30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEAsk anyone who cooks a lot at home which tray they reach for most often, and the answer is rarely the big oven tray that came with the cooker. It's one like this. The Quarter Sheet is a quarter of a full-size American bakery sheet, and that size turns out to be just right for most of what happens in an ordinary kitchen on an ordinary weekday: a tray of roasted vegetables, half a dozen cinnamon buns, chicken thighs for two, a batch of granola or a brownie to be cut into squares.
The sheet is made of pure, uncoated aluminium with no coating. Aluminium conducts heat quickly and evenly, so cakes and breads get the same colour in the middle as at the edges, and vegetables roast instead of steaming. The rim is reinforced with an encapsulated galvanised steel ring, and that's what stops the sheet warping and banging in the oven as it heats up – something anyone who has owned a cheap tray will recognise. The low rim keeps in juices and melted butter but lets the heat reach the food from the sides.
Because the sheet is uncoated, there's no coating to wear, flake or scratch. Over time the aluminium develops a duller, slightly mottled patina, and that's perfectly fine. That's what a well-used sheet looks like, and it doesn't affect how it bakes. Line it with baking paper or a silicone mat when baking and everything releases easily. The sheet is also compact enough to fit in small ovens and easy to wash in an ordinary sink.
Nordic Ware is the family business from Minneapolis that has been making bakeware since 1946, and the sheets in the Naturals range are still made in the USA.
Uncoated aluminium baking sheet with galvanised steel reinforced rim. Inside approx. 31 x 22 x 2.8 cm, outside approx. 33 x 24 cm. Oven safe up to 260 degrees. Wash by hand – the dishwasher discolours aluminium. Made in the USA.
