It is time for the holidays, and you know what that means! Time to unearth your biggest baking sheets from the garage and make some cookies.
Baking sheets are versatile flat metal sheets that can cook anything from vegetables to frozen pizzas. For some people, they are a pain to wash. But what if you have a dishwasher? Are baking sheets dishwasher-safe?
You should only wash baking sheets labeled dishwasher-safe in the dishwasher. If a baking or cookie sheet does not say dishwasher-safe, then wash it by hand.
Some baking sheets are so big, they cannot fit in smaller dishwashers and the machine will not have the power to clean it.
Placing a regular non dishwasher-safe cookie sheet into the dishwasher could ruin the non-stick surface and warp the metal so that it no longer sits flat on the rack, or scratch the metal.
A number of items in the kitchen, including the dishware and cookware, should never be cleaned in the dishwasher. We will cover a list of these items below in this article.
Can Baking Sheets Go in the Dishwasher?
Unless there is a label stating that the baking or cookie sheet is “dishwasher-safe,” do not wash it in the dishwasher.
If the baking sheet has a dishwasher-safe label, then it is safe for your dishwasher to clean. No matter how dirty or sticky your dishwasher-safe baking sheet is, you can stick it in the dishwasher and it’ll be clean in an hour or so. So if you hate cleaning baking sheets by hand, you are now free from that task!
But the dishwasher-safe label is not the only factor to consider when placing your baking sheet or cookie sheet into the dishwasher.
Some dishwashers cannot wash baking sheets because the machine itself is too small.
Small dishwashers can handle cups and plates and small pots, but it may not have the cleaning power to clean large pots, baking sheets, and heavy oven glassware.
What Happens If You Put a Cookie Sheet in the Dishwasher
Washing a regular cookie sheet in the dishwasher two or three times is enough to ruin the metal. Also, the powerful sprays could leave marks on the cookie sheet.
Baking sheets are usually made out of aluminum and the aluminum is not tempered to handle a dishwasher’s abrasive sprays.
Not only that, many of the chemicals in the dishwashers soap can ruin the cookie sheets metal.
Can You Put a Non-Stick Baking Tray in the Dishwasher?
Unless the packaging of the plastic baking tray has a dishwasher-safe label on it, you should not put a baking sheet in the dishwasher.
In fact, anything made with a non-stick coating does not belong in the dishwasher.
The intense temperature inside the dishwasher could ruin the non-stick coating. Repeatedly washing anything non-stick in the dishwasher will eventually ruin the coating.
Leaching
Cooking with damaged non-stick pans could cause chemical leaching. Chemical leaching happens and the chemicals in the non-stick surface could leak into your food.
While safe to cook on, many of these chemicals are dangerous when absorbed by food. Some non-stick coating chemicals have been found to cause fetal development issues.
An Easy Way To Clean A Baking Sheet
Cleaning a baking sheet can be as easy as wiping the crumbs away with a cloth or so difficult you need to ask your favorite nephew to scrub the blackened streaks off the metal with his newly developed muscles.
With the right technique, a dirty baking sheet can be transformed into a shiny clean metal sheet ready for the next delicious holiday recipe. Here is how to clean a cookie sheet:
- Baking soda is your best friend. Its gritty powder can remove anything, even glue!
- Mix a ½ cup of water with two tablespoons of baking soda and then soak your sponge in the mixture for a minute. The baking soda should not fully dissolve in the water mixture.
- You can also place some baking soda directly on the burnt food on the metal sheet.
- Let the powder sit for a minute before you take the sponge and scrub it. Since you’re using an abrasive substance, do not scrub as hard as you can. You need enough strength to scrub the food off, but not so hard that the scrub brush or sponge leaves streaks on the metal.
Contrary to what we believe about water and metal, it is fine to soak a cookie sheet in hot soap water for several hours.
So if there is burnt food refusing to budge, stop scrubbing it. Soak the cookie sheet in a sink full of hot water with some baking soda. The food and burnt juice or glaze will loosen, and it will be easier to scrub it off.
Which Dishes Should Never Go Into the Dishwasher?
Baking and cookie sheets are not the only type of pan that should not be placed into the dishwasher if it doesn’t have any dishwasher-safe label. Here’s a list of dishes that are not always dishwasher-safe.
- Wooden dishware
- Cast iron cookware and bakeware
- Any cookware or dishware made out of copper
- Anything labeled non-stick, for the reasons mentioned above
- Any travel cover plate that is insulated
- Delicate china dishes
Of course, if you have any of these items from the list above whose labels say dishwasher-safe, then it is safe to put in the dishwasher.
It is important to read over and memorize this list because the cookware, bakeware, and dishes on this list are not always dishwasher-safe. But everyday utensils, like forks and knives, are always dishwasher-safe.
Conclusion to Putting Baking Sheets in the Dishwasher
Washing a baking or cookie sheet with baking soda and water is more effective and safer than putting it in the dishwasher.
The dishwasher can warp the metal of a cookie sheet. It is fine to put a cookie sheet in the dishwasher if it is dishwasher-safe, but only place the sheet in dishwashers that are large enough to handle each size.
You could damage your dishwasher by placing objects that are too big into the machine.
