I'm shopping for some cooking vessels, and wondering why all the stainless roasting pans today are such heavy-gauge. Many years ago stainless rectangular pans were much thinner and easier to handle, and they lasted decades. The new ones look almost like they've been machined instead of stamped.
They may have a layer of better heat conducting metal sandwiched between the layers of stainless.
John
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Others have explained the thick sandwich construction, and why. Now, if you really want thinner ones, I'll suggest a cheap and an expensive place to look. Cheap is the thrift store - the things do last decades, often decades past where someone deems them unstylish (or wants the thick pans) and relegates them to the trash (except dump-picking ain't what it used to be, unless you spot them on the side of the road) or the second-hand shop. So visit the second hand shop; since stock changes regularly, visit regularly.
The expensive option would be a restaurant supply. The item you seek might be sold as a steamer pan (at least that's my best guess for a rectangular stainless pan not too thick, but quite thick enough to be sturdy). I see the things in use, I don't buy them, but I assume that they are expensive, unless you hit the used restaurant auction sort of deal and nobody else wants them.
Actually I don't think these would be too pricey at a restaurant supply.
They're called hotel pans. Not too bad price, around $12-$15 for a shallow (2" deep) half-pan from China, which holds one of those big cans of corn in the commercial food section at the store.
John
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