Question from Francesca
I was inspired by your recent question regarding waffle irons. What about cookie sheets. All the ones that I can find are always non-stick. Is that what you should be avoiding? Where can you find a safe kind?
Debra’s Answer
Yes, you should be avoiding nonstick finish on cookie sheets.
I personally don’t use cookie sheets to bake cookies. I use what are called “sheet pans.” They are made from an aluminum-steel blend and have no non-stick finish. Where a cookie sheet has no sides, these pans have sides about one inch high, so they can do double duty and be used to bake cakes (they actually are cake pans, used by professional bakers), roast vegetables, and many other things. I put a silicone mat on the sheet pan to make it nonstick (nothing sticks to silicone). You can see a picture of my sheet pans at At Home With Debra: My New Cookware.
I have two 13×18-inch “half-sheet” pans and two 13X9-inch “quarter-sheet” pans. These are so-called because the sizes are fractions of the “full sheet” pan used in restaurants and bakeries (which are too large to fit in a home oven).
Read more on bakware and silcone baking mats at Q&A: Which Bakeware is Safe?.
