Best baking trays 2024, tested by a food expert

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Kitchens have undoubtedly evolved over time and now it seems there’s a gadget for your every need. Want dinner in a hurry? Turn to your trusty microwave. Craving the crispy chips without the fat? You need an air fryer in your arsenal. Desperate for a bistro-worthy caffeine fix without leaving the house? Invest in a coffee machine. While these appliances make our lives a whole lot easier, if there’s one cookware staple that doesn’t get enough credit, it is of course the humble baking tray.

Capable of cooking everything from chips and pizza, to baking cookies and pastries, these trays probably get the most action out of any kitchen item. So, with that being said, picking the right one – and by that we mean a tray that won’t warp the minute it touches the oven, loses its non-stick benefits and actually cleans up like new – is essential.

But with so many to choose from, and in so many price ranges, it can be hard to know which baking trays are going to last a lifetime versus the ones that are going to require a chisel to get your food off after five minutes. Luckily, that’s where we come in.

How we tested

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We put lots of different baking trays to the test by cooking everything from a classic fry-up and garlic bread, to roast chicken with all the fixings, and even roasted tomatoes for soup on our trays to see how they stacked up to their specifications. We were looking for trays that could handle a multitude of foods, didn’t warp in the oven, could clean up like new and, most importantly, didn’t lose their non-stick coating despite our somewhat questionable cheffing skills. These are the ones that could take the heat.

The best baking trays for 2024 are: