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Anyone have baking pan recommendations?
Long story short, I’ve gotten very tired of buying junky pans that start getting rusty, etc. really quickly.
At the moment, I’m trying to find some good metal pans for baking things like brownies and focaccia, so probably 8x8 and/or 9x13.
Anyone have any good brand recommendations?
Are they actually getting rusty, or do they have a patina of oil?
If they are getting rusty, then there's some greater issue, as I've never had a steel sheet pan actually get rusty.
If they have a patina of oil (like in this epicurious article on well-seasoned sheet pans). If it has that, then that's the mark of a good pan, well used pan, and those oil marks help keep things non-stick. You may want to have a pan for savoury stuff and a separate pan for sweet stuff, but in my experience, it makes no real difference.
Our cheapy sheet pans tend to rust when water gets under the folds around the edges, but it doesn't affect the cooking surface, just annoying when it gets rust on a dish towel or something
I realized that I didn't answer the original question - I have Nordic Ware sheet pans, and they are pretty good.
I also wash them somewhat similar to how I wash my cast iron pan. Wash carefully with soap and water, then heat to make sure there's no moisture left on them. My guess is that it's moisture staying in the folds of the pan that causes the rust maybe?
Oh yeah ours are cheapies, they find themselves in the dishwasher overnight all the time :)
Yeah, my current ones are cheapies for sure, bottom of the barrel at Target, and getting rusty around the edges. Don't mind having those as beater pans, but I can afford to get something slightly nicer that'll work better and last longer.
@aphoenix, thanks for the recommendation on Nordic Ware, I'd heard of them and had a general perception that they were quite good. Will definitely check them out.
I don’t have any metal 8x13 pans (mine are ceramic), but I have a bunch of uncoated, aluminum Nordic Ware quarter sheet pans that have held up well over the years? (same as aphoenix above, who inspired my writing this comment!)
Also! I’m sure you know this part, but as a note to anyone else, aluminum doesn’t rust the same way steel does, so it should never leave red or brown stains after being exposed to water.
(specifically, “rusted” aluminum is nearly the exact same colour as unrusted aluminum and is bonded extremely firmly to the unrusted metal beneath it, so it can’t rub or flake off)
Let me recommend restaurant-grade aluminum sheet pans. Mine have lasted decades. They're designed to go through dishwashers and aggressive scrubbing, heat evenly, don't have fragile or toxic non-stick coatings, and there's no nonsense branding and marketing cost tacked on. They're absurdly cheap. You can get deep 8 x 8 and 9 x 13 sizes. Best pro brownie pan is this. The USA Pan set that /u/DynamoSunshirt linked isn't badly priced per pan, but it's still coated and not rust-proof. You might pay less at a restaurant supply store, getting exactly the sizes you'll use.
If you need to prevent sticking, use pan spray, parchment, or a Silpat. I do line them with foil if I'm cooking something very acidic, like roasted tomatoes or lemons.
Thanks for the info! I didn't realize that about coatings. I'll have to try a restaurant supply store pan and see how it compares -- I tend to use parchment paper liners most of the time anyway.
I invested in USA pan last year to replace a crappy rusting cooling rack and baking sheet. Absolutely love the product. Only a bit more expensive than the cheap options, and boy, these things feel built to last. I could probably use them to defend myself in a home invasion!
Made in USA products sometimes have some wonky politics surrounding the brands, but these guys seem OK. Some friends recommended them and they've been happy with their purchases for 5+ years, definitely a good sign. And they haven't shrinkflation or enshittified their products in that time period, either -- our pan is just as good as their older one.
I've been using a set of Oxo for a while now and they always seem to be decent quality. I have various sizes of this line and it has held up fairly well.