I need a new jelly roll pan

I know - in the scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal. But I've ALWAYS made pumpkin rolls, and now the only reason I can't is because we've been using my old aluminum jelly roll pan as a flash freezing tray, and it's beat to hell and unusable for anything else now.

Now that I'm older and wiser though, I'd like to explore better metal options. This type of cake is tricky to make - I've always had to line the pan with parchment paper in the past so it didn't stick. That being said though, I don't like "non-stick" pans, not crazy about aluminum, and I'm pretty sure a cast iron option doesn't exist for this.

Is silicon bakeware yucky? I feel like it probably is But it's oh-so-perfect for this type of baking. Thoughts?

(photo of previous pumpkin rolls to indicate weight of sacrifice being made)

That looks amazingly tasty….

How about a ceramic coated jelly roll pan? They are non-stick, not ‘icky’ and reasonably priced.

Here’s one I found easily online (just as a reference point). https://www.amazon.com/CasaWare-Ceramic-Coated-NonStick-Cookie/dp/B00HXXUA1G

I found others that have a ceramic coating, but they said that the pan itself was made of ‘aluminized steel’, whatever that is….I avoid any aluminum cookware because of the link between high aluminum levels in the brain and Alzheimer’s.

Silicone is supposed to be safe, but I don’t buy that for a second. It’s a plastic…and I don’t want any type of hot plastic against anything I eat. Plastics break down when heated and teensy-tiny little molecules of evil seep out into your food.

Try to find a steel pan with the ceramic coating for the best result, I think.

Best of luck and may you have many happy pumpkin rolls in your future.  

Pyrex?  That is about as inert as you can get.

It looks like your options, if you want to avoid both the nonstick coatings and the aluminum, are either ceramic coatings or stainless steel.

Carbon steel takes the same kind of care as cast iron (at a greatly reduced weight) I see a lot of stove top pans and woks available in this. Unfortunately, all the baking sheets seem to have a nonstick coatings.

I was amazed to find this https://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Borosilicate-Clear-Rectangle-Baking/dp/B000KGEV1I/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480641102&sr=1-1&keywords=pyrex+baking+sheet which is a Pyrex baking sheet. However, my sister made the mistake of setting a hot Pyrex baking pan down on a counter which wasn't completely dry. The pan shattered into small projectiles that both burned and cut her. I'd be more comfortable with a metal pan, even if it were ceramic coated.

edit: reading the reviews, the pyrex seems universally loved except for it's small size. I might reconsider, next time I need a baking sheet

Here's a long discussion of silicone safety... sounds like it is definitely safer than plastic (for non-baking uses).  I do use the silicone baking sheets to replace parchment paper .. might be the only way to get silicone non-stick effect in a jelly roll pan.
 
http://wellnessmama.com/25952/silicone-safe-for-baking/

(I think I can taste the pumpkin roll.... delish!!)

It's kind of a tricky beast with this type of cooking - it's a very spongey, delicate cake, and has to bake all the way through without becoming too brittle. It's also important the corners of the pan be relatively "sharp", so they don't stick and tear the cake.

I did some research on silicon bakeware years ago and came to the conclusion that I was okay with it, but I could also see stainless steel working well for these purposes. I think Pyrex could work, but that the corners would be an issue with that type of pan.

It seems like it's down to stainless steel or silicon.

Destiny Hagest wrote:It's kind of a tricky beast with this type of cooking - it's a very spongey, delicate cake, and has to bake all the way through without becoming too brittle. It's also important the corners of the pan be relatively "sharp", so they don't stick and tear the cake.

I did some research on silicon bakeware years ago and came to the conclusion that I was okay with it, but I could also see stainless steel working well for these purposes. I think Pyrex could work, but that the corners would be an issue with that type of pan.

It seems like it's down to stainless steel or silicon.

I would go with the stainless steel.

I bought a silicon bakeware set.  It has two cake pans, muffin pan and the baking sheet. First, you have to set them on a cookie sheet to be able to get them in and out of the oven.  Second, mine are flimsy, bend when trying to take food out and the food sticks even though I used oil.  Maybe there are better quality than I bought on the market.  I bought mine online so I could not look at it in person.

I would vote for glass . I have two glass Pyrex dishes of what I assume are the correct size . if you list your recipe Destiny I will have a go cooking it when I get back to France in two weeks if you want .

David