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Nordic Ware baking sheets are a versatile, inexpensive kitchen staple. Casement Windows
You can never have too many baking sheets. Okay, maybe never is an overstatement. But years of working in professional kitchens taught me that they’re one of the most useful kitchen staples. I recommend stocking up. And if you’re going to stock up, get the Nordic Ware Naturals Baker’s Half Sheet.
The Nordic Ware baking sheet, which has been Wirecutter’s pick since 2013, is the kind you find in restaurant kitchens. It’s durable and inexpensive, and it bakes evenly.
This sturdy, inexpensive sheet pan bakes evenly and will last for years.
May also be available in warehouse for $3 less
Made of bare, heavy-gauge aluminum, this baking sheet has a 1-inch rim, and it comes in five sizes. There’s the half sheet that we recommend (which is about 13 by 18 inches, the size you probably picture when you think of a baking sheet).
Then there’s a “Big Sheet” (21 by 15 inches), as well as a 15-by-10½-inch jelly roll pan, a ¼ sheet, and an adorably small ⅛ sheet. The Big Sheet is not quite as big as the full sheet size you find in restaurants (which is literally twice the size of a half sheet), but it might not fit in all ovens. I prefer the smaller sizes, which I find incredibly useful.
We’ve tested 15 different pans and made many batches of cookies since 2013, and the Nordic Ware Naturals Baker’s Half Sheet always comes out on top.
I use my Nordic Ware baking sheets for all the basic things: roasting vegetables, baking cookies, the occasional sheet-pan dinner. But they’re also great for all kinds of other little kitchen tasks.
You can line a pan with a clean kitchen towel and spread out delicate berries or herbs to dry after rinsing. Or you can use one as a tray to carry dishes from kitchen to table, or to keep the jars in your fridge organized. The smaller sizes fit in a toaster oven and are perfect for toasting a handful of nuts or quickly baking a piece of fish. They’re also just the right size for a kid to use, whether in a play kitchen or for a real kitchen project. My husband even put a ¼ sheet under our coffee grinder, to catch the stray grounds it used to spray out onto the counter.
Nordic Ware was founded in Minnesota in 1946 by husband and wife Dave and Dotty Dalquist. At first they sold specialty Scandinavian cookware—krumkake irons and ebelskiver pans—but they soon made their claim to fame by inventing the Bundt pan. (Invent is perhaps a bit of a stretch—the fluted shape is based on a traditional German kugelhopf pan. But they did introduce the Bundt as we know it and trademarked the name.)
Nordic Ware has since expanded into making all kinds of bakeware and cookware (not to mention an extensive line of microwave cooking gear). But much of the company’s aluminum cookware—including the sheet pans we love—is still made in its Minneapolis factory.
Bare aluminum has a lot of advantages for baking—it’s lightweight, inexpensive, and an excellent, even conductor of heat. But it’s not the easiest material to keep clean.
Food sticks easily if you don’t grease the pan well or line it with parchment paper, and your pan will probably develop some dark stains from baked-on oils. If these bother you, all of the methods we recommend for cleaning stainless steel pans should work here too. Start by coating the pan with a slurry of baking soda and water, let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrub hard with a scouring pad. (This will leave some very fine scratches in the aluminum but won’t affect the sheet pan’s performance.)
On the other hand, I’ve learned to live with the dark stains on my most well-used pans and have found they can actually make the pans better— more nonstick, and better at browning
Nordic Ware doesn’t recommend putting these pans in the dishwasher because the heat and harsh detergent can cause the aluminum to oxidize. To be honest, I’ve run my smaller pans through the dishwasher, and they’ve only developed a dull patina. But I know other people who have found a thin film of black oxidation (which can be washed off) coating their pans after a trip through the dishwasher.
This post was originally published as part of our 2020 “52 Things We Love” series, an ode to Wirecutter picks that have withstood the test of time. Read the entire series.
Marguerite Preston is a senior editor covering kitchen gear and appliances at Wirecutter, and has written guides to baking equipment, meal kit delivery services, and more. She previously worked as an editor for Eater New York and as a freelance food writer. Before that, she learned her way around professional kitchens as a pastry cook in New York.
by Marguerite Preston and Christine Cyr Clisset
We’ve tested 15 different pans and made many batches of cookies since 2013, and the Nordic Ware Naturals Baker’s Half Sheet always comes out on top.
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