Baking sheets come in a variety of sizes and shapes for convenience and appearance, but it doesn’t stop there. There are different finishes that make some stand out from the rest. These different finishes on the pans can affect the cooking or baking time and the crispness of the food.
For example, a dark finish on a metal pan generally makes it heat up faster and stay hot longer than a shiny pan. Dark oven trays actually absorb and hold heat faster and longer. Therefore, the bottom of your food or baked goods will cook faster than it would otherwise. It is important to pay particular attention to how quickly an individual pan heats up. Quick-heat pans may not be ideal for the particular food you’re trying to cook or bake; while they are suitable for some items, such as thin oven chips, they may not work well for baking cookies.
In other words, if you’re using a shiny metal pan, it may take a little longer to heat up. This can mean your baked goods will cook more evenly than dark finish pans. The glossier the oven trays, the more they reflect heat.
There are, of course, the non-stick coated pans, which are convenient and have a long life if cared for correctly. The variety of cookie sheets sometimes seems limitless and even though there is not, there is probably a different type of tray for every type of cooking or baking need one may have. There are some that are very light and others that are very solid.
In addition to finishes, there are also the different types of materials used in cookware and bakeware. Examples include stainless steel, aluminum, copper, enamel, ceramic, and even glass. With each finish and each type of material different, these products offer different properties. Each can be found in different price ranges to suit every budget.
As you can see, it’s important to determine what types of food you’ll be baking when you’re looking to buy baking sheets. Is it better to use a non-stick pan? Is it important that the bottom of the food is crispy? Will you use it to cook delicate foods? All of these questions, once answered, can lead you to find the right bakeware to suit your needs.
For example, if you’re going to be using cookie sheets simply to bake cookies, you’re probably better off with a sheet that has at least one flat side. This flat side will allow you to easily slide cookies off. Such a pan is sometimes called a cookie sheet. In order to benefit from a versatile pan, you’ll probably be better off with one that has a raised rim around all edges to keep food in place and prevent it from sliding around when removed from the oven.