If you’re into perfectly baked, fresh-from-the-oven, homemade cookies (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), you need more than a recipe: You need great cookie sheets. The material and construction matter, so we’ve spent years testing and re-testing cookie sheets. The one you use can make or break your favorite chocolate chip cookie, and you shouldn’t have to learn that the hard way. It’s worth noting that all of our favorites can go beyond baked goods—we use them for roasting all sorts of vegetables and meat, toasting nuts, cooling grains, making pizza, and more.

Things to Consider

What Is a Cookie Sheet?

A traditional cookie sheet is a thin, edgeless pan made from steel, aluminum, or a mixture of both. It’s good for one thing and one thing only: baking cookies. Cookies easily slide from the pan onto a cooling rack, and the lack of sides helps you maneuver a food turner around. Kitchen unitaskers aren’t bad—in fact, we recommend quite a few—but since baking sheets can bake cookies and roast vegetables and meat, we think they’re a much better option than traditional cookie sheets.

Rimmed sheet pans have one-inch walls and rolled edges on all sides. The height keeps food and hot fat contained, and the rolled edges serve two purposes. First, they make the pan easier to grip, especially when wearing pot holders or oven mitts. They also help prevent warping from extreme temperature changes. Still confused about the difference between cookie sheets and baking sheets? Check out this article for an in-depth look at them. 

Nonstick vs. Regular Cookie Sheets

Which is better: nonstick or regular cookie sheets? Here’s the top-line answer: Usually, regular ones.

We prefer cookie sheets without nonstick coatings because this coating wears away over time. Even with the most fastidious care, nonstick cookware (like skillets) will scratch and peel. Regular baking sheets are better long-term investments and can withstand higher oven temperatures. 

But there are some times when nonstick baking sheets are nice to have. If you’re baking and don’t have parchment paper to use as a liner, a nonstick pan will ensure your cookies slide off easily. A rule of thumb for nonstick bakeware: Choose lighter-colored pans. Darker nonstick coating will cause food to cook faster, which can mess up a recipe—picture an almost-burnt oatmeal cookie with a still-raw inside. 

How Big Is a Cookie Sheet?

The most common size cookie sheet is 18 by 13 inches, with one-inch sides. Quarter baking sheets are a step down from these; they measure 13 by nine inches. They’re ideal for baking a small batch of cookies—say you keep a stash of pre-rolled dough in your freezer and want to bake off just one or two. 

Our Favorite Cookie Sheets

What we liked: This is one sturdy pan. The aluminum base heats up quickly and cooks evenly, while the steel edges provide extra stability and make it extremely durable. Still, it comes with a lifetime warranty—just in case. The lack of a nonstick coating means it is broiler-safe, and the chunky rolled sides are easy to grab, even with bulky oven mitts. It’s sold in a set of two, and you’ll want more.

What we didn’t like: Nothing to complain about. This is a great pan.

Key Specs

• Materials: Aluminum, steel
• Dimension: 17 x 12 inches
• Edge Height: 1 inch
• Warranty: Lifetime
  

What we liked: In our review of nonstick cookie sheets, sticky ingredients slid right off this pan, including just-baked cookies and crispy Parmesan cheese. The rim is taller than most, which keeps splatters contained and makes it even easier to grab while hot.

What we didn’t like: It’s not broiler-safe and can only stand temperatures up to 450˚F. The bottom of this pan wasn’t the lightest-colored one we tested, which meant cookies browned a bit faster. But it was by no means the worst offender of all the nonstick pans. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Aluminized steel and nonstick coating
• Dimension: 17.1 x 12.1 inches
• Edge Height: 1 1/4 inch
• Warranty: Lifetime

What we liked: Everything we like about our overall top pick, this one has in miniature. It’s an ideal size for baking one or two cookies at a time. Its small footprint also makes it handy for prepping ingredients and roasting a batch of vegetables. You can buy lids that fit perfectly, so they double as baking vessels and cookie jars.

What we didn’t like: We can’t think of a thing!

Key Specs

• Materials: Aluminum
• Dimension: 12.1 x 8.8 inches
• Edge Height: 1 inch
• Warranty: Lifetime
  

FAQs

Is it “cookie sheet” or “cooking sheet”?

While both technically make sense, the term most commonly used is “cookie sheet.” Reminder: Cookie sheets have edgeless sides that help cookies slide off easily. We prefer baking sheets—they’re rimmed and can be used for baking and cooking.

How do you clean a cookie sheet?

Please don’t put them in the dishwasher, no matter what the manufacturer says. The high temperatures and cleaning solutions can degrade the finishes over time. To keep your pans in top shape, wash them with warm soapy water and a nonabrasive dish sponge. For stubborn stains, Bar Keepers Friend will work miracles.

Why We’re the Experts

• Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats.
• She has been with the team since 2024 and has been testing kitchen gear professionally since 2021. 
• Rochelle is a culinary school graduate and former line cook and used to work as an editor at Bon Appétit magazine.
• Serious Eats has tested all manner of baking sheets, also known as cookie sheets: traditional, nonstick, and small.
  

There’s no way around it: If you want to cook, you need a good knife (or two, or three!). My team at Serious Eats has been testing and reviewing them for years, and we’ve noticed a common theme: Great knives don’t often go on sale. Although a well-made blade is worth the investment, I’ll never turn down a nice knife deal. This year, I went on the hunt, searching through pages and pages of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale in search of great discounts on kitchen knives. I found 10 outstanding deals on Serious Eats-approved knives, including chef’s knives, paring knives, and accessories, like honing rods and sharpeners, up to 48% off at Amazon’s sale.

One of Our Favorite Western-Style Chef’s Knives: Mercer Culinary 8-Inch Genesis

Mercer is a tried-and-true brand of tools and knives in culinary schools. The Genesis has long reigned supreme as a winner in our chef’s knives review. I have no complaints about the blade—it’s sharp and durable—but it’s the handle that really delivers. Made from a combination of rubber and plastic, it’s comfortable to hold, giving the cook a confident grip. Right now, it’s discounted by almost 40%.

A Workhorse Petty Knife: Victorinox 6-Inch Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife

Petty knives are sized between 5.5 and six inches, making them just as useful as chef’s knives but a bit more nimble. They’re a must-have upgrade for cooks who want a knife with outstanding versatility. This one from Victorinox is a winner in our petty knives review. It’s really sharp, and the blade is slightly curved. This makes it useful for chopping in addition to more traditional petty knife tasks, like slicing tomatoes and maneuvering around chicken joints.

A Beautiful, Sharp Paring Knife: Shun Classic 3.5-Inch Paring Knife

Shun knives are favored by pro cooks—they’re meticulously crafted, hold an incredible edge, and look beautiful. They’re also rarely on sale, which is why I enthusiastically encourage you to take advantage of this 20% discount. Normally $125, this 3.5-inch paring knife is the right size for intricate, precise tasks, like segmenting citrus.

A New Haven-Style Oyster Knife: Dexter Russell 2.75 Inch New Haven Style Oyster Knife

Oyster knives are single-purpose tools, but they deserve a place in your utensil drawer. When you need one, nothing else will do. This one, which has a slightly curved blade, is ideal for cracking into deep, large oysters—not something all knives can do. My colleague Grace, who lives in Rhode Island and is our team's oyster expert, highly recommends it. It’s a great price right now; buy it once and never be without the right tool for oyster night again.

A Super Sharp Slicing Knife: Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12-Inch Slicing Knife with Granton Blade

The dimpled edges of this long, elegant knife make it ideal for slicing meat. In fact, we named it the best slicing knife in our review. Its non-serrated edge is wicked sharp, and the 11-inch blade makes it a great choice for large meat, like brisket. It’s a good buy any time of year, but during the Amazon Big Spring Sale, it’s just about 30% off. 

A Steal of a Deal Carving Knife: Mercer Culinary 10-Inch Carving Knife

A proper carving knife should have a tapered tip for finagling around bones. This one from Mercer is the right size and shape and is especially nimble. It’s made from the same steel as another Serious Eats-favorite carving knife from Wüsthof, but retails for a lot less.

A Solid, Sturdy Set of Steak Knives: Zwilling Steak Knife Set

Amidst ones that cost hundreds, this set of four blades wowed us during our review of steak knives. They easily sliced through skirt steak and filet mignon. Although the blades are lightly serrated and will dull with time, it’s hard to beat the price, especially when it’s $15 off.

Rock-Solid Kitchen Shears: Kershaw Taskmaster Kitchen Shears

If you want a pair of kitchen shears that can snip a handful of chives and effortlessly spatchcock a chicken, this is the one for you. They were named the most durable kitchen shears in our review and have a few fancy extra features (who doesn’t love a nutcracker and screwdriver tip add-on?). Normally over $40, they’re on sale right now for about $25.

A Versatile Honing Steel: Zwilling Kramer Accessories 12.25-Inch Double-Cut Honing Steel

Typically, a honing rod isn’t all that helpful when your knives are dull—they’re best for quick touch-ups. But this one has coarse and smooth sides, so you can get a sharp edge, and then maintain it between chopping sessions. The rod itself is 12 inches long, helpful for spiffing up extra-long blades. The $20 discount is impressive, considering this is a trusted brand and a high-quality tool.

A Pull-Through Knife Sharpener for Beginners: Zwilling J.A. Henckels 4-Stage Pull Through Knife Sharpener

Our team prefers whetstones and electric sharpeners over pull-through sharpeners (you can read more about why here), but I’ll be the first to admit that a pull-through option is often the type I recommend to new cooks. It’s easy to use, doesn’t require any special skills, and costs lots less than electric sharpeners. In fact, this sharpener from Zwilling is the only roll-through model Serious Eats recommends. It offers both coarse and fine sharpening options and can accommodate Japanese knives and Western-style knives.

FAQs

When is the Amazon Big Spring Sale in 2025?

It runs from March 28 through March 31 this year. If you want to shop more kitchen sales, you can check out our other favorite deals here or Amazon’s spring sale hub.

Why We’re the Experts

• Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats.
• Rochelle is a culinary school graduate and former line cook. Previously, she worked at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. 
• At Serious Eats, we have tested hundreds of knives. We regularly revisit our reviews to make sure our recommendations and findings are current.