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.
A little OT: Stainless roasting pans
Apr 29, 2007
5 Replies
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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