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Sometimes the simplest way is also the best way, which is the idea behind this book: sheet-pan cooking is not only easy, it’s also a remarkably effective—and versatile—way to prepare one-pan meals. Offering the same kind of simplicity and convenience as one-pot cooking, sheet pans are especially ideal for baking, roasting, and broiling, techniques that yield depth of flavor with maximum ease and minimum effort.

The low sides and large, flat cooking surface of a sheet pan (a restaurant term for a rimmed baking sheet) allow the heat of the oven to reach the entire surface of foods as they cook. High, even heat quickly seals the exterior of the ingredients, drawing out their natural sugars so that they crisply brown on the outside while staying meltingly tender and tasty on the inside. This means that the flavor of meats as well as vegetables is intensified while their texture is enhanced—good news for vegetarians and for parents wanting their family to eat more vegetables.