The Cooks' Den » Baking & Cookie Sheets http://www.thecooksden.com Cooking Tools - Gear for Cooks and Chefs Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:49:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 RSVP International Marble Pastry Board 18 Inch http://www.thecooksden.com/rsvp-international-marble-pastry-board-18-inch/ http://www.thecooksden.com/rsvp-international-marble-pastry-board-18-inch/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:13:18 +0000 Alice http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=4383 RSVP International Marble Pastry BoardRSVP is a wholesale supplier of kitchen accessories.The RSVP International Marble Pastry Board is made of natural marble and comes to us from Taiwan. The board weighs almost twenty eight pounds and is just over a foot and a half square. It comes with stable rubber feet, which protect the surfaces on which it rests. The patterns and colors vary with the natural composition of the stone. It cleans up with a soft cloth and gentle wiping.

Cool marble is the best possible surface for rolling dough as it keeps the dough from sticking. The size of this board is generous, but that is needed to enable enough functional work surface. This isn't a cutting board; it may ruin your knife or your board when used as one. A board of this heft is meant to have a home on a countertop and not be moved often, if ever. With an established home, there is far less chance of breaking the board or dropping it on your foot. If you don't prepare much dough or are short on counter space, this is probably not an item for you. For a dedicated home cook, pastry chef, or someone with the room for quality accessories, it would be worth a look.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/rsvp-international-marble-pastry-board-18-inch/feed/ 1 Farberware Insulated Bakeware Set | Kitchen Cookie Pizza Value Pack http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-insulated-bakeware-set-kitchen-cookie-pizza-value-pack/ http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-insulated-bakeware-set-kitchen-cookie-pizza-value-pack/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:50:41 +0000 Cheyenne http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-insulated-bakeware-set-kitchen-cookie-pizza-value-pack/ Farberware Insulated Bakeware Set You can get these two pans for a great value with this set. Let's start with the baking sheet. I love it. I prefer insulated baking sheets since I have a tendency to over-brown my cookies -- or, to be more honest, to scorch them into unrecognizable charcoal lumps. This sheet is heavyweight carbon steel. It's sturdy and bakes evenly. The nonstick coating works well, and it is easy to use and clean. I can't find a thing wrong with it.

The pizza sheet, on the other hand, is pretty useless to me. I guess I'm a pizza snob, and I only want to use my trusty pizza stone. I think these so called "pizza crisper" pans are unnecessary. You need that nice hot stone to get the crispiest crust. And a pan is no substitute to a good slab of rock or marble.

But other people swear by these newfangled pizza crisper pans. And people who eat frozen pizza (like my sister whose kids will only eat frozen pizza) love them.

I would love to buy a value pack with two of these wonderful baking sheets at this same price and just forgo the pizza crisper pan.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-insulated-bakeware-set-kitchen-cookie-pizza-value-pack/feed/ 1 Calphalon Classic Bakeware Cookie Sheets | Kitchen 2 Pack Set 17 Inch http://www.thecooksden.com/calphalon-classic-bakeware-cookie-sheets-kitchen-2-pack-set-17-inch/ http://www.thecooksden.com/calphalon-classic-bakeware-cookie-sheets-kitchen-2-pack-set-17-inch/#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:36:21 +0000 Cheyenne http://www.thecooksden.com/calphalon-classic-bakeware-cookie-sheets-kitchen-2-pack-set-17-inch/ Calphalon Classic Bakeware CookieIn the past, I've just bought the most inexpensive baking sheets possible, figuring that most baking sheets were going to wear down pretty quickly, anyway. I didn't believe that a long-lasting baking sheet really existed. It was like a mythical creature that was rumored to exist but never actually seen.

As a result I have a long, sordid history with cheap baking and equally cheap disasters--a string of sheets that ended up rusted, caked with gunk, and warped such that they would never lay flat on my counter top.

These Calphalon cookie sheets are the real deal. I can't imagine how one would destroy these Herculean baking sheets. I would have to throw them onto the highway, and, even then, I wouldn't be surprised to see them come out unscathed and looking like new.

These cookie sheets are thick, which means that every cookie on the batch cooks evenly. And the medium grey color creates just the right golden brown color. (The darker grey sheets have never worked well for me -- I always end up with burnt cookies that are somehow uncooked in the middle.)

Most importantly, the nonstick material actually works! It works so well, in fact, that you need to be careful when you pull the pans out of the oven. Do it too quickly and your cookies will go flying off the edge of the pan.

While these pans are dishwasher-safe, I usually hand wash mine because it's so easy. And because I love these cookie sheets and figure I should treat them as I would any other Calphalon non-stick cookware.

Stop buying the cheap stuff and invest in a pair of Calphalon baking sheets that will serve you well over the long run. Amazing cookies are worth a little investment, right?

Compare these with Farberware's non-stick cookie sheets.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/calphalon-classic-bakeware-cookie-sheets-kitchen-2-pack-set-17-inch/feed/ 1 Farberware Non Stick Bakeware Set | Cookie Sheet Promo Twin Pans http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-non-stick-bakeware-set-cookie-sheet-promo-twin-pans/ http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-non-stick-bakeware-set-cookie-sheet-promo-twin-pans/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:21:15 +0000 Cheyenne http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-non-stick-bakeware-set-cookie-sheet-promo-twin-pans/ Farberware Non Stick Bakeware Set Good ol' Farberware. It feels like they've been around forever. One of those brands that I recall from my childhood or something. (And I just Googled them to see how long they've been around, and it is over 100 years, so I'm not imagining this.) I swear my grandmother had Farberware in the kitchen.

These cookie sheets are a great deal. Sturdy and durable, I know they'll last a while. (I've burned through too many supposedly nonstick pans and I'm looking for some that I can use for a while.) These have a lifetime warranty, too. (Well, a limited lifetime warranty; you'll void it by using metal utensils, etc.)

Anyway, back to the cookie pans. They are what they say they are. Nothing more, nothing less. It's comforting, really. They are nonstick for easy clean-up. (Even burnt stuff comes right off.) You can make cookies without greasing the pans. And I love the big handles. You can grab the pan without sticking your giant oven mitts right into your delicate freshly baked cookies.

The two sizes are nice, too. Having two cookie sheets is key so you can have one in the oven while one is cooling.

It was so nice to replace my old crusty pans with some fresh ones. I think I'll celebrate with a batch of cookies!

Compare these with the Calphalon Classic Bakeware cookie sheets.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/farberware-non-stick-bakeware-set-cookie-sheet-promo-twin-pans/feed/ 1 Old Stone Pizza Stone | Baking Sheet | Kitchen Cookware 14 by 16 inch http://www.thecooksden.com/old-stone-oven-pizza-baking-sheet-kitchen-cookware-14-by-16-inch/ http://www.thecooksden.com/old-stone-oven-pizza-baking-sheet-kitchen-cookware-14-by-16-inch/#comments Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:20:19 +0000 Cheyenne http://www.thecooksden.com/old-stone-oven-pizza-baking-sheet-kitchen-cookware-14-by-16-inch/ Old Stone Oven Pizza Baking Sheet This pizza stone has given me the crispy, thin-crust pizza I had dreamed of making. Crank your oven up to a very high temperature (500 degrees) and it makes perfect pizza crust. It's like turning your conventional oven into a wood-fired oven.

It's easy to use and clean. The pizzas slide right off the stone's surface. Mine has a lot of stains and discoloration but it doesn't affect how well it works. I like this one because it is very large, too. The giant rectangular shape fits a large pizza or a couple smaller ones.

I leave my pizza stone in the oven pretty much all the time now. (I don't cook everything on it; just pizza and bread.) I think everything cooks better with this stone in my oven. It's like a heat reservoir that keeps the temperature from fluctuating.

Plus, the pizza stone is large and heavy and hard to store. That is the one drawback. If you didn't keep it in your oven, you may have trouble finding another place to store it.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/old-stone-oven-pizza-baking-sheet-kitchen-cookware-14-by-16-inch/feed/ 1 Silpat Counter Baking Mat | Silicone 11-5/8 Non Stick Pad http://www.thecooksden.com/silpat-silicone-kitchen-counter-baking-mat-11-58-non-stick-pad/ http://www.thecooksden.com/silpat-silicone-kitchen-counter-baking-mat-11-58-non-stick-pad/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:26:41 +0000 Lora http://www.thecooksden.com/silpat-silicone-kitchen-counter-baking-mat-11-58-non-stick-pad/ Silpat Silicone Kitchen Counter BakingI don't know about you, but I don't have any problems cleaning my cookie sheets. Simply wipe them down with hot water and dish washing soap, then put them in the dish rack and let them dry. It's not very complicated, so I'm not sure why the ease of cleaning a silicone baking mat would be a selling point for the item.

But... cleaning the mess of biscuit dough or pie crust off my kitchen table is a whole other matter. Using this mat on my table for kneading dough or cutting out cookies would be a definite time saver.

The product may sound a bit like something from the space-age: it's made from woven glass fabric and coated with food-safe silicone. If that sounds scary to you, there's no need to worry. The product conforms to U.S. regulations and is FDA, NSF, and Kosher certified. With it's wide range of temperature tolerance (-40 to 482 degrees F), the mat can be used in the fridge, freezer, microwave, and oven. And you don't need to grease it.

So, in the end, the Silpat baking mat sounds like another multi-purpose tool that doesn't take up much kitchen space and that sounds good to me.

It's easy to use, easy to clean (same as a cookie sheet), and easy to store (either rolled up or lying flat). But as flexible as the mat is, you can't use it in place of a cookie sheet. So you have to decide, if it's worth it to you to use both. For me, it's a matter of how willing I am to clean the sticky dough off my kitchen table.

Once you're done, transfer the dough to an insulated baking sheet.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/silpat-silicone-kitchen-counter-baking-mat-11-58-non-stick-pad/feed/ 0 Baker’s Edge Kitchen Brownie Pan w/ Aluminum Non Stick Surface http://www.thecooksden.com/bakers-edge-kitchen-brownie-pan-w-aluminum-non-stick-surface/ http://www.thecooksden.com/bakers-edge-kitchen-brownie-pan-w-aluminum-non-stick-surface/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:44:50 +0000 Lora http://www.thecooksden.com/bakers-edge-kitchen-brownie-pan-w-aluminum-non-stick-surface/ Baker's Edge Kitchen Brownie Pan w/Maybe I'm missing something. A baking pan that creates more edges? It's made of heavy cast aluminum and boasts patented sidewalls that circulate heat to the pan's middle where food typically takes longer to bake.

Its somewhat unusual size-- 13.5 x 9 x 2-- still works well for recipes calling for a 9x9 or 9x12 pan. The pan's recessed handles make it easy to grab when you've flipped the pan upside down. And with its nonstick coating, you shouldn't have problems getting the brownies out.

Sounds great, right? If you have a family of edge-lovers then maybe it is. But what about us center fans?

The pan, with all its extra dividers, gives at least two edges to every serving, eliminating the center brownie entirely. Personally, I think it's criminal. And from an environmental standpoint, it's a waste of resources, too. For all the aluminum it takes to make three of these snake-like pans, one could probably make five regular brownie pans. And with a standard baking pan, you can satisfy the edge-lovers and the center-lovers alike. So, if you're at all concerned about the environment or even remotely interested in promoting peace, you might want to reconsider purchasing a pan that clearly has a biased edge.

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