Perhaps this is on account of years spent working in restaurants, but I can’t stand scrunching or folding an ill-fitting piece of paper to fit a baking tray when I know that there is a better way. Parchment that comes in rolls drives me bonkers. Either the paper doesn’t cover the tray fully, or there’s extra paper to tuck in. Of course, any parchment is better than none at all; but given the choice, I’ll take a flat sheet of parchment paper over a roll any day. Every time I pull a sheet out from my stash, I notice just how neatly and perfectly the sheet lines the tray and just how little the fuss it is to do.  I’m reminded that it’s the little things that make cooking a whole lot easier. 

In restaurants, trays are standard-sized. Whole sheet trays measure 16” by 24” (too big for most home ovens) and half sheet trays are 12 1/8x 16 3/8. (There are even quarter sheet trays—which I love also—but more on that later.) The most useful baking tray size for the home kitchen are the half sheet pans.

Both of these trays fit neatly onto baker’s racks, which every professional kitchen posesses. The racks free up save counter space, and trays full of food in any stage of preparation slide right onto them handily. 

All restaurants sheet trays are made of aluminum. Aluminum is a great conductor of heat, but it’s not a healthful surface to cook food directly on. No thank you to aluminum leaching out into the food.

This is where the parchment paper comes in. Food cooks directly on the paper—no leaching— but you benefit from the great conductor of heat that aluminum is. If you purchase your trays from a restaurant supply house—which I recommend— you won’t pay much for the trays. And cooking on a parchment-lined sheet makes the clean-up way easier than cooking directly on the tray. 

Aluminum trays plus parchment paper is a winning combination! 

Where to get those fabulous flat sheets of parchment? I order mine from Webrestaurant.com.  (These are the half silicon.)

You can order 100 or 1000 half sheets, or 100 or 1000 full sheets. 

If you buy full sheets even though you only use the half sheets, you can fold each in half and tear or cut down the middle. You’ll have double the number. Last time I purchased the 1000 full-sized ones, I had sheets for years!

This is where the parchment paper comes in. Food cooks directly on the paper—no leaching— but you benefit from the great conductor of heat that aluminum is. If you purchase your trays from a restaurant supply house—which I recommend— you won’t pay much for the trays. And cooking on a parchment-lined sheet makes the clean-up way easier than cooking directly on the tray. 

Perhaps it’s prudent to start out with a pack of 100. If you have the room, and you’re using it a lot, try a pack of 1000. You can even share the bounty.