We Made Dozens of Cookies To Find the Best Baking Sheets Available

Our Takeaway

We chose the Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet as our favorite baking sheet due to its overall performance during tests, including its sturdiness, versatility, ease of use, reliability, and value. If you're looking for one to bake cookies and other baking goods on, you can't go wrong with the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Cookie Sheet.

How to Pick the Right Baking Sheet

Material

• Aluminum: Bare aluminum is industry standard when it comes to baking sheets. It's an excellent conductor, meaning it heats up and cools down quickly. Plus, its light color helps to prevent the over browning that you often get from darker pans. On the downside, bare aluminum is prone to corrosion, so we definitely recommend hand washing, or better yet, line it with parchment paper before each use.
• Aluminized Steel: You'll see "aluminized steel" pop up often when looking for sheet pans. This popular material refers to steel that is coated in an aluminum-silicon alloy. These tend to be more durable, and the silicone helps to prevent corrosion. However, aluminized steel is more prone to uneven heating than bare aluminum.
• Stainless Steel: Although it's far more resistant to corrosion and rust than aluminum, stainless steel is a poor conductor, which is why we don't recommend it for baking sheets.

Gauge

As backward as it might sound, a lower gauge indicates a thicker pan. A pan that's too heavy will be too difficult to wield, but a pan that's too thin may be prone to warping and scorching. We found the 18-gauge thickness to be just right.

Coated vs. Uncoated

Traditionally, baking sheets are sold without any coating. If you're trying to avoid sticking, we'd recommend lining your sheet with parchment paper; not only does this prevent sticking, it also provides further insulation to avoid burnt bottoms. It's one of the best cookie tools we know, but it's useful for lots of baking endeavors.

But if the idea of cooking on bare metal is uncomfortable, there are plenty of nonstick options out there. These finishes aren't the most durable, as they're prone to scratch and degrade with time, especially when used at high temperatures. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. It's hard to beat the convenience of nonstick, but bare metal is going to be far longer lasting.

Rimmed vs. Rimless

Rimmed baking sheets are the most versatile because they can be used for baking cookies as well as roasting vegetables or meats; their spill-proof sides keep everything inside the pan. But rimless baking sheets have their merits, too. They're made for easily sliding cookies onto a cooling rack. Serious bakers may want to invest in a rimless sheet for convenience sake, but for most, a rimmed baking sheet is a more well-rounded choice. Look for rimmed baking sheets with reinforced rolled edges as opposed to flat-rimmed baking sheets. This helps to prevent the warping and buckling that can occur with drastic temperature changes.

Textured vs. Untextured

Your standard sheet pan is going to have a smooth surface that lends itself to a variety of kitchen tasks. But a textured surface can help promote airflow, a definite plus if you're going to be baking delicate baked goods like pastries or cookies.

About Our Tests

Of course, baking cookies is the ultimate test of a baking sheet's ability: Cookies are quick to show hot spots and easy to over brown. That is why Allrecipes product tester Sarah Zorn used each sheet pan to bake a dozen cookies at 350° Fahrenheit. Each pan was also used to roast vegetables at 425° Fahrenheit to evaluate how the pan performs under high heat and whether or not any sticking occurs. Sarah then cleaned each pan according to the manufacturer's instructions. During testing, special attention was paid to the following factors:

• Sturdiness: What's the gauge of the metal? At high temperatures, does the pan buckle or warp? If so, does it return to its original shape at room temperature?
• Versatility: Does it excel at both baking and roasting?
• Ease of Use: Is it comfortable to hold? Does food release easily? Does it clean easily, or does it stain?
• Reliability and Conductivity: Does it distribute heat evenly and brown/cook foods evenly?
• Value: Is the pan affordable? Is it well priced for how well it performed?

The Leftovers: Other Baking Sheets We Tested

We tested five other baking sheets in addition to our favorites above. There was a lot we loved about the OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Half Sheet Pan, but it warped at only 375° Fahrenheit, burned the bottoms of our chocolate chip cookies, and proved a bit more difficult to clean, leaving remnants of food stuck between the grooved lines. The Artisan Half Size Aluminum Baking Sheet was another fairly pricey pan that warped during testing, and not only did our cookies stick, but they also left behind grease rings.

We ran into similar issues while testing the Chicago Metallic Commercial II Jelly-Roll Pan, the USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan, and the Winware Commercial Half Size Sheet Pan—overbaked bottoms and scorching on the pan. The last two also came with impossible-to-remove stickers on the bottom.

Common Questions

How do you clean a baking sheet?

We recommend washing your baking sheet by hand whenever possible since it will prolong its life and finish—and always check the manufacturer's cleaning instructions before putting it in a dishwasher. With nonstick models, make sure to avoid using any metal scrubbers or utensils. For tough, caked-on stains or burnt food, you can use a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar to get a deeper clean.

What size baking sheet should I get?

For the sake of our testing, we decided to focus on half sheets (about 13 x 18 inches), which is the standard size for most home ovens. Full-size sheet pans are typically only used in commercial settings. If you're going to buy just one sheet pan, we'd recommend a half sheet. But having a few quarter sheets (13 x 9 inches) on hand is never a bad idea for reheating leftovers, toasting nuts, or roasting a potato or two for lunch.

Why Take Our Word For It?

Allrecipes is a community-driven brand providing trusted resources to our large network of home cooks. Sarah Zorn is a Brooklyn-based copywriter, recipe tester, and cookbook author. She tested the top baking sheets side-by-side in her own home and evaluated them on quality, durability, performance, and ease of cleaning. Melanie Fincher is a Birmingham, Alabama-based food writer who loves to cook, eat, and test out new kitchen gadgets.