought I'd let the Bake Kings gracefully retire.
As it happened, the Bake Kings won out, hands down. The expensive quarter-sheet pan is now used, end-up, to protect an end table in the living room from the hot air vent.
Long reign Bake King!
10
Knowledgeable people don't eat animals - due to environmental, health, and humane concerns. The featured "pork chop" was previously a sentient being who was smarter than your dog.
31
You've never met my dog...
8
Knowledgeable people don't tell others what to eat.
23
Knowledgeable people eat animals every day. They even enjoy eating those sentient beings who are smarter than your dog. You may not agree with their choice but it is their choice. If you do not want to eat animals, then don’t.
19
I bake and steam quite a lot, and prefer ceramic or glass forms. They look nice on the table and can go into the dishwasher. I also use quite a lot of cast iron if something needs to go on the stove top as well - I have an induction stove.
3
Glass and ceramic are wonderful, but they do not work for high heat roasting finished off under the broiler perhaps. There is a role for a metal sheet. Roasting finished off by broiling provides a degree of caramelization (as long as you don't crowd the food) that baking does not.
Different strokes ...
4
Several several years ago Melissa Clark wrote an article about the necessity of a half sheet pan. I got an inexpensive one and it’s been a staple of my kitchen since, but it’s sometimes bigger than I need. My next purchase will be a quarter sheet pan.
5
Quarter Sheet pans are my go to tray and counter saver. I use them as a catch all when canning to hold the spoons, ladles and bubble poppers when filling canning jars with chutney or soup. I use them to catch chopped vegetables and carry them When doing a big dinner with all burners going one of them is a multi-spoon rest. And at the end of Sunday cooking prep, I use one to carry my cup. teapot and milk pitcher to the TV room for a session of Masterpiece on PBS. The perfect tool. Not too big, not too small...but always hand wash.
11
Thank you for the great suggestions! I'll definitely put one on my sixth burner next time I've got the other five going strong!
2
I use pizza pans the same way. 12" and built to handle high temperatures.
9
I've been doing this for years.
1
I liked this idea, in theory, but after having cooked chicken and pork chops on a sheet pan, there is a lot of greasy splatter inside the oven and I'm not going to be cooking any more meat this way. Vegetables, yes.
11
@Juliet Jones Would a splatter shield minimize that problem? Remove any plastic handle inserts first. Note to self: look for rectangular screen devices.
1
Not sure what material Melissa's sheet pans are made of - by far the most common and affordable ones on the market (and in pro kitchens) are made of aluminum. But when you put those in the dishwasher they don't fare well - they get dull and scratched. I always wash by hand, and line with parchment paper when baking and roasting if something is especially messy or sticky.
13
Yes, the article's mention of putting sheet pans in the dishwasher is just WRONG. Don't do that. And parchment paper is a good idea, but silicon sheets (e.g., Silpat) are even better.
10
Exactly what I was thinking. You can’t put aluminum in the dishwasher. The bleach-type detergent pits aluminum pans and other dishware. I’m not sure how they’d actually get clean with bits of chicken, skins or vegetables stuck to them. I love my sheet pans that double as cookie sheets and use them all the time but I hand wash them. A quarter sheet, by the way, is a perfect fit in for a Breville Smart Oven. Once you have a Breville you won’t believe how you lived without it.
1
I also use mine in my freezer. They fit perfectly in my side-by-side, and are useful for freezing soups, chili, and spagetti sauce in zipper lock bags. Then the frozen bags lie flat and take up less space.
19
Me, too!
Then I have a "library" of soups and stews and chilies lined up vertically on the top shelf of my basement freezer to enjoy all winter long.
I recommend 2-gallon Ziploc bags for larger amounts. These require use of a half-sheet pan for the freezing step, however. A quarter-sheet works for 1 gallon Ziploc bags.
3
They are also great for freezing berries. Wash the berries, blot them on paper towels, spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and put in the freezer for a few hours. Pour them into a freezer bag and they stay individually frozen and easy to use all year.
1
Cast iron skillet serves as well and once seasoned is a breeze to clean.
11
I love my cast-iron skillet, but the higher edge impedes airflow and caramelization to some extent in high temperature roasting.
3
Another way to avoid grease is to put your cookie cooling rack in your sheet pan. Place your meal on top of the cooling rack and the grease drips in the pan and not all over your vegetables.
2
But it still spatters...
3
Wow. What an insightful piece! How about just save the roasting pans that come with every toaster oven you've ever owed.
16
My thoughts EXACTLY! Seriously, this is not one of Melissa Clark's brightest lessons. My husband and I have five toaster-oven pans dating back over 20 years. I've even saved all the little wire racks. Those little pans are the best! I use them every night. Nothing new here.
3
I actually think it is helpful, actually.
How about considering that I don't own a toaster oven and never have?
Regardless, though, the piece is about the utility of a pan of that size and I liked some of her suggestions.
7
Many of us have never owned a toaster oven, much less a succession of them.
5
Can someone clue me in here? Exactly what kind of sheet pans is Melissa referring to? I have a couple of heavy duty aluminum quarter sheet pans that I bought in a restaurant supply store, but I can't imagine that meats and veggies would really brown in them. And if they're used for high-temp roasting, how do you get them really clean? And if you use non-stick aluminum foil to protect the pans, how does that affect browning? The glimpses of sheet pans in the photos look more like cast iron, but cast iron wouldn't go into the dishwasher. It would be really helpful if a link, or some specific examples of good quality sheet pans could be mentioned.
21
I put no pans in the dishwasher -- and I use Brillo or SOS to clean them all. I'm neurotic enough that I cannot abide cooked on brown grease even if it's "clean" so every thing that was cooked with oil gets scrubbed. Rubber gloves are my best friend. Foil helps, and doesn't impede browning, but there are still splatters, and tears that still get the pan dirty.
11
So, the pans cost $10. If they get so groddy that I just can't bear them, I donate them. But that hasn't happened yet. I am too old and life is too short to worry about burnt on gunk on kitchen pans.
10
I have given up on getting them superclean. My mother, aunt and grandmother are spinning in their graves. They kept their kitchens in a pristine condition of readiness for potential home invasion by a team of Good Housekeeping photographers, day or night. I have become a disgrace to their legacy.
I just wash the sheet pans I roast with (baking is for different sheet pans) with dish soap and make sure there's no "three-dimensional" residue stuck on them, then I let it go. I've been happier since I lowered my standards. I now regard the polymerized grease residue as a sort of "seasoning" on the roasting sheet. It's taken me four decades of daily cooking to get here, however.
5
These comments are so great with their wealth of information and humor, I almost forgot what Melissa Clark's article was about. Thanks everyone for the education and the laughter.
39
Sometimes a little nudge or tip is needed to make people see even the obvious. This piece provided that nudge for me. Thanks.
Ironically, I picked up a set of three cooking sheets at Costco a few months ago to replace my old ones which had become difficult to clean. The only sheet pans they had came in wrapped sets of three: two large (‘normal’) ones and a smaller one about 9 X 12 inches. I remember thinking about the smaller one that was a waste of a pan – I’ll never use it. It even annoyed me, because when storing things in my small kitchen I usually stack things on top of the sheet pans. A smaller sheet nested within the larger ones would cause things on top to stack unevenly or rock.
Now, it’s the only pan I use. For one or two, there really isn’t a need for the big ones. But I hadn’t thought of getting a second or third and splitting up preparation of a meal by cooking each thing on separate sheets. And they store much easier than the large ones. I’ll move my large, unused ones to the basement for chores or tasks where a rimmed sheet will come in handy (e.g., cleaning things with solvents, etc.). Or give them to Goodwill. This is a great idea and thanks again for it and the recipes.
12
Agree, agree, agree! I also got my quarter-sheet in a set, and was dubious. But I love that little thing, and recently bought a second because it is so versatile and inexpensive. Honestly, I get a burst of satisfaction every time I pull it from the cupboard (taking no room at all, stored vertically, inside the larger half-sheet). It's so easy to handle compared to a half-sheet, and can be lined with a small piece of foil for roasting diced sweet potatoes or a salmon filet. I have used two at once for better circulation and different timing, but hadn't thought of four... Nordic Ware, here I come! Great article, Melissa, and thanks for the recipes.
6
How about a bunch of good recipes for vegetarian dinners? With health conscious carnivores eating more vegetarian meals it would be helpful if the cook did not have to always go on an extra search for health recipes. 'When all else fails, add pork fat', should not be our motto.
11
We routinely roast vegetables on sheet pans (usually just with olive oil and garlic, sometimes with thyme or other fresh herbs). The vegetables you roast depend on the season - root vegetables/broccoli in cold weather - spring onions/asparagus and so on during warm. You don't need a recipe - just time things so that you add the quicker cooking veggies after the slower ones (whether you're using one sheet pan or two).
7
For delicious healthy recipes that take under 30 min total, 10 ingredients or less, & vegan, go to Minimalist Baker.
My roasting guidelines, though not perfect.
I wash or scrub with a designated veggie sponge/scrubby in a basin of warm water & white vinegar. Dry on clean towel. Peel as needed, cut into bite-sized pieces. I place cut vegetables in a large tupperware with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder (if using fresh crushed, add in last 10 min of roasting) & sometimes additional seasonings. Pour onto sheet pan, give a squeeze of lemon.
Soft veggies (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, red radish, cabbage, zucchini, brussels sprouts):
350 for 20-25 min
400 for 15-20 min
450 for 12-15 min
Hard veggies (potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnip, squashes-not summer). Remember to flip midway through:
350 for 40-45 min
400 for 35-40 min
450 for 30-35 min
NOTE: During prep, I fill tupperwares with the stems, ends, peels, seeds, & greens that many throw away & place in freezer. Every weekend, I take out the tupperwares & any veggies that have not been eaten yet that will soon spoil. Make a pot of all-day stock with lots of garlic, some basil, & a few dried mushrooms from the pantry. It smells great while doing my weekend chores & I use it the following week for cooking rice, adding to pasta water for flavor, or in chilis & stews. If it's a really good mix of veggies, then I use it for noodle bowls. Then compost the veggies. NO WASTE!!
30
DUH????
Love Melissa Clark, but... seriously? A whole article devoted to the aha moment of figuring out a smaller baking sheet is superior to a big one when cooking several different items for a meal? Common sense seems to be a rare quality these days.
Disappointing, to say the least.
17
I recently saw a Facebook post by a 35 year old acquaintance: "Bought my own bed. #ADULTING!!" Same audience this article is aimed at.
11
But didn't you like all the full photos of the quarter sheet pans? Melissa is always so thoughtful and thorough when he tries to inform us of things. ....
1
But the pictures don't show the sheet pans! Or maybe you meant that ironically?
1
I have a GLASS! sheet pan
Love her recipes, including these (esp. the chicken).
1
Is anyone else amused by the title, "The One Item That Will Change Your Week-Night Cooking?" Leave aside that high quality sheet pans -- of whatever size -- are very useful tools. But basically, Melissa is advising cooks to use two smaller pans rather than one large one. (Perhaps some of you recall when the advice was to use one large sheet pan to avoid having to use -- and wash -- two during the week.) This reminds me of when I was a child and "crudités" were all the rage. Every time my mother would see that word she would sniff, enunciate it with exaggerated emphasis, and say, "Crudités - hah! I remember when they were called carrot and celery sticks!" Similarly, I remember when putting two pans in an oven rather than one was not cause for an entire column (with all due respect to Melissa Clark, whose columns and cookbooks I generally enjoy).
18
I'm amused that nowhere in an article that is all about quarter-sheet pans, there is not a single full photo of the item!
107
"Every time my mother would see that word she would sniff, enunciate it with exaggerated emphasis, and say, 'Crudités - hah! I remember when they were called carrot and celery sticks!'"
I remember my mom saying something similar, but her tray of carrots, radishes, celery, and olives (the big ones that would fit even on your thumbs) were called a "relish tray". I'd ask how come there wasn't any relish on it, which didn't go over very well with her.
1
i buy these pans at restaurant supply stores. Sometimes they have "seconds' for very little cost. They do turn ugly when put in the dishwasher. They size is so handy for my family of two.
2
My wife and I probably use sheet pans ever day of the week. We buy them at the local dollar store and while they may not last as long as more expensive variety they serve the purpose. We will line them with foil on occasion, depends on what we're cooking.
4
But, have youi tired the Reynolds NON-stick aluminum foil to line those pans? Godsend. And then you wrap up the other half in the same foil.
10
Why are these not called HALF pans. They are certainly not QUARTER pans which would be about 4”x 6”.
1
You use 18x26-inch full-size sheet pans in big commercial ovens - they're too big for standard home ovens. Then down one size are half-sheet pans, 13x18", and below that are these cute little quarter sheet pans, 13x9 (or 12x9 as Melissa says). That's as small as they get with that low-rimmed rectangular format.
25
A full-size sheet pan is 26 by 18 inches. A 9 by 13 pan is precisely a quater of that size. Most people don't own full-size sheet pans; they are designed for commercial bakery ovens.
3
A full sized sheet pan is 18 x 26 inches, designed to fit into a restaurant oven. A half sheet pan is the 13 x 18 rimmed pans that most home cooks have. And the quarter sheet pan is half of that.
I have been using quarter sheet pans for about 20 years or more. Buy the heavy duty ones and they will last forever and you will find yourself using them often. They also fit perfectly into most toaster ovens or the Breville countertop oven for when you don't need all the room of your regular oven.
Another good use for them is to maximize your oven use. When I am using the oven or the grill, there is often extra space and I like to not waste it. So I fill it up with other foods for the rest of the week. I tuck some garlic to roast here and a small pan of beets to roast there, and then I use my small sheet pans to perhaps roast a few chicken thighs for a chicken salad and for roast vegetables that wind up in my salads, sandwiches and for breakfast along with a runny egg and some greens.
22
What gauge are these pans? Sheet pans for sale online seem to vary greatly, with some appearing to be no more than glorified cookie pans. What gauge does one order to get a pan sturdy enough to roast chops?
15
I love Vollrath. I use the commercial-weight aluminum, without any nonstick coating. My older ones must be 20 now, and they are still serving me well.
2
Am I the only one who doesn’t mind hand washing things? Putting crusty, greasy sheet pans in the dishwasher is inefficient, since you’ll likely have to prewash the things anyway. Single-use, non-stick foil is so non-eco it makes me grind my teeth just thinking about it. All you need to clean even the crustiest pan is hot water, soap, a period of soaking, and maybe some Bonami scrub. It’s not complicated.
78
Baking soda works as well as Bon Ami, especially on the burnt on stuff, and is considerably cheaper.
7
Steel wool -- pre-soaped -- like SOS or Brillo -- brilliant to clean pans with. If it's really nasty I soak w/ baking soda, water, and 1 T ammonia. Cleans in seconds.
No, you are not alone:-)
2
Jeez. So much MEAT. Chickens, pigs, cows...endless.
I hate the name Voracious for a food pub. It's like gluttony, cruelty and foodism mashed together, reckless in their disregard of compassion, environment, and common sense.
14
I think the keto and zero carb movement might make you cry. Why do you think you have canines?
5
Um, most mammals have canines. Not all mammals are carnivores or omnivores. Many are herbivores. Cases in point - the gorilla and the camel.
That "justification" has been proven to only serve as a means to enable people to feel morally justified to repeat futile or nefarious behavior.
Our necks are too weak, our mouths are too small, and OMG, we would break a nail if we tried to restrain our live prey. Canines have nothing to do with why humans "choose" to eat meat.
1
Petunia, this is kind of off point. You can use your kitchen equipment to make only veggies.
And I'm not sure that this kind of post will persuade any non-vegetarian to join your cause. There are so many better and more effective ways to promote a reduction in meat-eating.
Gently educate and inspire by examples! Derision and castigation only divide us further.
5
Looking at the crusty pan with pork chop. Did she consider using parchment paper? I cannot live without it. Cleanup is easy and pans don't get so blackened.
55
I don't use parchment paper except for baking because I think it inhibits the Maillard reaction.
1
Sorry to nitpick, but in professional kitchens, the 12" by 18" variety is known as a half sheet pan, not a quarter. If a full sheet pan measures 18" by 24", why is a pan exactly half that size called a "quarter" sheet pan?
That said, the half sheet pan is a hugely useful piece of equipment, and I'm glad that the Times is bringing attention to it.
5
The nomenclature refers to the relative area, not length on a side.
4
These pans have created a lot of comments and confusion. I hope Melissa writes a column clearing up all our issues about sheet pans.
In answer to your comment, I believe she is referring to her 9 x 12 pan as a quarter sheet pan, which is about correct. It's half the size of a half sheet pan. I think she might be mistaken in thinking that her 13 by 18 inch pan is a full sheet pan. It's actually a half sheet pan, as you say.
Have I confused you enough yet?
5
How are these sheet pans different than cookie sheets? Just looked them up on Google and they look the same. Please, anyone? Thank you.
8
The pan shown in the picture with the pork chop has a deep rim around the entire pan to ensure juices and fat will not spill out. The cookie sheets I use have only one side with a rim so I can pick up the pan. The other three sides are open which is why doing any kind of roasting could be problematic, to say the least. It's one thing to clean a greasy pan, it's another to clean a greasy oven floor. You may also try and Google pictures of cookie sheets vs. roasting pans and jellyroll pans to see the difference in the design of each pan. I hope this intel helps.
16
There's an overlap between cookie sheets and sheet pans. Sheet pans all have a rim and can hold a bit of liquid; not all cookie sheets are designed that way. Some cookie sheets don't have rims.
If you have a cookie sheet with a good rim, and you aren't too worried about what my gramdmother used to call "schmutz" - the seasoning that a roasting pan can develop - it will work fine for recipes designed for sheet pans.
7
They are much heavier gauge metal than thin cookie sheets.
I prepare one or twice a week fish with sweet potato chunks, pineapple and/or beet spiral noodles topped with chopped tomotes and olive oil.
But instead of washing pans in dishwasher, I use foil wrapped over entire top of pan and tucked over edges. Cleanup become as simple as folding up and tossing the foil.
8
I've used the Vollrath 1/2-sheet aluminum pans (5314) since they were first recommended on Cooks Illustrated years ago. I love, love, love these sheets. Sturdy, versatile, no-warp, heavy gauge, easy to use and clean. Apparently they also make a 1/4-sheet pan of the same calliber, so I may send away for that. I always line these sheets with something, depending on what I'm making, either foil or parchment. Makes cleanup a breeze, and yes, they should be hand cleaned. But it takes almost no time at all to clean them up. I don't know why you'd want to use up precious dishwasher space, since these are so easy to clean. BTW....the pre-cut half-sheet parchment from King Arthur pops right into the 1/2-sheet pan and fits perfectly.It's so easy and superior to use than any other parchment I've tried, that I'm willing to pay for their shipping, since you can't get that product on any other site except KAF. (btw....I get nothing to recommend these products. These are just personal recommendations!)
37
You can buy it on Amazon with free ship thank you for the recommendation on the brand.
7
Vollrath is a fantastic brand that mostly caters to professional kitchens. I've purchased probably 15-20 Vollrath items for my home and each one of them is high quality. Most of them are Made in USA (Wisconsin, I believe). Sheet pans, roasting pans, sauce pans, saute pans, frying pans and stock pots are all great.
2
Melissa: any chance you could share with the readers where you source your quarter sheet pans or who makes them? I have a few, and agree that they're fantastic. But for some strange reason the recommendation is that they be hand washed! Would love a few inexpensive ones that can be tossed, as it were, into the dishwasher! Thanks so much!
24
My sheet pans, both half and quarter size I purchased at the kitchen supplies store in Chelsea Market at the back end near 10th Ave... I've had them for a long time so I'm assuming it's still there! As they are made of aluminum, I wouldn't put them in the dishwasher and besides, my husband does the cleaning up as I do all the cooking!.I also use parchment or Reynolds non stick foil to line the sheet pan as some foods will stick to the sheet pan As a retired culinary professional and instructor I was used to using full size sheet pans, but alas, unless you have a professional size oven the half sheet pan fits the average size oven perfectly. I even roasted an 8 - 10lb spatchcocked turkey whick fit on a half sheet pan on Thanksgiving!
3
i found some aluminum and stainless steel on line at Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma.
3
I put my Nordic Ware sheet pan in the dishwasher. I think I bout it on Amazon, but Nordic Ware has their own web-site, too. It's nice and sturdy.
If you want the aluminum to be pretty and shiny, you need to hand-wash. That's why the pan people always say to hand-wash the pans. If you don't mind the pans looking a little discolored, the dishwasher is great. This is true of all aluminum pans - cheap or expensive.
As far as I can tell, there's no difference in cooking on a shiny pan or a discolored pan.
6
I suggest getting an oversized sheet pan as well. I love my 16x20 pan to roast vegetables so they have room to spread out. It's also big enough to separate two things you don't want to mingle. And I always line it with parchment paper, a sheet pan's (and cook's) best friend.
2
Would someone please explain to me the difference between a sheet pan and a cookie sheet or baking sheet? I've been cooking for 30 years (pretty decently, too), and I've never heard of a "sheet pan." On the other hand, I have a thick, rimmed cookie sheet that I've been using for this kind of thing for at least 15 years. It warps a little when it gets hot, but it always straightens out again as it cools.
28
@ John Cooper Portland, Oregon
I am too surprised by the attention of the readers' comments to the materials of which a "sheet pan" is made and to the methods of washing it.
It reminds me that in one of his Westerns, Clint Eastwood used a square of sheet steel as a bullet-proof vest. Such a piece of metal should serve adequately well all the aficionados of fine baking.
6
There are these things that are technological marvels, that I use all the time...they're called ALUMINUM pans. They come in a variety of sizes, and depths and cost about a $1 apiece. Plus you can line them with more aluminum(as in foil) furthering their life span. (there's even a pizza pan with slots in it for crisper dough! Wow, who knew 2018 would be so awesome!)
They save on space and especially clean up time - either toss the lining, or the pan. (yeah, so my carbon footprint is aluminum, not plastic!) Voila! Plus, you can simply store the leftovers in them too!
Here's what you do. Put the prep'd food in the pans, I usually cover them as it allows for thru cooking of meats and steam'n thicker veggies like sprouts, or help faster cook cut potatoes - cook on a lower heat (375-450) and at the right time uncover that which is covered and turn on the broiler! (you can also stagger the insertion of various items as somethings cook faster,etc)
High heat open roasting at home is a gamble in my opinion, as a lapse in memory or events around the home - dog found a mud hole again! - can cause any number of disasters.
Other tip; aluminum pans also work on any grill!
12
Love the writing as much as the recommendations: "porky edges" is not only enchantingly fun language but sets my mouth salivating! Keep on keeping on!
4
What's more, they're a perfect fit in the small ovens of 42" ranges.
2
In my NYC apartment with its 20" stove, I just call those sheet pans.
39
Such a funny comment. Thanks for making me smile.
5
At the risk of being labeled a nit picker, no where in Ms. Clark's article does she mention, reference or recommend using an ALUMINUM quarter sheet pan for baking and/or the dishwasher. The enclosed pictures either depict a non-stick pan or a stainless steel pan. The only pans in my kitchen have been stainless steel just for the reasons some commenters have shared, i.e., aluminum pans and the dishwasher are arch enemies.
3
The problem, Marge, is that not enough explanation of "sheet pan" was provided. Heavy-duty commercial sheet pans come in full, half and quarter sizes, and they have specific dimensions so as to be compatible with standard commercial refrigeration, cooking and cleaning equipment. They are, for the most part, plain aluminum, and not non-stick. I can't imagine that commercial establishments are hand-washing their sheet pans.
The pan you perceive to be SS has the appearance of a standard sheet pan and so is probably aluminum. I've wanted to purchase SS commercial sheet pans, but they are enormously expensive.
Further, one of her pans, the dark one with "handles," is not a commercial sheet pan.
Our dear Melissa should do a follow up on the subject of sheet pans.
5
Thanks for the detailed intel CF. And you are correct - the Magnalite Wagner Ware roast and bake pans I have (which are older yet better looking and in better shape than I am) are a heavy grade aluminum and NOT stainless steel. I didn't believe this until I verified that info on Google. But at the end of the day, the only dishwasher in my house is either my sweet husband or myself. I grew up washing dishes and that is still one activity that I find relaxing and a great stress reliever. Thanks so much for your comment - I appreciated your insight.
6
Can please you explain why aluminum pans and dishwashers are enemies?? I'm new to the world of dishwashers and want to keep my half (and future quarter) sheets out of harm's way.
Where is the Salt Bae sequence in this?
2
Is garlicky a word? It shouldn't be. Sounds Trumpian.
2
Oh pish and tush. It's a perfectly fine word. The Oxford dictionary recognizes it: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/garlicky I expect you'd prefer alliaceous. Also a fine word, but possibly obscure in meaning to some.
36
PS, the OED gives examples going back to 1755.
10
Please bring baxk the videos. I really miss them and it’s a fun and inspiring way to pre-start the reading of the rest of the paper!
14
waiting with baited breath for your column on the 2/3 size sheet pan...
32
Another priceless and funny comment! These are as delightful as Ms. Clark's columns.
1
But surely you know that the term is "bated breath," sans i, as in "reduce the force or intensity" (per Merriam-Webster). Comes from "abated."
Perhaps "baited breath" is garlicky?
5
It is fun reading comments to the cooking columns. Much less stressful than the political commentary, where all too often, the knives are out (metaphorically speaking)!
5
Living alone, a pan this size seems like a logical choice. Heck, I don't even need two since from the look of it I can stick an entire meal on one. But I'll get two anyway, 'cause you never know . . .
22
I love your comment Mr. Matera, especially your renewed and continued optimism.
8
With your delightful attitude, I suspect that you will need that second sheet pan sooner rather than later!
4
Interesting timing: last night roasted chicken with winter root vegetables (beets, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, potatoes, turnips) on a single standard-sized sheet pan. Chicken was beautiful and moist and the vegetables were carmalized. How did that happen? Cutting the vegetables the proper size for roasting. This column values things (cute baking sheets) over technique and knowledge.
6
If the pans are too shallow, there might be a big mess left on the bottom of the oven. The pan in the picture looks like a big chore to clean.
2
When my family is away for the weekend and I'm on my own, I'll use a one-eighth sheet pan to roast a chicken leg Florentine with string beans Gastonia.
5
Please write a short story about one of your solo weekends! <3
4
I lived in Gastonia, NC. Pray tell, what are string beans Gastonia?
1
Wouldn't the shallow sides of the quarter pan cause splattering of grease and juices on the walls of the oven? I don't have a self-cleaning oven so I have to be scrupulously careful to avoid getting it dirty. I'd love quarter-size roasting pans!
3
can I eat at your house?
6
Ditto on the aluminium in the dishwasher concerns. It does turn them black/grey (oxidize?). Are they then unsafe to use or harmless? I don't really care what they look like.
3
I wouldn't advise putting aluminum in the dishwasher. Many of these sheet pants are aluminum or aluminized steel.
2
Interesting that both Ms Clark and Bonnie Benwick, of Washington Post, did articles on quarter sheet pans this week (or was Bonnie's last week?).
In any case, glad to see this coming around again. I learned to make sheet pan dinners from a 1951 cookbook, although they were called either oven meals or broiler meals back then. And I, too, have one of those stupid 24" wall ovens.
6
The cooks at The Guardian were doing "tray bakes" last August. Just sayin'.
4
I use my 3 iron frying pans in the same way. Once properly seasoned, clean up is a breeze. I'm always on the look out for great vintage pans in the Salvation Army or other thrift shops.
19
Yup, I've got a half dozen quarter sheets, and while I don't usually cook on them, they're indespensible for prep and for holding things in the fridge. Theyr're also good for feeding feral cats.
But please don't put them in the dishwasher, as Ms. Clark suggests. Bare aluminum is eventually corroded by caustic dishwasher detergent, and will start shedding white, powdery metal oxides. This can't be fixed, and you'll end up replacing the pan.
10
It's not that the aluminum is bare, it's a grade not intended for use in corrosive environments. And it's not metal oxides, it's aluminum oxide.
7
Even better than parchment or regular aluminum foil for lining pans--a fairly new product, Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil. Foods don't stick the way they do to ordinary aluminum foil. Just wrap up the mess at the end, and rinse off the pan. Admittedly, if you don't like K-Cups because they're not green, you're probably not going to like this idea, but nevertheless....
3
I agree 100 percent. Non-Stick Foil ranks with the microplane and microwave as one of the great kitchen "gadgets." The foil is the perfect complement to MC's sheet-pan meals, which I have been doing for years.
4
I would want to know what makes it non-stick. As a general rule non-stick chemicals are bad, those same chemicals in the presence of heat even more so.
Our system allows the use of chemicals without proving they do not cause harm. Europe long ago moved to a regulatory system that prohibits new chemicals until there is proof they will not injure.
40
Jacque Pepin's tip for nonstick foil: place the dull side up, because it is nonstick, but shiny side is not.
6
I agree, had a makeshift one for years, a lid from a small rectangular cake pan. Just recently, I replaced it with a real quarter size sheet pan.
5
Sometimes I use sheet pans, sometimes not.
1
Sigh, I miss the videos. Bring them back! Let Melissa cook and wave her spatula around!
I love my sheet pans lined with parchment.
Will try these yummy sounding recipes.
43
Us, too! All of us in the family would watch eagerly!
All of my 54 years I have seen sheet pans in my father's kitchen, then again, he was an Executive Chef before I was born. So his kitchens were always filled with cool things most other cooks Just oh and ah about, but never use.
I grew up tasting the world's cooking and have a wide range of tastes.
I have worked in an International grocery store that had a huge range of european and middle eastern fare and well have always been a kind of food taster and pondered what it would be like to try every known dish on earth.
There was a dark age in cooking, but it was long before my time.
6
I would guess that I use my 1/4 pans 3 or four times a week. When they get too bad looking, they will polish up nicely with a paste of peroxide and baking soda.
30
I use tin foil...doesn't matter what the underlying pan looks or feels like...new surface for every use, and double-duty to wrap the left-overs (I live alone and cook for 2 but eat about 1/2 of a normal portion. Allows me to have delicious meals without daily prep and cleanup duty.
2
I've been using quarter sheet pans for decades but I cover each one with aluminum foil (brushing the foil with oil or whatever when necessary) and then throw out the dirty foil. Thus, the pans barely need much cleaning. BTW, they're cheap enough to throw out every so often. They aren't meant to last forever, and they don't "owe" you anything after awhile. Or buy the disposable ones. The water saved is considerable.
8
I hope that when you say "throw away" you mean recycle. You can recycle aluminum foil! And the aluminum pans! Also, saving water by buying disposable pans and throwing them away? Soak your pans w a bit of baking soda for a while or even overnight, depending on the pan/level of dirtiness, or if you want to keep them seasoned, soak for a while with a bit of water and scrub clean with kosher salt and half a paper towel (hardly any water needed for this).
10
I hope a lot of folks read your comment. I actually enjoy scrubbing the very old pans.
5
Have a couple of these, not even sure from when or where anymore. They come in handy every once in awhile, but honestly I rarely reach for them. You don't get much more surface area than, say, a straight-sided 11-inch saute pan -- and the saute pan is a versatile workhorse instead of a one-trick pony. We actually use them most for roasting indirect on the grill, where space really is at a premium and a pan's long handle always seems to be in the way.
1
I agree. If you've got a skillet and a baking dish or two, you're already set.
3
Another kitchen tool that is great along these lines is a decent-sized toaster oven. Ours came with a nice roasting pan on which we can and do easily make dinner for two. Enough room for a couple of pieces of fish or chicken, potatoes and veggies. Why heat up a huge oven? Very easy to use and wieldy.
59
I use my countertop convection toaster oven far more than my big wall ovens. It heats up in a couple minutes and it's the perfect size for small tasks, up to and including baking a pie. Best $100 I ever spent at Costco.
5
Love my toaster oven too. I use it to make broiled salmon and baked stuffed haddock.
Also stuffed pork loin. If the weather is hot, I plug it in outside on a tray table.
Interestingly, I bought a pop up toaster - even faster than the oven,
1
I second your nomination of the toaster oven. My big oven is used for storage. It gets used three or four times a year to cook a big meal.
1
This meal would feed my family of two for at least three meals and two lunches, just adding some pasta or rice to subsequent meals. Thanks.
6
I use my mine to make quick ten minute water and flour flatbread. This is great for all kinds of snacks anytime.
2
I've been using quarter-sheet pans for years: half-sheets don't quite fit in the oven of my 24" Bertazzoni range. Since every other renovated kitchen in Manhattan seems to feature my stove, I'm sure lots of New Yorkers have stocked up on quarter-sheets.
14
I agree, the quarter sheet pan is both adorable and indispensable. I don't put mine in the dishwasher, don't even use soap on them, just hot water and steel wool.
6
Melissa's sheet pan cooking advice has made entertaining immeasurably easier and better. I've made Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings by spatchcocking the bird, and then rotating roasted vegetables, potatoes, and stuffing in and out of the oven. Stove top burners are usage is kept only for absolutely necessary items. AND clean up is so easy if you use parchment paper. Let's you be a good host, focus on the guests, and not second guess the food. Win Win Win.
19
Yummy looking dishes displayed in this article and the suggested recipes (especially the roasted paprika chicken w/spuds and turnips) will be gracing the Keller dinner table come Sunday afternoon. Also, the "And to drink..." section was much appreciated. Not so much for us since we have never been wine connoisseurs, but as appreciated recommendations when invited to the neighbors for dinner.
One added note - whenever I do any baking, roasting or broasting in the oven on a sheet pan or roasting pan, I always lay parchment on the bottom of the pan - no added grease is needed, easy and fast cleanup and no permanent stains or burnt on food remains on the pan.
30
@ Marge Keller Midwest
Thank you for the advice on parchment.
I expected the article to show not only the nicely arranged pieces on the plate, but also them in the process of cooking on the sheet pans. All this despite my not liking broccoli, turnips, brussels sprouts, and being tired of the promotion of chicken in NYT FOOD section.
6
I hear ya Tuvw Xyz from Evanston, Illinois. Just relieved it's not another fish recipe. I never tire of chicken but I'm old school "Catlick" (Catholic for those who are more respectful than myself) - fish only on Fridays and during the Lentil season. Getting a fish bone caught in my throat still scares me silly. My husband almost died from a situation like that. I respect fish (and their many, many bones) almost as much as I respect electricity and fire.
3
How do you make gravy? When you remove the meat/vegetables and the parchment, do the juices stay in the pan?
Nearly all quarter sheet pans manufactured and sold are made of aluminum. Is the author suggesting we should clean those pans in the dishwasher?
Aluminum happens to be one of the few items that should *never* see the inside of a dishwasher...
96
Considering the author is Melissa Clark, yes she would suggest you wash them in the Dishwasher, which makes my skin crawl, as does the fact that she cooks tomato sauce in cast iron skillets.
I grew up eating gray vanilla pudding because my mother used an aluminum pot to prepare it in. She died of Alzheimers, I do not use aluminum in my kitchen, not even foil.
3
Food should also never be cooked in aluminum. That's been known for decades.
5
I cover mine with heavy duty foil.
1
Do you really throw yours in the dishwasher? Everytime I've tried that the finish gets destroyed.
49
Are yours aluminum or steel? I put my stainless steel pan in the dishwasher frequently, and it washes just fine. On the other hand, my aluminum garlic press has never looked the same after just one trip through the dishwasher.
2
THis is a topic to be discussed. I threw mine in the dishwaher and now they are black. use parchement and alls well for things I don't want too browned. Are all sheet pans aluminum?
1
The finish is irrelevant, since I always coat the sheet pans with foil.
This has been my go-to dinner technique for months now...so easy. Often one pan gets asparagus (or another green), the other some protein and then we use the rice cooker. Easy dinner done in 30 minutes.
15