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How to Make Your Own Sheet Pan Dinner

vegetables in steam oven

Goodbye take out boxes, hello sheet pan dinners ! We at Sharp like to think of ourselves as mindful cooks, finding new ways to make the lives of our consumers and followers simple. We know firsthand that making intricate meals after a long day at work is neither simple nor practical for everyone, so the idea of having a whole dinner seasoned and in one pan sounds like a plan to us.

With Spring right around the corner, start the new season fresh. Throw away those Chinese food takeout menus and test your taste buds and culinary finesse by building your own sheet pan dinner.

Prepare your Pan

Finding the proper sheet pan to use to cook a meal is extremely important. You’ll want all of your ingredients to fit evenly without being piled on top of each other. Typically, sheet pan dinners are made on a half tray, which measures 18 inches by 13 inches and is durable enough to hold the heavier weight of an entire family dinner. If you are cooking for 2 or 3 people, we recommend using a Quarter (1/4) tray, which measures 9-1/2 x 13 inches.  The broiling pan accessory that comes with our Superheated Steam Countertop Oven measures 12.5 x 12.5 inches – perfect for 2-4 people.

The preparation does not end there though, fellow cooks. You will want to line your pan to avoid a messy cleanup afterwards. We recommend using either parchment paper or foil and wrap the lining evenly around the tray, tightening the lining around the corners of the pan. You can thank us later.

Pick the Proper Protein

In every meal, you need a source of protein. This could be anything from chicken to Italian sausage, pork loin, or salmon.  An internal probe thermometer is your best friend to make sure that you proteins are cooked to a safe internal temperature.

If you are looking for a source of protein but are on a restricted diet or simply just not a meat eater, you can replace the meat aspect of this dish with protein filled foods such as edamame, tofu, or garbanzo beans. If you’re like me and struggle with finding the proper way to cook a meal with fish as the main source of protein, worry not. With a combination of tasty vegetables and light seasoning, fillets cook up perfectly on the baking sheet.

Choose your Vegetables

It is important to pick vegetables that are in season and durable (that can withstand high heat), because nothing is more disheartening than burnt veggies. Some vegetables we recommend utilizing in your sheet pan dinner are: potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, zucchini, carrots, kale, brussel sprouts, bell peppers, and broccoli.

Decide on a Seasoning

No pressure or anything, but seasoning could arguably be the most important part of the cooking process. With that said, you don’t want to over season your meal. We recommend placing all your vegetables in a large bowl and marinating and seasoning them lightly at the same time. Remember, you can always add more later. Before putting the half tray in the oven, make sure that your vegetables are coated fully and evenly with oil or additional marinade to ensure that they do not dry out during the cooking process.

When choosing your seasonings and marinade, make sure to think about your dish as a whole and see the bigger picture. You won’t want to make a combo dinner like balsamic roasted vegetables with jalapeno hot sauce on your chicken, unless of course you want a stomach ache. We recommend starting simple and combining classic seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic with traditional marinades such as balsamic, pesto, olive oil, or soy sauce.

Unleash your Inner Artist

As always, cooking is an art.  Balance is important. Ideally you want your proteins and your vegetables to be done at the same time.  Consider baby or fingerling potatoes with chicken breast.  Broccoli florets with fish fillets.  Your cooking times are always influenced by the size and shape of the food, so take a step back and look at your creation before you put it in the oven.

Control your Cooking Time

You’ll want to be careful with how long you leave your sheet pan dinner cooking for. After all, no individual wants undercooked potatoes. Like all great things, the art of sheet pan cooking requires a small amount of trial and error. However, thanks to Food52 , some of that guesswork has already been done for us. Check to see if your protein can be found below.

“400° F for 20 to 30 minutes

  • Vegetable: cabbage, carrots, turnips, radicchio, apples
  • Protein: pork chops

400° F for 35 to 40 minutes

  • Vegetable: bell peppers, onions, sweet potatoes,
  • Protein: sausages (pork, chicken, lamb)

425° F for 15 minutes

  • Vegetable: bok choy, green beans, scallions, mushrooms, greens, tomatoes, zucchini, leeks, asparagus, lemon rounds
  • Protein: fish (salmon fillets, large white fish fillet)

425° F for 20 to 30 minutes

  • Vegetable: green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, scallions
  • Protein: tofu

425° F for 35 to 45 minutes

  • Vegetable: potatoes, fennel, squash, beets, brussels sprouts, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, orange rounds

  • Protein: chicken pieces (bone in)”

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SSC0586DS
Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven (SSC0586DS)

The Sharp(R) Superheated Steam Countertop Oven is the start of a cooking revolution. The innovation is simply that steam can be hotter, cook better, and promote healthy living. The combination of superheated steam and conventional, radiant heat in all cooking modes means that your food will be crispy and browned on the outside, moist and delicious on the inside.

The Sharp(R) Superheated Steam Countertop Oven is a powerful, low-profile, pizzeria-style oven. Roomy enough for a 12″ pizza or 9 slices of toast, the included Broiling Pan and Crisper Tray (12.5″x12.5″) give you more cooking area than a standard quarter-size sheet pan.

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