Sheet pan

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A baker places a hot sheet pan full of bread rolls onto a cooling rack. USS John C. Stennis baker.jpg
A baker places a hot sheet pan full of bread rolls onto a cooling rack.

A sheet pan, also referred to as baking tray, baking sheet, or baking pan, is a flat, rectangular metal pan placed in an oven and used for baking pastries such as bread rolls, cookies, sheet cakes, Swiss rolls, and pizzas.

Contents

These pans, like all bakeware, can be made of a variety of materials. Originally made of sheet iron, today's baking trays are made of either aluminum or sheet steel that has been enameled or coated with PFAS.

Common features that may be found in sheet pans include: one or more flat edges to assist food removal, one or more raised edges (lips) to retain food, a contiguous rim to retain either food or shallow liquid, handles to assist in moving the pan into and out of the oven, a layer of insulation (typically air) designed to protect delicate food from burning (air bake pan), or perforations to aid in speeding cooking (pizza tray).

Rigidity of the pan is especially important if the pan is to be placed directly on a flat heat source (hearth stone, induction element, etc.) Rims and ridges contribute to rigidity.

The earliest recorded usage of sheet pans is in Scotland, by the baker Henry A. Gillespie.

Materials

Commercial pans are sometimes made from aluminized steel which combines the conductive, reflective, and food adherence properties of aluminum, with the rigidity, mass, and strength of the inner steel core (in this process, the aluminum surface is typically 90% aluminum and 10% silicon, which is not quite the same as pure aluminum).

Mass, thermal conductivity, and colour of the pan play key roles in achieving a uniform cooking temperature. The friction of the pan's under surface may be a safety consideration in some applications.

Types and sizes

Simple tray with rim. This shape is called a jelly roll pan because the sponge cake for a jelly roll can be baked in it. Altes Backblech.JPG
Simple tray with rim. This shape is called a jelly roll pan because the sponge cake for a jelly roll can be baked in it.

A sheet pan that has a continuous lip around all four sides may be called a jelly roll pan. A pan that has at least one side flat, so that it is easy to slide the baked product off the end, may be called a cookie sheet.

A flat cookie sheet. Because there are no sides on a cookie sheet, this baker used metal binder clips to keep the parchment baking paper from sliding off. Baking Sheet Clip (5175179909).jpg
A flat cookie sheet. Because there are no sides on a cookie sheet, this baker used metal binder clips to keep the parchment baking paper from sliding off.

Professional sheet pans used in commercial kitchens typically are made of aluminum, with a 25 mm (1 in) raised lip around the edge, and come in both standard and non-standard sizes. Within each standard, other commercial kitchen equipment, such as cooling racks, ovens, and shelving, is made to fit these standard pans. In many cases, American and European sizes are matched closely enough to be used interchangeably.

Typically, for rimmed trays, each rim will sacrifice 10–20 mm (0.5–0.75 in) of baking surface along that edge. Pans of a single design from a single vendor will usually share the same rim height and rake across all tray sizes in a series, thus the sacrifice of flat baking surface is proportionally greater (relative to outer dimension) for small pans than for large pans.

While nominally half the size—and typically sharing one dimension—quarter sheets will not necessarily nest inside a half sheet side by side (whether for storage or other purposes). Some vendors supply quarter sheets that are half the size of a half sheet in outer dimension, while other vendors supply quarter sheets that are closer to half the size of a half sheet in flat baking area.

European sizes

Visual representation of European gastronorm sizes. Gastronorm sizes.png
Visual representation of European gastronorm sizes.

European standard pan dimensions are governed by GN numbers under European Committee for Standardization EN 631.

Common European Baking Tray Dimensions
Gastronorm sizes Dimensions
GN2/1650 × 530 mm
GN1/1530 × 325 mm
GN2/3354 × 325 mm
GN2/4530 × 162 mm
GN1/2325 × 265 mm
GN1/3325 × 176 mm
GN1/4265 × 162 mm
GN1/6176 × 162 mm
GN1/9108 × 176 mm

European sized trays usually come in standard depths of 20, 40, 65, 100, 150 and 200 mm.

U.S. sizes

Baking sheet with rails and parchment paper liner Strudly.jpg
Baking sheet with rails and parchment paper liner
Baking sheet with handles Chocolate Pecan Tarts on a baking sheet.jpg
Baking sheet with handles

In American sizing, the full-size sheet pan is 26 in × 18 in (660 mm × 460 mm), which is too large for most home ovens. [1] A two-thirds sheet pan (also referred to as a three quarter size sheet pan) is 21 in × 15 in (530 mm × 380 mm). A half sheet pan is 18 in × 13 in (460 mm × 330 mm); [1] quarter sheets are 9 in × 13 in (230 mm × 330 mm). [1] The half sheet is approximately the same size as the largest mass-market baking sheets found in supermarkets, and the quarter sheet is a common size for rectangular, single-layer cakes (e.g., the size used for a regular-sized box of cake mix, holding six cups of batter [2] ).

Another popular size for home baking is 10 in × 15 in (250 mm × 380 mm). [3] This pan size, traditionally used to make a jelly roll cake, is bigger than a quarter sheet but smaller than a half sheet.

Common U.S. Baking Tray Dimensions
Conventional U.S. Size NameOuter
width
(in)
Outer
depth
(in)
Outer
height
(in)
Outer
width
(mm)
Outer
depth
(mm)
Outer
height
(mm)
Full2618166045725
Two Thirds (Three Quarters)2115153338125
Half1813145733025
Quarter139.5133024125
Eighth9.56.5124116525

Values are approximate and vary based on rim size and style.

Institutional use

Unlike other bakeware, smaller sheet pans function as convenient task trays.

Mobile sheet pan rack for shallow baked goods Stojan na suseni peciva.JPG
Mobile sheet pan rack for shallow baked goods

Commercial sheet pans are used for many purposes besides baking. Kitchen or cooking processes are often designed around kitchen equipment such as sheet pans, presupposing their ubiquity in most commercial food preparation areas.

In bread baking, especially, the bread dough will often go through several long rest intervals on sheet pans stacked in open or enclosed sheet pan racks (sometimes mounted on wheels). Enclosed racks may also be ventilated or temperature controlled to some degree.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookie</span> Small, flat and sweetened baked food (biscuit)

A cookie, or a biscuit, is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baking</span> Food producing method

Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread, but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferred "from the surface of cakes, cookies, and pieces of bread to their center. As heat travels through, it transforms batters and doughs into baked goods and more with a firm dry crust and a softer center". Baking can be combined with grilling to produce a hybrid barbecue variant by using both methods simultaneously, or one after the other. Baking is related to barbecuing because the concept of the masonry oven is similar to that of a smoke pit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookware and bakeware</span> Food preparation containers

Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookware and bakeware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outdoor cooking</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tray</span> Shallow platform designed for carrying things

A tray is a shallow platform designed for the carrying of items. It can be fashioned from numerous materials, including silver, brass, sheet iron, paperboard, wood, melamine, and molded pulp. Trays range in cost from inexpensive molded pulp trays which are disposable and inexpensive melamine trays used in cafeterias, to mid-priced wooden trays used in a home, to expensive silver trays used in luxury hotels. Some examples have raised galleries, handles, and short feet for support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muffin</span> A part-raised flatbread or a quickbread

A muffin is an individually portioned baked product; however, the term can refer to one of two distinct items: a part-raised flatbread that is baked and then cooked on a griddle, or a quickbread that is chemically leavened and then baked in a mold. While quickbread "American" muffins are often sweetened, there are savory varieties made with ingredients such as corn and cheese, and less sweet varieties like traditional bran muffins. The flatbread "English" variety is of British or other European derivation, and dates from at least the early 18th century, while the quickbread originated in North America during the 19th century. Both types are common worldwide today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oven</span> Enclosed chamber for heating objects

An oven is a tool which is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been used to accomplish a wide variety of tasks requiring controlled heating. Because they are used for a variety of purposes, there are many different types of ovens. These types differ depending on their intended purpose and based upon how they generate heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupcake</span> Small single-serving cake, often frosted

A cupcake (AmE), fairy cake (BrE), or bun (IrE) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations such as fruit and candy may be applied.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchenware</span> Items used for preparing, storing and serving food

Kitchenware are the tools, utensils, appliances, dishes, and cookware used in food preparation, or the serving of food. Kitchenware can also be used in order to hold or store food before or after preparation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar cooker</span> Device for cooking with the heat of sunlight

A solar cooker is a device which uses the energy of direct sunlight to heat, cook or pasteurize drink and other food materials. Many solar cookers currently in use are relatively inexpensive, low-tech devices, although some are as powerful or as expensive as traditional stoves, and advanced, large scale solar cookers can cook for hundreds of people. Because they use no fuel and cost nothing to operate, many nonprofit organizations are promoting their use worldwide in order to help reduce fuel costs and air pollution, and to help slow down deforestation and desertification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genoise</span> Italian sponge cake named after the city of Genoa

A génoise, also known as Genoese cake or Genovese cake, is a French sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and associated with French cuisine. It was created by François Massialot in the late 17th century. Instead of using chemical leavening, air is suspended in the batter during mixing to provide volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teacake</span> Sweet roll

A teacake in England is generally a light yeast-based sweet bun containing dried fruit, typically served toasted and buttered. In the U.S. teacakes can be cookies or small cakes. In Sweden, they are soft, round, flat wheat breads made with milk and a little sugar, and used to make buttered ham or cheese sandwiches. In India and Australia, a teacake is more like a butter cake. Tea refers to the popular beverage to which these baked goods are an accompaniment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loaf</span> Usually rounded mass of food

A loaf is a (usually) rounded or oblong mass of food, typically and originally of bread. It is common to bake bread in a rectangular bread pan or loaf pan because some kinds of bread dough tend to collapse and spread out during the cooking process if not constrained; the shape of less viscous doughs can be maintained with a bread pan whose sides are higher than the uncooked dough. More viscous doughs can be hand-molded into the desired loaf shape and cooked on a flat oven tray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cast-iron cookware</span> Cookware valued for heat retention properties

Heavy-duty cookware made of cast iron is valued for its heat retention, durability, ability to maintain high temperatures for longer time duration, and non-stick cooking when properly seasoned. Seasoning is also used to protect bare cast iron from rust. Types of cast iron cookware include frying pans, dutch ovens, griddles, waffle irons, flattop grills, panini presses, crepe makers, deep fryers, tetsubin, woks, potjies, and karahi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastronorm</span>

Gastronorm (GN), sometimes spelled Gastro-Norm, is a European standard for kitchenware tray and container sizes that is commonly seen worldwide in the catering and professional food industry, as well as in certain parts of the high-end consumer market. Gastronorm is generally used worldwide except in most of the United States and Canada, which have their own domestic systems. The gastronorm standard was first introduced in Switzerland in 1964 and became an official European standard in 1993 with the EN 631 standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnycake</span> American cornmeal flatbread

Johnnycake, also known as journey cake, johnny bread, hoecake, shawnee cake or spider cornbread, is a cornmeal flatbread, a type of batter bread. An early American staple food, it is prepared on the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. The food originates from the indigenous people of North America. It is still eaten in the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Colombia, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Croix, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baking stone</span>

A baking stone is a portable cooking surface used in baking. It may be made of ceramic, stone or, more recently, salt. Food is put on the stone, which is then placed in an oven, though sometimes the stone is heated first. Baking stones are used much like cookie sheets, but may absorb additional moisture for crispier food. A pizza stone is a baking stone designed for cooking pizza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchen utensil</span> Tool used for food preparation

A kitchen utensil is a small hand-held tool used for food preparation. Common kitchen tasks include cutting food items to size, heating food on an open fire or on a stove, baking, grinding, mixing, blending, and measuring; different utensils are made for each task. A general purpose utensil such as a chef's knife may be used for a variety of foods; other kitchen utensils are highly specialized and may be used only in connection with preparation of a particular type of food, such as an egg separator or an apple corer. Some specialized utensils are used when an operation is to be repeated many times, or when the cook has limited dexterity or mobility. The number of utensils in a household kitchen varies with time and the style of cooking.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mitchell, Karen; Hansen, Sarah Mitchell (2013-09-17). "Equipment". The Model Bakery Cookbook: 75 Favorite Recipes from the Beloved Napa Valley Bakery. Chronicle Books. p. 26. ISBN   978-1-4521-2991-4.
  2. Carpenter, Autumn (2013-11-01). Decorate Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cookies with Kids: Techniques, Projects, and Party Plans for Teaching Kids, Teens, and Tots. Quarto Publishing Group USA. p. 22. ISBN   978-1-61058-874-4.
  3. "The essential alternative baking pan sizes". King Arthur Baking. Retrieved 2022-07-16.