What is a jelly roll pan? Jelly roll pan is similar to a cookie sheet. It is a baking sheet with one-inch-deep sides for making a thin sponge cake. Besides for making a jelly roll, it can be used for various purpose of cooking, from roasting vegetables to broiling meats and is not limited for making a dessert only. They are inexpensive and easy to clean, making them the ideal baking pan for many jobs.
How to choose a high quality jelly roll pan
You have to keep a few things in mind when shopping for a jelly roll pan. First, you want a pan that is relatively heavy for its size. This means it can hold and distribute heat to the bottom of what you are baking or roasting more evenly and is more durable. A high quality jelly roll pan will always brown your baking evenly and prevent bending. The aluminum-steel combination that is used for the cooking surface of this type of pan makes the food easy to release and together with this advantage comes the easy-clean too.
If you need to make sure what you are baking doesn’t stick, you can always use parchment paper or grease the pan, but non-stick coatings can leech into food over time and are unnecessary on jelly roll pans. If you do opt for a non-stick model, make sure not to use a metal spatula when removing baked goods or steel wool when cleaning, as they will damage the coating.
Making the sponge cake with jelly roll pan
Preparing sheet and sponge cakes would definitely be a lot more difficult without the help of a jelly roll pan. The most common jelly roll pan is 151 inches long and 101 inches wide with sides that are no more than an inch deep. There are all sorts of tips and tricks about how to make the best of a jelly roll pan; one such culinary secret is the use of wax paper in the pan so as to avoid cake sticking. All you have to do is grease the bottom of the jelly roll pan with oil or butter and then cover it with waxed paper; when the baking process is over, turn the pan upside down and peel off the paper. The cake will be clean and appetizing. Let’s take the case of cake rolls for example, they are usually baked in a jelly roll pan, and after baking they are covered with some type of filling and rolled carefully so they do not crack.
A high quality jelly roll pan will always brown your cake evenly and prevent bending. Not just the jelly roll pan but the edges are easy to wash too, even in the dishwasher.