6 Best Stainless Steel Baking Sheets (Buying Guide)

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It doesn’t matter even if you have all the right ingredients for the perfect recipe; if you don’t have the right cookware, nothing’s gonna work right. Whether you’re cooking for your family or in a restaurant, baking sheets are a kitchen must-have.

There are two main types of baking sheets: aluminum made and stainless steel made. Aluminum sheets are quick to both heat and cool. On the other hand, the best stainless steel baking sheets, although, take a bit longer to heat up, retain that heat perfectly.

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While one could argue exactly which type is better than the other, many home cooks and bakers prefer the stainless steel ones. These sheets are one of the most versatile of kitchen workhorses. They always come in handy for roasting vegetables or baking cookies. You cannot even think of making grilled cheese without one.

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Top 6 Best Stainless Steel Baking Sheets Reviews

Since stainless steel baking sheets come from many different brands and in a variety of sizes and shapes, choosing the right sheet becomes a difficult task for someone with limited time on their hands. So, we’ve put together reviews for some of the greatest baking sheets to make your life a bit easier. Have a look!

1. Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Half Sheet

Very few baking sheets can actually beat Nordic Ware when it comes to quality or price. Our first pick is an aluminum baking sheet, which is classic in most kitchens. While you get many cheap and flimsy ones in the market, this one has been made with commercial-grade quality.

Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Half Sheet

This natural aluminum half sheet baking pan is heavier in weight but not overwhelmingly so. It conducts heat very efficiently and doesn’t warp at high heat. The food will get cooked evenly and will also cool down very fast.

With a standard size of 21″ x 15″ x 1″, this baking sheet is compatible with all silicone baking mats or parchment papers. It has a light color with extra sturdy and thick construction. The light color helps in cooking sweet dishes like cookies or cakes as it doesn’t overcook them.

Nordic Ware sheet also has rolled, encapsulated steel rims that don’t bend or warp during normal use. Their sturdiness and warp-resistance do generate high marks on our list. Besides, they will also never rust or corrode.

One thing to note is that aluminum is a metal that is prone to staining and scratching. Besides, acidic foods cause discoloration on the surface as well. So, it is better not to cook such food items on this sheet on high heat for a longer period.

This Natural Aluminum Half Sheet is also quite easy to clean. However, the area with the company logo embossed needs a little bit more effort. Since it is made from natural aluminum, it is not coated with any toxic material either.

The item comes in a set of two, which will speed up your baking process when you need to make multiple batches. Guaranteed to never rust, this Nordic Ware baking sheet is surely a great purchase to make.

Pros

  • Heavy-duty and thick build
  • Completely rust and warp resistant
  • Free from toxic coatings
  • Bakes food evenly without overheating

Cons

  • It is susceptible to scratches

2. Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet

If you are looking for a nonstick baking sheet made to last, then this one is perfect for you. Calphalon bakeware has a variety of products related to baking and cooking, and all of them are of the highest quality.

Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet

Made out of high-grade gauge steel, the Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet cooks and bakes your food like no other. It has interlocking nonstick layers that prevent or minimize broken cookies or stuck-on foods.

No matter how high the temperature is, this high gauge steel won’t warp. Steel made cookwares take time to heat up, but once they do, the cooking becomes phenomenal. This baking sheet will be able to cook your food or bake the cookies evenly.

Simple but well designed, this best stainless bakeware comes with a two-piece set that gives you ample opportunity to make a large batch of cookies. The sheet is nonstick, which makes taking out the cooked food a breeze.

This nonstick coating is so perfect that even delicate dishes will slip off the pan top effortlessly. With 12 inches wide and 17 inches long area, you can roast plenty of fishes there. The Calphalon sheet also comes with raised edges so that nothing spills or drips off it while cooking.

However, you should be careful not to scrub the pan with abrasive material while washing. Although dishwasher safe, it is better not to put it in them. Rather wash it with hands to make it more durable.

Pros

  • Gauge steel construction ensures durability
  • The interlocking nonstick layer prevents broken foods
  • Doesn’t warp even with very high heat
  • Raised edges protect from dripping

Cons

  • The rolled edges retain some water

3. HKJ Chef Stainless Steel Cookie Sheet

One of the most desirable cookie sheets and baking pans comes from none other than the HKJ Chef. Their 16-inch Non-toxic Cookie Sheet provides you a healthy meal for your family.

HKJ Chef Stainless Steel Cookie Sheet

Made of 18/0 grade stainless steel that contains no nickel or any other chemical coating, the HKJ Chef Baking Sheet meets your body’s health requirements perfectly.

It comes with 2 pieces of 16 x 12 x 1-inch stainless steel sheet pan, perfect for your regular oven. Completely rust-resistant as well as sturdy to make it through many years, the HKJ Chef sheet has a mirror finish. This helps in releasing the cooked food like nonstick surfaces without the chemical coating.

Besides, a mirror finish also allows the food to cool quickly and helps to keep the pan clean. Its smooth edges and the rimless design don’t hold water after washing.

Regarded as one of the best stainless steel cookie sheets, this item is more versatile than aluminum or steel pans. You don’t have to worry about it reacting with any acidic foods like tomato sauce or getting an ironic smell with the food.

The HKJ Chef Stainless Steel sheet is also completely dishwasher safe. Its rolled edges also help in reducing any warping under high heat.

Pros

  • Mirror finish releases food quickly
  • Easy to clean and dishwasher safe
  • Doesn’t react with acidic foods
  • Completely resistant to rust or stain

Cons

  • Mirror finish tends to scuff after much use

4. HKJ Chef Stainless Steel Baking Sheets with Cooling Rack

We come with another item from HKJ Chef, and this one features two cooling racks. This item is probably one of the best affordable baking sheets on our list.

HKJ Chef Stainless Steel Baking Sheets with Cooling Rack

With a dimension of 12.01 x 10 x 0.98 inches, this item comes with two stainless steel baking sheets and 2 high-grade cooling racks that come in handy while cooking and cooling.

The cooling rack is actually very important since you can just slide your freshly baked cookies, pastries, and bread off the sheet onto them for cooling. Besides, when the rack fits into the sheet perfectly, it helps your roast or crisp foods without worrying about dripping.

Moreover, the HKJ Chef sheets are also built with a superior mirror finish interior and exterior. This superior shiny finish helps prevent the food from sticking to the surface and releases the food easily. It also helps to clean the sheet without much hassle. However, mirror finish tends to scratch and fade with use.

These pans have a generous 1-inch raised rim around the four sides. Also, the rims have rolled edges that help to prevent warping.

Rust-resistant construction coupled with mirror finish makes this item very much user-friendly. Both the pans and the cooling racks are dishwasher safe too.

Pros

  • Cooling racks help in cooling and roasting
  • Superior mirror finish reduces sticking
  • Both the racks and sheets are dishwasher safe
  • High rim with rolled edges prevent warping

Cons

  • Mirror finish gets scratched after use

5. Checkered Chef Stainless Steel Baking Sheets

This Checkered Chef item comes with a set of one-half sheets and one quarter sheet pans. The half sheet measures 18×13 inches, and the quarter sheet is 13×9.5 inches in size.

Checkered Chef Stainless Steel Baking Sheets

A great benefit of having this type of twin pack is that you can always opt for the smaller sheet for cooking a small batch.

Made of heavy-duty solid stainless steel, these sheets are amazingly designed with great finishing and durability.

Sold at an affordable price, the Checkered Chef stainless steel sheets are sturdy and great for heat retention. They heat and cook the food evenly without any burnt bottoms. This is the result of the superior heat conductivity of 304 stainless steel.

These baking pans have no annoying artificial coatings or treatments to worry about toxicity. Perfect for oven use, they also do not react with acidic foods.

The Checkered trays are easy to clean by hand or in a dishwasher. They have one inch high rims with bent edges that prevent warping.

Pros

  • Features two different sized sheets
  • Made with sturdy and durable stainless steel
  • Entirely rust and corrosion resistant
  • Superior shiny and mirror finish
  • Pans don’t warp under high temperature

Cons

  • The pans are a bit heavy

6. P&P CHEF Stainless Steel Extra Large Baking Sheet Set

We prefer stainless steel products over aluminum ones mostly because they are usually free of chemical coatings that might harm our bodies. This final stainless steel item on our list hails from P&P Chef with a set of two large baking sheets.

P&P CHEF Stainless Steel Extra Large Baking Sheet Set

Featuring two trays measuring 19.6 x 13.6 x 1.2 inches in dimension, this item provides convenient utility and storage. Made out of premium stainless steel, these baking sheets offer you a robust and sturdy utensil to consistently serve your needs for years.

The design of these sheet pans incorporates raised rims preventing juices from spilling. This keeps your oven as well as the countertop clean. Speaking of cleaning, you can wash these sheets with your hands or in the dishwasher. This feature enhances your convenience during maintenance.

Moreover, this item contains no nickel or any other potentially harmful non-stick coating. So, there is no need to concern yourself over loved one’s health.

Featuring quality mirror polish that minimizes the risk of food sticking to the surface, the P&P CHEF baking sheets also look great and are a pleasure to use. This mirror finish, coupled with rust-free construction, make these sheets user-friendly.

Pros

  • Multipurpose and deep rimmed
  • High quality and durable stainless steel construction
  • Free of any potentially dangerous chemicals
  • Safe to be cleaned in a dishwasher
  • The exterior is excellently smooth

Cons

  • Cleaning becomes difficult for burned foods

Things to Consider Before Buying Stainless Steel Baking Sheets

The success or failure of your cooking depends on the quality of the baking sheet. Some conduct heat poorly, taking a much longer time to cook. Others might discolor items, making them look unappealing.

You must know that only buying the most expensive cookware won’t always mean they will guarantee the best performance. There are some important factors that make a baking sheet great.

Material

Although this article only covers stainless steel made baking sheets, there are also other types in the market. They are made of either aluminum or aluminized steel. All of these types have their own pros and cons. That’s why before buying, it is better to know what you are getting into.

Baking sheets made of aluminum heats up really quickly as soon as they’re in the oven. They also start to cool down very fast. Aluminized steel, on the other hand, is essentially steel sandwiched in aluminum. They don’t distribute heat evenly.

As for stainless steel sheets, they may not be as good of a conductor of heat as the aluminum ones; they are heavy-duty and much more durable. They also tend to warm at high temperatures. However, if you buy uncoated ones, you won’t have to worry about any chemical leaching out of them.

Size

This is an important decision to make since getting too big of a sheet will mean it won’t fit inside your normal-sized oven. It’s better to measure the area inside your oven before going out to buy a baking sheet.

Usually, the standard size of a baking rack is around 22 inches wide. So, getting a baking sheet of 18×13 inch standard size will provide enough room for heat to circulate inside the oven.

But if you have a commercial-sized extra-large oven, you could get away with an extra-large stainless steel baking sheet of 26×18 inches.

Coating

Stainless steel baking sheets come in either with a non-stick coating or just as bare metal. The non-stick coating is a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or Teflon. These sheets are easier to clean and take the food out.

However, this coating tends to wear off over time with consistent use, and the sheets are more prone to heat warping.

On the other hand, sheets without coating don’t warp much with too much heat and are more consistent in radiating heat. Besides, there is no chemical on its surface to wear off on the food. But the food might sometimes smell a bit like iron.

Rimmed vs. Rimless

Another important thing to look out for is whether the baking sheet is rimless or rimmed. Although both have their fair share of benefits and drawbacks, most home cooks prefer rimmed ones.

Rimmed sheets make great roasting pans for cooking vegetables as you don’t have to worry about liquids dripping off. Besides, they are easy to put into and take out of the oven.

However, a rim can actually block hot air circulation inside the over and prevent the food from baking evenly. Also, the rims make it a bit challenging to take out delicate foods off the sheet, whereas, in rimless ones, the food slides off easily. Moreover, there is more baking space available on a rimless sheet.

Surface Color

Although not as important as the previously mentioned points, the surface color could sometimes be considered while buying the best stainless steel cookie sheets also.

Because darker surface color absorbs more heat and could overcook your food inside the oven. But if you’re careful, you can bake really crispy crust with brown-bottomed cookies on them.

On the flip side, light-colored sheets absorb less heat and cook the food more evenly. They are especially perfect for making sweet treats.

Baking Sheet vs Baking Pan

If you want to build up your collection of bakewares, or if you are one of those who just love baking, then having baking sheets and pans are a must. These items come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so deciding on which one to use can become confusing at times.

And what becomes more problematic is when different cookwares with similar looks and uses have different names. One of those examples is understanding the difference between a baking sheet and a baking pan.

Baking Sheets

There is nothing versatile than a baking sheet. They not only bake items for you but also can roast meats and vegetables as well as can be used as cooling racks. Baking sheets usually come in various sizes of rectangular shape. They also have a shallow rim around the edges to prevent liquids from dripping.

Cookie sheets are a type of baking sheet that is a flat pan without sides. This sideless design allows the air to circulate properly inside the oven. However, one or two of the sides may be bent upward to help the baker remove them from the oven.

One of the downsides of baking sheets is that most of them are made of metal. This metal can sometimes react with the acidic ingredient of the food. However, you can easily avoid that by using parchment paper on the pan while cooking.

Baking Pans

These are different from baking sheets in their depth and variety in shapes and sizes. Baking pans are usually deeper, so they can hold runny batters for brownies and cakes and can take dozens of shapes. However, the most commons shapes are rectangular, square, and circular.

The best stainless steel baking pan sheets are also made of different materials like stoneware, metal, ceramic, glass, and reinforced silicone. Almost all baking pans have rolled edges too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are stainless steel baking sheets safe?

You’ll see most cooks using stainless steel materials since they heat evenly. On most occasions, these baking sheets are perfectly safe except when baking acidic food for a long time. It is because the acid reacts with the surface of the sheet, leaching iron, nickel, and chromium. Most times, these chemicals are leached within safe levels. But too much of them can pose some adverse effects on the human body. So, try to avoid cooking acidic foods such as tomato sauce in them.

Is stainless steel good for baking?

Stainless steel cookware is known to hold heat well. This helps the dishes to cook for longer time periods. Besides, this material is durable and resists much wear and tear or dents. However, if there is no non-stick coating on it, there is a high chance of food sticking to the pan. You can avoid this by heavily heating the pan before starting to cook.

Can you put baking sheets in the dishwasher?

We never suggest people putting baking sheets into the dishwasher. It doesn’t matter even if the baking sheets are marked dishwasher safe, don’t put them in there. There is a high chance that they will turn dull and darken or corrode. That’s why it is better to hand wash them.

Can you put baking sheets in the oven?

Of course, you can put them in the oven! They are specifically made to be put in an oven to cook cookies and other food items.

Can you put the baking sheet in an air fryer?

Yes. You can use a dark and non-stick baking sheet with low sides in an air fryer without any problem.

Can you use a baking sheet on the stove?

Putting a baking sheet on a stove is not really advisable. One of the reasons being, baking sheets are thin, and there is the possibility of some oil spilling on the stove. This can be dangerous.

How can I clean my baking sheets without peroxide?

There are many ways you can clean your baking sheets. One of them is by using baking soda. Pour some boiling water onto the pan and add some baking soda to it. Let the solution sit for an hour and then wipe it with a cloth. You can also add some vinegar to the solution if there is an extra mess.

Can I broil on a baking sheet?

If you don’t have a broiler pan, you can use a baking sheet. But don’t forget to rotate the food as it gets cooked.

Final Words

As you can see, we have tried to select only the best stainless steel baking sheets for this article. But there are many great options to choose from in the market as well. In case you can’t make up your mind, take help from our user guide to pick the right one for your needs.

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