Mr. FG gave me two half-sheet pans for Christmas, and I just adore them.
They come recommended by Cook’s Illustrated, of course. The main thing I wanted them for was granola baking. My only rimmed baking sheets were nonstick, and I pretty much have come to hate nonstick pans. They have this annoying tendency to burn everything (although I do lurve my Goldtouch loaf pans).
So, I was baking granola on my regular cookie sheets, which worked great except that no sides on the pans meant I had to be uber-careful when I was stirring the granola. That made granola-making much more of a production than it ought to have been.
Now, I can stir with abandon, and oatmeal does not go flying all over the place.
It’s the small things, people. 😉
If you’re in need of a new pan, I definitely recommend the Wearever Sheet Pan Half Size
. You might have trouble finding it in a local store (my local stores tend to only have air-bake and nonstick pans), but Amazon carries them for $25.99 apiece.
That’s not cheap, I know, but these are heavy-duty pans like my Vollrath Cookie Sheets
and I don’t anticipate having to replace them for….well, forever (unlike my old nonstick ones, which wear out and warp after only a few years).
And if the fact that they’re made out of aluminum bothers you (I’m not personally concerned about that), you can always cover them with parchment paper.
Oh, did you need a granola recipe? I make coconut granola most often, but I also like my crunchy granola recipe. They’re both SO much cheaper than commercial granola.
If you have a favorite granola recipe, leave a link in the comments…I’m always interested in new granola recommendations.
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Two P.S.’s:
-365 posts will be up later…we had an odd day yesterday, which meant neither Joshua nor I had time to get one up!
-I forgot to say when the MoneySavingMom book giveaway was going to be done. I’ll pick a winner tomorrow morning. Email subscribers, you have to click over to the actual post to leave a comment to enter…I can’t keep track of entries that are emailed to me.
Lilypad
Saturday 14th of January 2012
I got my half sheet pans at King Arthur flour.com (their own brand), made in the US and AWESOME. I use mine to make granola too. I have a bowl of granola every morning and it's the only way I can get my son (10) to eat oats...
christina
Saturday 14th of January 2012
After reading this post I am left wanting a post on all the kitchen essentials (including preferred brands) needed for a frugal mom. I'm thinking of one post for things you make regularly like bread, yogurt, granola, applesauce, canning essentials, etc. I think not having all the gadgets hinders me from thinking I can do all these.
Randi
Friday 13th of January 2012
I love Andys fairfield granola. It a Nigella recipe and it uses applesauce instead of oil( it might use a touch of oil). Its very good and there is a chocolate/peanut version too. Its in my foodblog.
Innkeeper Seely
Friday 13th of January 2012
Restaurant supply stores usually sell half sheets for less than $9 and quarter sheet pans for about $6 in this area. If you are really bargain hunting, check out a used restaurant equipment dealer or classified ads like Craig's list. Used and in decent shape run about $3 each. They may not be perfectly shiney but you will dull them up yourself fairly quickly, LOL.
If you frequent a local restaurant you might ask the manager to order a case of parchment sheets or a big roll of parchment for you from their food wholesaler. The sheets are usually full sheet size so you can double a sheet or slice it in half. A case will probably last a lifetime for most home bakers.
dogear6
Friday 13th of January 2012
LOL! I use the turkey roaster when I make granola. I have a very heavy Cuisinart one (pricey, but so worth it) that is flat bottomed with nice high side.