Boring thread klaxon! Baking trays that aren't shit

[Vinvertebrate]

I am elderly fifty and my days of using cheap cookware are over. I have replaced my pans, casseroles etc with Le Creuset, bought a Peugeot grinder and a Kitchen Aid to replace my ancient Argos stand mixer, but I seem to be stuck with nasty (metal) baking trays with teflon coating that dissolves in the dishwasher and then goes rusty, presumably leaking toxins throughout our food! Yum.

I always used to buy bakeware from Tesco, then I "upgraded" to Lakeland, but they were equally terrible. Is there an indestructible baking tray set available anywhere? The ones my DM uses are the same ones DB and I used to take sledging in the 80's! Failing that, can anyone recommend a brand that at least lasts more than about 5 minutes with normal household use, before giving up the ghost?

Thanks in advance and apologies for such a scintillating thread! 😁

I have ones from home bargains I think James Martin (quite possibly not him but definitely a celeb chef), they do feel heavy and solid. Have been in use about a year and so far haven’t had any stickage from things that used to be a bugger for it!

Not exactly high end but they do the job!

You need Nisbets aluminium baking trays. Can't recommend them enough and I too have upgraded my cookware!

https://www.nisbets.co.uk/search?text=aluminium%20tray

Ooooh, following too. I got some Tala enamel ones last year and they’re scratched to bits - and were so within weeks.

I bought myself some stainless steel yorkshire pudding trays and love them!

Thanks all. Glad it’s not just me mistreating the buggers.

Nisbets looks good, thank you. Anyone used Pro-Cook? They’re having a sale…

Also AI tells me I need to look for hard anodised aluminium trays, in case that helps anyone!

We recently got pro-cook ones. So far so good, they’re heavy and solid feeling.

We use Tala Pro. The only non buckling trays we've ever owned! Didn't like Pro-Cook at all, expensive and didn't last long. Nisbets sell commercial kitchen equipment but be aware it's not all good - chefs view some of the baking trays almost as disposable because they warp and dent!

I've got a couple of stone finish ones that seem to be working well and don't warp. I have a stone frying pan too. Bit more expensive but better than the cheap ones that only last a few months. I must have thrown dozens away over the years.
I don't have a dishwasher any more though as there's only two of us, so they get fat drained off into foil then a bit of soapy water to soak for ten minutes then washed by hand.

Thanks all.

Any thoughts on Mermaid? I’ve got a 5-piece set in my virtual basket, but I’d want them to outlive me for the price!

Mermaid bakeware - madd by Samuel Groves in Brum

https://www.samuelgroves.com/Products/Bakeware

We buy the cheapo ones and bin once they start failing, usually every couple of months. Also partial to a disposable foil tray every now and then. I like to think I’m doing my bit in supporting the steel industry…

Masterclass baking trays are excellent they are about £10

Hard anodised ones are good. We have Stellar roasting trays bought in 2018. Not dishwasher safe though.
If your current ones are not warped you could line them with foil, baking parchment or reusable liners.

All Clad? I've not tried their baking sheets but their pots and pans are ace, and i'd certainly give them a go when my current baking sheets die
(they are from Williams Sonoma, which i don't know is available in the UK)

(am also 50 and have vowed to never buy cheap kitchen stuff again)

Le Creuset make baking trays as well. I have one and it's the best thing ever. I don't know how many different sizes they do, so it depends what you need.

Options

I was going to say this too. Excellent trays, no warping, heavyweight and easy to clean.

I have a genuinely very good heavy-duty swiss roll tin which has never warped or scratched. I'm just posting to remind me to check what brand it is when I get home later. It's also making me think maybe I should invest in some larger baking sheets of the same brand, whatever it turns out to be.

I got a set on amazon, stainless steel. Really good. I still use baking paper on them. I dont buy anything teflon now. Everything stainless steel and a ceramic frying pan.

Pyrex baking trays are fantastic & reasonably-priced. I have had Lakeland ones in the past and they didn’t last that well and were double the price.

We have some of these. Indestructible and can go anywhere but good for some things and less good for others.

https://pyrex.co.uk/products/small-glass-multipurpose-baking-tray-high-resistance?variant=40322843934755

Mermaid or NordicWare half-sheets. The Americans make brilliant bakeware.

I've had most of my baking trays and bun tins for decades, and some of them belonged to my late DM. Most of them date from the 1980's & prior, and are unmarked, but a couple were made by Prestige and Skyline, and they still going strong. My round pizza tray with holes in was from Morrisons about 20 years ago and that is doing well too. No idea what their current stuff is like though.

The more recent supposedly good quality ones I've bought from various places over the last few years have turned out to be rubbish and haven't lasted at all. Non-stick ones are the worst offenders by far.

My Prestige baking sheet has been going strong for over a decade (possibly more, can't remember exactly how long I've had it), but it never goes in the dishwasher. Use it for baking bread twice weekly, just brush off the flour when it's cool - doesn't need washing.

If I use it for pizza it gets a bit messier but just handwash it gently with a natural coir scourer. I once had a lodger many years ago who thought he was doing me a favour by scrubbing a well-seasoned baking sheet back to bare metal - I was not happy!

Yes, I have pro cook and I love them. Also, I have a few stainless steel ones from Habitat which are excellent.

5 yrs in we are still V happy with our procook steel pans and fake le creuset oven dishes