Help! There’s No Sheet Pan at My Vacation Rental.

Lauren Kodiak
Lauren KodiakCopy Chief
Lauren is the Copy Chief for Kitchn. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their son.
published Jul 8, 2016
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(Image credit: Samantha Bolton)

Summer cooking should be low-key and fuss-free, especially when you’re on vacation, which is why I’m such a fan of the sheet-pan supper. Throw everything on one sheet pan, bake it in the oven, and voila! Dinner is served. Sheet-pan suppers mean less prep and cleanup time, so you can get back to lounging on the deck with a cold beer in hand.

But what if, despite all your careful planning, you forget to ask your host about the kitchen’s amenities and arrive only to discover there’s nary a sheet pan in sight? Don’t worry — we’ve got three helpful hacks for you.

3 Ways to Hack a Sheet Pan

If you arrive at your vacation rental with high hopes of making sheet-pan suppers every night, only to find there are no sheet pans on the premises, here are a few other ways to make your one-pan dreams come true.

1. Large Pan

If there’s a large cast iron pan or casserole dish at your rental, you can make your meal in there instead.

2. Broiler Pan

Open the oven to see if there’s a broiler pan lurking inside. At our Kitchn retreat this past spring, we improvised a sheet pan by lining the built-in broiler pan with foil.

3. Aluminum Foil

When in doubt, turn to aluminum foil. You can either cover the entire oven rack with foil, or fold up the sides of a large piece of foil to create a little makeshift tray.

Recipes to Make Once You’ve Hacked Your Sheet Pan

Have you ever arrived at a vacation rental, only to find there was no sheet pan? What did you do?