Consumer Reports recommends new sheet pans for $8
Maybe your holiday cooking has you thinking you need some new sheet pans. As basic as they seem, they’re not all created equal.
Sheet pans go way beyond cookies. Sheet pan meals are all the rage.
Consumer Reports tested 19 pans, both coated and uncoated, to see which ones cook the best and clean up the easiest. Even though pans look similar, Consumer Reports found some important differences.
The home versions, actually called half sheets, measure about 13" by 18" with low sides.
In the Consumer Reports kitchen, testers roasted chicken and vegetables, as well as a sticky mix of pumpkin and cream cheese, to test cooking speed and how easy pans are to clean.
To check durability, they scoured the surfaces with steel wool.
“In general, un-coated (pans) cook a little more evenly. They’re more durable, but they’re harder to clean,” said Bernie Deitrick with Consumer Reports.
A $27 pan from Nordic Ware got top ratings in the uncoated category.
There are pluses with coated pans, too.
“We found that coated pans heat up and cook faster, and they are much easier to clean,” said Deitrick.
Testers really liked the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Non Stick Non Corrugated Half Sheet for $33.
But they named a coated pan from Walmart a Consumer Reports Best Buy: the Mainstays Gold Nonstick Aluminized Half Sheet Pan. At just $8, you’ll have money left to double up on dinner and invite some friends,
To keep your pans in shape and free of rust, dry them completely in the oven while it’s still warm.
