Ditch the cling wrap with these lids

How many recipes ask you to cover an item with clingwrap/plastic wrap while it is proofing, marinating, cooling, or in some other waiting stage? Too many to count, right? If you hate wrestling with finicky wrap that seems to stick to everything except the edges of the container it’s supposed to seal, Serious Eat’s Andrew Janjigian has the answer, and it is one that I wholeheartedly support: sheet pan lids.

These plastic lids are the perfect solution any time you need to cover something that fits in a full, half, or quarter sheet pan. I used it when proofing bagels overnight in the refrigerator because the sturdy lids mean you can stack the pans on top of each other, a real space saver. I’ve also used them to store baked goods like cookies and brownies and to cover pork belly while it’s curing. Janjigian promotes Nordic Warelids, which are mainly compatible with Nordic Ware pans (along with a few others). One advantage of the Nordic Ware lids is that they make an extra-deep half-sheet pan that’s wonderful for sheet cakes and double batches of bars or brownies. They make a quarter pan size as well.

I found the Winco version of these covers at a restaurant supply store (pictured above and also available online), and they appear to be more universal than the Nordic Ware lids. The Winco lids fit my USA Pan, Nordic Ware, and Polar pans, both half and quarter sheet sizes. Vollrath, a well respected restaurant brand, makes these covers as well. The biggest advantage of the Winco and Vollrath covers is the price, about one-third the cost of the Nordic Ware product. If you turn the lids upside down, they stack neatly underneath the sheet pans so they take up very little additional space. Mine are over five years old and they have held up well. I rarely evangelize a product because I think few things are universal and everyone has their own quirks when it comes to cooking and baking, but I make an exception for these lids. They are truly a game-changer if you have sheet pans.

Jenny adds: I do like the covers Darcie wrote about above especially when traveling with a finished sheet cake or tray of bars but I love the silicone covers – especially these OXO silicone rectangular/square covers, round silicone covers and produce covers. Lastly, the fabric covers are pretty and I have a few but I think the silicone covers are better.

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