Sheet pan

Common features that may be found in sheet pans include: one or more flat edges to assist food removal, one or more raised edges (lips) to retain food, a contiguous rim to retain either food or shallow liquid, handles to assist in moving the pan into and out of the oven, a layer of insulation (typically air) designed to protect delicate food from burning (air bake pan), or perforations to aid in speeding cooking (pizza tray).

The earliest recorded usage of sheet pans is in Scotland, by the baker Henry A. Gillespie.

Mass, thermal conductivity, and colour of the pan play key roles in achieving a uniform cooking temperature.

A pan that has at least one side flat, so that it is easy to slide the baked product off the end, may be called a cookie sheet.

Professional sheet pans used in commercial kitchens typically are made of aluminum, with a 25 mm (1 in) raised lip around the edge, and come in both standard and non-standard sizes.

In bread baking, especially, the bread dough will often go through several long rest intervals on sheet pans stacked in open or enclosed sheet pan racks (sometimes mounted on wheels).