How Often Do You Need To Replace Sheet Pans?

Think about everything you put your sheet pans through: roasting vegetables, baking chocolate chip cookies, broiling meat (the list goes on). They are an integral tool for daily cooking. But did you ever think about how long you can put these pans through the wringer before they need to be replaced? 

Well, it depends on how often you use them. If you're someone that lives in the kitchen and cooks with the pans more than three times a week, you are looking at a life expectancy of four to five years. But, if you're not as active as a chef, that extends its shelf life by an additional two years.  

Regardless of how often you participate in culinary activities, there are ways to sustain the durability of your sheet pans. First, when cleaning them, never place them in the dishwasher or use any harsh chemicals. Instead, hand wash in the sink with warm water and a gentle soap. With pesky stains or tarnishes, use scrubbers that aren't harsh — so avoid steel wool, which can be detrimental to your pan's health. Alternatively, take a deep breath and let the pan soak for several hours — slow and steady wins the race. 

But, if you are having an itch for a deep clean, you can saturate it in baking soda and hydrogen peroxide overnight. Just know, it might come at a price and you could be saying goodbye to that pan a little sooner than you thought. 

Now that you know how to care for your beloved sheet pans, what about the rest of your cookware?

Whether it is a sauce or sauté pan, normal wear and tear will eventually lead to discoloration and a grimy bottom. So, to clean blackened aluminum pans correctly, a paste of baking soda and water gently scrubbed on with a soft-bristle brush can eliminate those bothersome stains. 

Desperately attempting to get your cast-iron skillet to squeaky-clean status? Well, these pantry staples easily remove rust: lemon and kosher salt. Simply cut a lemon in half, dip in the salt, and scrub forcefully (make sure to rinse off with soap and water). Voila! With this unstoppable duo, your skillet will be good as new. 

The culinary queen, Ina Garten, keeps her 40-year-old pots and pans sparkling clean by also following the occasional overnight soak routine. Garten just fills up anything from a Dutch oven or pot with piping hot water and dish soap, and then scrubs with a sponge in the morning. So there you go, celebrities are just like us — when in doubt, soak it out!