Replacing cookie/baking sheets

How often do you replace your cookie or baking sheets?  My cookie sheets are almost 10 years old and pretty gross looking; even when DH has a go at scrubbing them.  I usually line them with foil before cooking on them now.  But the foil doesn't always hold up when I'm trying to remove food from the tray.  

So I'm wondering if I'm just past due to replace them?  I've never used parchment paper; is that an option for lining for my baking this year?  I've got quite a list of cookies to bake!

Probably couldn't hurt to get a new one. It's only been a couple years and I could use a new one. And more pots. But my kitchen is too tiny. when my bf and I move back to his hometown, I told him I don't care where we live, but I'd like a decent kitchen and I big tub.

Yes!!! You must try parchment paper!!!!! I used it for the first time a few years back and I was like "where have you been my whole life". :lol3:

It is probably time to replace your old pans though.

I swear by Chicago Metallic sheet pans. They are absolutely wonderful. May be a little pricey, but you cannot go wrong with Chicago Metallic. I love them. They are nice and heavy. And they will last forever....I've had mine now for about 8 years and they still look great. I bought mine at Reading China and Glass....an outlet store. But I think Bed, Bath and Beyond carry them, too. You can check online, too; wonderful pans.

And parchment paper. I will not bake cookies without parchment paper. Don't get the kind that is parchment on one side and foil on the other.....it curls up in the heat of your oven and will curl right into the cookie....I found that out the hard way. Get true parchment paper. I use it on my cookie sheets and in my round cake pans when I'm making a layer cake. I even use it on my pizza stones to help me get the pizza from the peel to the stone. I like it because you don't have to grease your cookie sheets and you can reuse the sheets for the course of your baking, unless you really make a mess. That stuff rocks.

Somebody told me that some of the dollar stores are starting to carry parchment paper in sheets. Makes it a little nicer because if you buy it in the roll, you have to cut it to fit your cookie sheets. I'm going to check it out next time I'm in town.

My cookie sheets are ages old.  I use foil on them or parchment paper. If  using foil I spray with a non-stick spray.
 

Oh I will definitely look for some parchment paper!  I need to make a dollar store run soon anyway.  I'd rather wait till after the holidays to replace my pans if I can.  I'll be keeping an eye out for sales.  And I'll definitely look for those pans Pam.  We invested in some good pots and pans a couple years ago and it's been worth it!  I've gotten a lot of use out of these cookie trays; but I know they were the more inexpensive ones.  For my bridal shower my Aunt got a big laundry basket and absolutely filled it with kitchen and baking stuff.  Right down to a hand written cookbook of both her baking recipes and family ones, the history of where some came from...etc.  I don't live near much family; so it's a real treasure...especially at the holidays!

You can't go wrong with parchment paper. I used to grease my cookie sheets and then I saw that some of my cookies had browner bottoms, not really burned, but brown. I tried Crisco, I tried some of the baking sprays, I tried Pam. And I didn't like any of them. It wasn't until I went to parchment that I noticed any real changes in my cookies.

If you can't go with Chicago Metallic, just stay away from darker sheets; I think they make your cookie bottoms browner, too. JMO. But if you can, buy just one CM sheet and see what you think! Oh, and a lot of people (me included) invested quite a bit of money in those air-bake sheets....the ones with the double sheets? They were OK, but I thought they made my cookies harder. Again, JMO. Good luck!

One of Rick's aunts did that for me, too. All kinds of stuff in the laundry basket. It made a great gift at the time because we were literally just starting out. I was 16 and couldn't boil water. I really appreciated that basket full of cooking items! I didn't get the handwritten cookbook, though!

ETA: Get parchment and use it on your bad cookie sheets. You should still be fine. And then when you get a few bucks saved up, get your new sheets. I use half-sheet pans. You can bake cookies on them, but you can also use them for jelly rolls and other rolled cakes. And you can use them for Texas Sheet cakes, too, depending on what size you get.

Do NOT buy nonstick cookie sheets! Do NOT buy nonstick cookie sheets! They burn cookies sometimes. Bad sheets. Really bad sheets. I don't care what anybody says!

Our cookie sheets are old and nasty, but we've hung on to them as long as we could. It's just about impossible to find cookie sheets anymore that aren't coated in that groty nonstick stuff.

Not just because of how it affects your food when cooking but due to the health issues involved. I've no clue what I'm going to do when I have to move out and buy some for myself... eBay maybe??

We have managed to find a few replacements at garage sales, lol. Mostly we just use tinfoil, or give them a really good scrubbing before use.

Ibiscribe said:

Our cookie sheets are old and nasty, but we've hung on to them as long as we could. It's just about impossible to find cookie sheets anymore that aren't coated in that groty nonstick stuff.

Not just because of how it affects your food when cooking but due to the health issues involved. I've no clue what I'm going to do when I have to move out and buy some for myself... eBay maybe??

We have managed to find a few replacements at garage sales, lol. Mostly we just use tinfoil, or give them a really good scrubbing before use.

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Buy from a restaurant supply store. They sell stainless steel or heavy aluminum.  If I ever buy another baking pan of any type again, I'm going for restaurant quality.

That's a good idea if you live close to a restaurant supply store. We don't. Are there any such stores online?

That's definitely worth looking into. I'm not aware of any in my area, but given the sheer number of tiny restaurants in the area, chances are there must be some about someplace...

When you use parchment paper; do you just use that and NOT grease it at all?  

Hm thats an idea; looking into restaurant supplies!  

MoochNNoodles said:

When you use parchment paper; do you just use that and NOT grease it at all?  

Hm thats an idea; looking into restaurant supplies!  

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No need to grease parchment.  You can of course. Some recipes do call for greasing both the pan and the paper.

I never grease parchment when using it on cookie sheets. I do, however, grease parchment when I'm using it in layer cake pans. I spray the pan, then put in the paper (cut to size), and then spray the paper, too. But that's only for layer cake pans or a long cake pan when I want to flip the long cake onto a tray and frost it that way. For cookie sheets, no greasing.....unless the recipe specifically directs you to do so.

Mooch, you'll be absolutely amazed at the difference you'll have using parchement!

ETA: I was posting on another forum and the question came up about the best baking sheets. Everybody said Chicago Metallic!!!!! So it's not just me.

I just added some to my wish list on Amazon so hopefully I can get a few when I get some "me" money!