Great kitchen gear: The best-ever cookie sheet

My friend Jenny recently moved, and, after years of living in furnished apartments, had to stock her own kitchen for the first time. “Help,” she wrote, “what cookie sheets should I buy?”

Easy answer! My absolute favourite baking sheets are half sheet pans, sometimes known as jellyroll pans, and they’re indispensible in our work kitchen and at home. These pans measure about 18x13 in. with a 1-in. lip. They are affordable, sturdy, easy to clean, widely available (if you're in Toronto, check Chinatown for best prices) and they don’t warp. I use them for cookies, roasted vegetables, toasted nuts, setting underneath pies (to catch drips!), free-form bread loaves, pizza and countless other jobs.

Their number 1 job in my house is for our weekly roast chickens. A half sheet holds two small chickens so perfectly – no rack required. I just season two 3-lb chickens with lots of kosher salt, fresh pepper and a drizzle of oil then roast at 375F for about an hour and 10 minutes.

Buy two, and keep them forever!

Click here to try some of our favourite cookie recipes!