Sheet Pan Dinners Are Easy With These Clever Kitchen Tools

On paper, sheet pan dinners are among the easiest to make. Slap the ingredients onto a trusty Nordic Ware baking sheet, throw it in a 350°F oven, and hope for the best… right? Not quite! The challenge begins with removing the sheet pan from storage, where it’s probably difficult to reach without a cookware rack. And it ends with cleaning, which often involves scrubbing and soaking without the right tools. (We recommend a Lodge pan scraper and some Bar Keepers Friend.) 

To keep sheet pans within reach, prepped for minimal mess, and virtually effortless to clean after cooking, we like to keep certain helpful tools in the kitchen. Amazon has everything you need, including Ina Garten-approved scrubbing pads and the sheet pans that aced our tests. We also found gentle cooking utensils, a Cuisinart mini food processor, and Rubbermaid storage containers to help you at every step of the sheet pan dinner process, starting at only $5.

Best Sheet Pan Dinner Tools Overall

• Lodge Pan Scrapers. Set of 2, $5, originally $6
• Smartake Parchment Paper Baking Sheets, $15, originally $21
• GIR Kitchen Silicone Spatula Turner, $16
• Qukaka 2-Piece 10- x 15-Inch Stainless Steel Cooling Rack Set, $9
• Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet, Set of 2, $32
• Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Baking Sheet, $50
• Mueller 10-in-1 Vegetable Chopper, $27 with coupon, originally $30
• Rubbermaid Brilliance 8-Cup Glass Food Storage Containers, Set of 2, $29
• Sumzzz Titanium Cutting Board, $30, originally $50
• YouCopia StoreMore Cookware Rack, $15, originally $20

Best Sheet Pan Dinner Cooking Tools and Accessories

Snag these underrated items to streamline your sheet pan dinner cleanup. Start by lining your pan with Reynolds Wrap, Smartake parchment paper, or both to prevent foods from sticking to the pan during cooking. Afterwards, cleanup will be a cinch. Other tools, such as the Great Jones wire cooling rack and Misen kitchen tongs, maximize air circulation and facilitate excellent crisping on both vegetables and meats. If you’re following specific recipes, don’t go a day without using a Rubbermaid oven thermometer to ensure you’re following the instructions as intended.

• Smartake Parchment Paper Baking Sheets, $15, originally $21
• Great Jones Big Chill Wire Cooling Rack, $25
• Qukaka 2-Piece 10- x 15-Inch Stainless Steel Cooling Rack Set, $9
• Reynolds Wrap Everyday Strength Aluminum Foil Roll, $13, originally $17
• Silpat Premium Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat, $27, originally $30
• Misen Kitchen Tongs, $19
• GIR Kitchen Silicone Spatula Turner, $16
• OXO Good Grips Silicone Basting & Pastry Brush, $12
• Linda’s Essentials Silicone Oven Rack Guards, $9
• Gorilla Grip Soft Silicone Oven Mitts, $16, originally $22
• KitchenAid Beacon 2-Tone Non-Slip Mini Oven Mitt Set, $11
• Rubbermaid Commercial Products Stainless Steel Monitoring Thermometer, $11, originally $17

Smartake Parchment Paper Baking Sheets

Wood pulp-based parchment paper is the easiest way to turn any sheet pan into a nonstick cooking surface. Commonly found in a baker’s kitchen, it’s an underutilized tool for oven-roasting savory foods and preventing sticking on your sheet pan. This long-lasting pack of 200 is conveniently cut to fit most half sheet pans, and it’s on sale for less than 8 cents apiece.

Qukaka 2-Piece 10- x 15-Inch Stainless Steel Cooling Rack Set

While they’re called cooling racks, these are also an invaluable accessory for sheet pan dinners. Place vegetables on the sheet pan directly, then put meat on a cooling rack on top to flavor a meal with delicious drippings. This set of two, which is heat-safe up to 575°F and fits 10 x 15 half sheets, is under $5 apiece.

Best Sheet Pan Cleaning, Storage, and Organization Tools

Deciding what to cook for dinner is as easy as rolling some Foodie Dice, but deciding to cook at all can come down to how difficult it is to start. Set yourself up for success by storing your sheet pans in a cabinet tray divider or expandable pan organizer to keep your baking trays easy to reach at all times. If your cabinets are too small for these, be sure to use Evelots felt scratch protectors to prevent damage.

If you have the right tools, cleaning up a sheet pan dinner should be even quicker than making it. Peel off your foil or parchment liners and wash the baking sheet with a Scrub Mommy, Aidoclip steel dishcloth, or Lubrima silicone sponge, depending on the sheet pan material. For tougher messes, a Brillo pad, Bar Keepers Friend, or Lodge pan scrapers will do the trick.

• Brillo Heavy-Duty Steel Wool Soap Pads, $9, originally $10
• Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser & Polish, $5
• Aidoclip 10-Piece Non-Scratch Steel Wool Dishcloth Set, $7
• Scrub Daddy Scrub Mommy Sponges, $14
• Lubrima Silicone Dish-Washing Kitchen Scrubber, $15
• Lodge Pan Scrapers, Set of 2, $5, originally $6
• YouCopia StoreMore Cookware Rack, $15, originally $20
• Exttlliy 6-Tier Wooden Tray Dividers for Cabinets, $70
• Simple Houseware Expandable Pan Organizer Rack, $23, originally $26
• Evelots Bakeware/Cookware Scratch Protectors, Set of 6, $25

YouCopia StoreMore Cookware Rack

If you have the space in your cabinet or on the countertop, the YouCopia bakeware organizer means you’ll never have to rummage around to find a baking sheet or cutting board again. We like this model’s adjustable separators, non-slip feet, and currently discounted price.

Lodge Pan Scrapers

Ripping up your dish sponge — or hurting your hands — doesn’t have to be the cost of a clean sheet pan. For particularly stuck-on messes, take these Lodge pan scrapers to the cooking surface. They lift up burnt bits and gunk so you can deep-clean without harsh scrubbing. 

Best Baking Sheets for Sheet Pan Dinners

The foundation of a sheet pan dinner is the sheet pan itself, and these ones are top-notch. For savory meals, always purchase a rimmed baking sheet, which is a sheet pan with walls to catch liquid. Shopper-loved pans include GoodCook carbon steel, Nordic Ware aluminum half sheets, and Hestan’s luxury baking sheet set. In addition to Nordic Ware, other models that aced our cookie sheet tests include the Great Jones Holy Sheet and Caraway ceramic baking sheet for even cooking and ease of cleanup. Amazon also offers uncoated, non-toxic pan styles, such as Lodge’s cast iron baking pan and Made In’s porcelain baking slab, to meet every home cook’s preferences.

• Great Jones Holy Sheet Pan, $45
• Lodge Cast Iron Baking Pan, $40
• GoodCook Nonstick Carbon Steel Baking Pan & Raised Wire Rack, $17, originally $20
• Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet, Set of 2, $32
• Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Baking Sheet, $50
• Made In Cookware Porcelain Baking Slab, $119
• Nordic Ware High-Sided Naturals Aluminum, $20, originally $25
• Umite Chef Commercial Quality Baking Sheet Pan Set, $20, originally $25
• Our Place Nonstick Ceramic Griddle Pan, $95, originally $119
• Hestan Provisions OvenBond 3-Piece Tri-Ply Baking Sheet Set, $250

Great Jones Holy Sheet Pan

The Great Jones Holy Sheet is made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel that’s coated with nonstick ceramic. Lined with parchment or not, the nonstick coating makes it easy to clean, and the aluminized steel heats efficiently for most cooking tasks, whether you’re baking cookies or roasting potatoes.

Nordic Ware High-Sided Naturals Aluminum Baking Sheet

If you’re making something saucy, roasting a chicken, or baking up some sheet pan pancakes, the tall walls on this Nordic Ware baking sheet are a priceless accessory to have. Accidental sloshes won’t spill all over your oven or kitchen, and you can stir food around without making a mess. Grab one now for only $20.

Best Kitchen Tools for Sheet Pan Dinner Prep

Before you place anything in the oven, it probably needs prepping. Make quick work of onions and peppers with a Mueller vegetable chopper and even quicker work of aromatics and sauces in a Cuisinart mini food processor. For those who prefer hands-on prep, a Wüsthof santoku knife and this titanium cutting board will help with most tasks, from chopping garlic to breaking down a chicken. Our top finds also include a writer-loved Tofuture tofu press so you can stop wasting paper towels.

• Mueller 10-in-1 Vegetable Chopper, $27 with coupon, originally $30
• Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor, $50
• Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor, $286, originally $320
• Wüsthof Gourmet 5-Inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife, $49, originally $75
• Astercook 13-Piece Knife Set, $50
• Tofuture Tofu Press, $24
• Rubbermaid Brilliance 8-Cup Glass Food Storage Containers, Set of 2, $29
• Sumzzz Titanium Cutting Board, $30, originally $50
• Teakhaus Large Wood Cutting Board with Juice Groove, $97, originally $134

Rubbermaid Brilliance 8-Cup Glass Food Storage Containers, Set of 2

Glass food storage containers are a useful sheet pan dinner tool because you can marinate meat and vegetables in them without the staining you’d get with plastic containers. Since these come in a set of two, simply use the second container for leftovers — the lid offers venting holes for quick and safe cooling in the refrigerator.

Mueller 10-in-1 Vegetable Chopper

With multiple attachments allowing you to grate, chop, julienne, and shred, the Mueller made our list of favorite tested vegetable choppersfor its versatility. Whether you’re shredding cheese for a sheet pan pizza or chopping onions for feta pasta, it makes the task quicker. Plus, it’s earned five-star ratings from over 27,000 shoppers, so you can trust it’s worth the price.