Stainless sheet pan?

[whatsup1]

I have been searching for a stainless sheet pan to no avail. Does anyone know if such a creature exists, and where I might find one on line?

[jgarner53]

Why would you need (or want) a stainless steel sheet pan instead of aluminum? Aluminum is a much better conductor, not to mention significantly lighter in weight.

[chefpeon]

Yes, do tell! Maybe you don't actually need stainless steel, but think you do.

What do you want to use it for?

I'm not sure they exist either......and for good reason.....

I know *I* wouldn't buy one.......

[whatsup1]

Ideally, I would like to find a sheet pan with an aluminum core and a stainless surface. I am a private chef, and aluminum cookware isn't allowed in the house. I know that there are many studies that show alumininum cookware does not affect health, but where I work, I can't use aluminum. I really do need something that is sheetpan size, a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan isn't sufficient.

[pyrguy]

A company called Norpro used to make a SS 1/4 sheet. Pretty small pan but OK for some home kitchen uses. They are usually sold in mid to upper level home type kitchen stores. That is the only one I know of.

Edited November 12, 2004 by pyrguy (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Not stainless -- and not cheap -- but not aluminum, either:

black steel sheet pan

[chefpeon]

I know that there are many studies that show alumininum cookware does not affect health, but where I work, I can't use aluminum.

I always line my sheet pans with parchment liners.......even if you do that, you can't use aluminum?

[bleachboy]

I agree with chefpeon ... seems like the best option is to just line your sheet pans with something. Either something disposable or something like silpat (which perfectly fits a half sheet pan), depending on your use.

You have clients that are really paranoid about aluminum intake or something? I read somewhere once that you get more aluminum from anti-perspirant than from aluminum cookware, foil, etc...

I think the only non-aluminum option would be to buy (expensive) cookie sheets made out of some sort of nonstick material.

[bleachboy]

I eat my words after Googling:

SS sheet pan #1

"black steel" sheet pan

[chefpeon]

You have clients that are really paranoid about aluminum intake or something? I read somewhere once that you get more aluminum from anti-perspirant than from aluminum cookware, foil, etc..

Check this out. Apparently there have been studies recently published about aluminum and it's link to Alzheimers. So people are reacting to this. Where I work, we used to serve Creme Brulee, Pots de Creme and Panna Cotta in little four ounce aluminum tins....we had enough complaints from paranoid customers regarding the above mentioned studies, that we had to find a different container.....which is now a little plastic container that is very flat and shallow. Now it's a pain in the ass for me to torch my brulees without melting plastic. Fun. Not.

I sure hope these customers aren't drinking beverages out of cans.

Did you see the news report last night that they have now determined that too much Vitamin E is harmful to the heart? Contradicts an earlier study that encourages people to take Vitamin E.

If I based my lifestyle on studies, I'd surely be a lot more stressed out. If I remember right, there was a study that determined stress was bad for you........um, duh.

Edited November 12, 2004 by chefpeon (log)

[bkeith]

Check this out. Apparently there have been studies recently published about aluminum and it's link to Alzheimers. So people are reacting to this. Where I work, we used to serve Creme Brulee, Pots de Creme and Panna Cotta in little four ounce aluminum tins....we had enough complaints from paranoid customers regarding the above mentioned studies, that we had to find a different container.....which is now a little plastic container that is very flat and shallow. Now it's a pain in the ass for me to torch my brulees without melting plastic. Fun. Not.

I sure hope these customers aren't drinking beverages out of cans.  

Yeah, you see people referring to that study a lot. What you rarely see is people referring to the followup study which revealed that the testing methodology was flawed. The aluminum wasn't in the brain tissue that they were examining. It was in the dye they used to prepare the samples.

Looks like further studies have implicated certain aluminum compounds with potential neurological damage similar to Alzheimers, but nothing's conclusive. At this point, there is no convincing evidence that exposure to aluminum contributes to Alzheimer's Disease.

http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/alzheimers.htm

[mklynch]

I'm waiting for the study that shows stainless steel is bad for you!

[whatsup1]

I really appreciate everyone's response, and I will look into the two sheet pan sources listed above. I have never ordered anything from Taiwan -- I will have to think about that one for a few minutes.

This place is the best and you all rock.

[andiesenji]

The only sheet pans and baking pans we had in my mom's bakery, back when I started out in the 50s, were steel pans. When new they arrived coated in some kind of sticky, rubbery grease that had to be scraped and scrubbed off before they could be used. Then they had to be coated with mineral oil and seasoned. In between use we usually just wiped them down unless something gooey was baked on - then we had to soak and scrub then oil and season again.

If we didn't oil them immediately after washing and drying they would rust overnight.

I really hated bending over that deep sink, working my way down a stack of sheet pans after baking sticky buns.

I always wonder about all these so-called "studies" that prove this or disprove that.

I still remember the brouhaha about the sodium cyclamate sweetener that was supposed to cause bladder cancer in rats (it seems that almost everything causes bladder cancer in rats) and it was taken off the market. Only years later was it learned that the amount given to the rats was the same amount that would be given to a human of average weight and that the "study" was funded by a shadow corporation whose money in turn came from a corporation who was getting ready to market another artificial sweetener. One way to kill the competition.

Some people used aluminum cookware all their lives with no problems. I think this is yet another case of "the sky is falling syndrome"........

[John Braise]

Weird. Literally 20 minutes ago I was flipping through a USPlastics catalog and thinking how funny it was that they were marketing stainless stockpots as "Heating and Storage Tanks with Covers." Anyway, they also have sheet pans and deep pans made by Polarware. Googling "Polarware" turns up a few more vendors. A more general search for stainless labware might turn up even more.

I'm not sure that they're standard sizes, but I'm not sure that matters either.

[charlotte baker]

I have been searching for a stainless sheet pan to no avail. Does anyone know if such a creature exists, and where I might find one on line?

←

Try here.

http://www.chefdepot.net/mixingbowls.htm

[chefpeon]

http://www.chefdepot.net/mixingbowls.htm

The sheet pans on that site are layered aluminum....not stainless steel.

Andie

Man, your 50's steel pans sounded like a complete unabated nightmare!

If I had to deal with all that cleaning, oiling and seasoning.....I probably would have quit

the baking biz! It's a chore enough just to clean my aluminum ones when they need it!

Yeah, I take those "studies" with huge grain of kosher salt (wait, isn't sodium bad for me too???).

Remember the oat bran craze? Now all you have to do to lower cholesterol is get your doctor to prescribe some Zocor.

The way I see it, life is hazardous to your health......something's gonna get you. You can worry all you want about aluminum, lead, free radicals, ozone, trans-fats......subscribe to the "panic du jour" and buy all-organic, or become a vegan to add extra years, days or minutes onto your life.

Or not. I choose the latter. I'd rather live an enjoyable stress free, butter loaded life. If it's a few years shorter......fine. At least I was happy. Seems Julia Child lived a long life......and I bet she NEVER used margarine!

I always have this vision in my mind whenever some health food freak decides to get in my face about all the "bad stuff" I'm producing for the public (and here in Hippie-town, those self righteous people are numerous.) I imagine them eating their organic food and drinkin' their carrot juice and taking their vitamins and then they are taking their morning run, and a piano falls on their head and they die. Pianos will choose anyone to fall on......not just us doughnut

eating hedonists.

My health routine involves a multivitamin in the morning and a lot of looking up......

I at least want to try to avoid the piano.

[charlotte baker]

http://www.chefdepot.net/mixingbowls.htm

The sheet pans on that site are layered aluminum....not stainless steel.

Sorry--I was looking at the stainless hotel pans.

[scott123]

Here's one more perspective to throw in the pot.

Even though I don't think they are unhealthy, I don't enjoy the taste of the aluminum salts that are formed with salty/acidic foods. And parchment liners don't prevent these salts from being formed with wet foods like meatloaf or lasagna.

Whatsup1, there are a two other options you might want to consider

Nonstick sheet pans are almost always teflon on steel.

An enameled roasting pan

You're best bet is to call a few local restaurants suppliers. My local places have entire catalogs of stainless steel cookware. I have come across a handful of stainless steel sheet pans in my travels. I have never seen an aluminum core sheet pan, and I doubt that one exists. As mentioned previously, the conductivity of stainless steel is horrible so you'll have a hard time browning the bottom of anything. Here is a list of some common thermal conductivity coefficients:

Silver .96

copper .94

Aluminum (spun or pressed) .53

Cast aluminum .33

Steel .16

iron .12

s/s .05

[bleachboy]

I really appreciate everyone's response, and I will look into the two sheet pan sources listed above. I have never ordered anything from Taiwan -- I will have to think about that one for a few minutes.

This place is the best and you all rock.

←

The Taiwan site is a little sketchy, yeah. I do enjoy the broken-English description, though!

The Stainless Steel Sheet Pan is apply the Stainless steel made very strong.

The specialty Stainless steel prevent iron oxidize,No poison,resist bakery to paste on the bakeware.

Smoothly and Non-stick bakeware.

Clean easy and hygiene.

Choice the best.