In praise of the quarter sheet pan

May 14, 2019 by
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I have to admit to being a little late to the party on this, but I did not appreciate the versatility of quarter-size sheet pans until very recently. Why would I want yet another item to clutter my small kitchen when I had a nice stack of half-sheet pans at my disposal? Cathy Barrow’s excellent Pie Squared convinced me to try quarter-sheet pans and now I am hooked. (I mean really hooked – I got rid of all of my pie pans because I only make sheet pan pies anymore.) Food & Wine Magazine loves quarter-sheet pans too, and explains why they deserve a place in your kitchen.

sheet pans

Food & Wine offers several suggestions on how to put the petite pans to good use. One smart example is for roasted vegetables. If you are making a dish with different types of vegetables, some will inevitably be done well before the others. It’s tough to separate them using one large tray, but most ovens will accommodate multiple quarter sheet pans so you can place different vegetables on separate sheets and pull out only those that are done and leave the rest to finish. 

I’ve found many other uses for these smaller trays, including:

  • toasting nuts and making croutons
  • transporting ingredients from the fridge to your work surface
  • keeping compliated recipes organized – ramekins on a sheet tray work great for small amounts of spices or herbs, and a quarter-sheet pan doesn’t hog too much counter space
  • breading meats or veggies
  • making personal sized pizzas

Are you a member of the quarter-sheet pan fan club? If so, what’s your favorite use for them?

Category: Antipasto

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3 Comments

  • kayanelson  on  May 15, 2019

    I am a fan. I primarily am cooking for two so there is no need to dirty a half size sheet pan if I'm just throwing two chicken breasts in the oven. I buy King Arthur Flour half sheet parchments and if you fold them in half they easily tear into a size that perfectly fits the quarter sheet pan.

  • hillsboroks  on  May 15, 2019

    I discovered the quarter sheet pans (the same USA Pan brand shown in your photo) about 5 years ago and now they are my go to pan for so many things. Like kayanelson I am also cooking mostly for two so when I see a sheet pan supper recipe I want to try I just cut it in half and it is perfect on one of my smaller pans. These pans are perfect for roasting vegetables, making a smaller pan pizza or roasting a small pork tenderloin or a few pieces of chicken.

  • lkgrover  on  May 15, 2019

    I use my quarter sheet pan often, especially for roasting vegetables and baking/roasting single-serving deli food (stuffed crabs, seasoned or stuffed chicken or fish). I use the half-sheet & full size sheet pans for baking cookies and other miniature desserts (which I do mostly for Christmas). I am single, and I have a collection of small baking dishes and cookware.

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