Warpproof Pans

[chefwong]

What do ya'll think of the pans over at WS. Don't shop much there as better deals can be found elsewhere.....but I just happened to stroll into their store and their sheet pans, etc were incredibly thick and heavy.

I need to add a stash of sheet pans, jelly/cookie sheets, mini muffins, etc to my stash.
I use the mini-muffins for meatballs

Just curious what do you guys recommend for bakeware sheets that don't warp...

[Cowprintrabbit]

chefwong, can I get your meatball recipe? I have a bunch of min muffin tins that I use a few times a year; but I've been craving meatballs:-)

[chefwong]

Will get recipes to ya.

I recall a whole blurb on the Cooking Illustrated and their top reviews was the Lincoln 13awg pan.

Mixed Reviews over on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/...

Maybe there is no magic pan, like I was thinking and I would just pay the *premium* under Williams Sonoma and just *swap* it if the pans warps

[lcool]

Here in DC just walk in with defect,walk out with new.My sister called first
checked stock,got the ok,same result.
Perhaps the price comes back in service and the warranty.

[RGC1982]

I have a few and have had some for years. Their quarter sheet pans (regular ones) are heavy but the coating will wear out over time if you use metal utensils. I use mine for more than cookies, so this happens. None have warped, but I think I am careful not to put a hot pan in cold water, so this is not a surprise. The gold pans are fantastic, but too new for me to comment on in terms of longevity.

I also have some professional Lincoln foodservice aluminum pans. They are shiny with no non-stick coating, but are wonderful. In addition, I have also purchased half sheet pans at Sam's club, and these work fine too. So, I am not sure that you need to pay quite as much as WS, but then again, if you want a quarter sheet pan or other shape rather than a half-sheet, you will find yourself ordering them from a professional cookware source and paying for shipping, so it may just be close. I have no reservations about WS pans at all, but they probably cost a tad bit more in the end than the others for similar quality.

To me, the big question is whether or not you want or need non-stick. Once you decide against it, the world of foodservice quality pans and WS gold opens to you. I suspect many bakers come to this conclusion over time.

[janniecooks]

So true - seems like most beginning cooks have bought into the makreting hype for non-stick pans, but over time they don't perform well either as a baking tool or in clean-up. Foodservice quality aluminum pans perform great, are versatile, clean up so easily, and last longest - even in a bit more expensive to purchase over the long term quality is always cheaper.

[lcool]

WS has a great warranty policy on the sheet pans.I kept a copy of the
"care/warranty" sheet with my half sheets.If memory serves,buy two at a time and the price comes down.
My half sheets from WS have been peerless.Don't know about the full pan.
I still have eight commercial pans that at 60 years aren't even at half life.

[The_Whistler]

America's test kitchen did a review of square pans and they liked the Goldtouch WS the best. Shiny metal reflected too much heat, dark pans absorbed too much heat, while the gold, less dark ones gave the best result. I don't know about their warpage though.

[jsteingarten]

Whatever you do, don't use the ones at IKEA. They warped big time.

[janniecooks]

For baking cookies and as an all purpose roasting pan the half-sheet aluminum baking pans (call them jelly roll pans if you will) are the greatest. The light color ensures that your cookies don't burn or over-brown on the bottom, things don't much stick, and they clean up beautifully with little effort. They are heavy enough so they never warp. I absolutely love my aluminum pans. Purchased mine at Sam's Club, they were sold in pairs. Now if I could just find quarter-sheet sized pans I'd be delirous!

[dscheidt]

Lincoln number 5220. Available at any restaurant supply.

[paulj]

An important feature of these jelly-roll pans is the raised rim. I think that, more than the bottom thickness, is what prevents warping.

[PattiCakes]

I have the pans from Sam's & I agree that they are great.

Sorry to chuckle at the topic of this post. I thought it was "war proof pans", so I got this vision of people using baking pans to shaild themselves from debris......

[mpalmer6c]

Me too. My first thought was a cast-iron frying pan.:)

[Cowprintrabbit]

so glad to know I'm not alone!

[dscheidt]

A jelly roll pan is not the same thing as a half-sheet pan. A jelly roll pan is 10X15 (by a bit less than 1 inch). A half-sheet is 13X18 (again, by 1 inch). That's 50% more area or volume. That's a big deal if you're trying to make a sponge cake for a jelly roll!

[paulj]

Could you point us to a source for commercial jelly-roll pans in the 10x15 size?

While a recipe designed for a 10x15 pan shouldn't be used in a 13x18 (unless you really want a thinner cake), I don't see why the recipe couldn't be adapted to the larger area.

[dscheidt]

Chicago metallic 69150.

[paulj]

I now see the difference:
69150 is 'True Jelly Roll Pan'
77813 is just a 'Jelly Roll Pan'
In fact, the sticker on the smaller size puts True in quotes.

[Docsknotinn]

Many companies that produce half sheep pans market them as jelly roll pans including Chigcago metallic.

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

They are overpriced. Go to a restaurant supply store for sheet pan type stuff. For loaf pans... of all things, Ecko Baker's Secret that they have at almost every grocery store in the land. It works well, it's dirt cheap, what more could you ask?

[rockfish42]

WS + Williams Sonoma?
I use a pair of half sheet pans I bought at a local restaurant supply store and they are pretty bullet proof. If you want a bit of an upgrade get the Lincoln food service half sheet pans that are 13 gauge, they're a bit hard to find and some will still warp at roasting temperatures, but should return to normal after cooling.

[mpalmer6c]

Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've never had cookie pan (shallow baking pan, sheet pan, whatever) that's warped. They've all been chap, too.