I used to use parchment paper, but it was a pain, because I would use it up, then forget to replace it, since I didn't use it that often. I looked around, and found a brand of silicone baking mats that I liked, and could afford, and invested in two of them. They're washable, so it doesn't matter if you're baking or cooking main dishes, so you can use them for either or both. I used one last night, and realized I hadn't posted about them on here. Now that I have the mats, I use them all the time, and there's a lot less mess to clean off my baking sheets and pans. I promise, I have no connection to the company. I just looked on Amazon to see how the price of this one compared to the others on the market (at Amazon, at least), and it still seems to be the best one for the money. This link is to the company site, not Amazon or another shopping site. I'm just passing the information along, in case anyone else can use it. Log In
This is a new product to me and one that I think I will be getting. I make cookies at least once a week and my cookie sheet gets worn looking very quickly. I can use this baking mat in place of the cookie sheet and it will clean up better than the cookie sheet.
Good, I hope you like it/them. I have expensive cookie sheets and a nice jelly roll pan that I need to give a good scrubbing, because I have no intention of giving them away, but the baked on stuff is hard to remove. I wish I'd had the silicone sheets years ago, it definitely can save money not only on parchment paper, but also on replacement cookie sheets and pans.
I have never used a silicon mat, but I am very interested in trying them out. I see that they use them on all of the cooking shows and they fit your baking pans perfectly. With parchement paper I always have to cut the pieces to fit on my sheets as they are too wide.
Ooo, nice. Parchment paper is so wasteful. I like something I can use multiple times with just a wash. However, I do have a teeny tiny addiction to gadgets so maybe I'll just get one...
There are multiple brands of silicone baking mats. The one I usually see is similar but has an orange border - I think it's called something like "SilMat" or something like that. I see it a lot on cooking shows too. Another really good alternative is the silicone coated aluminum foil - but it's rather expensive at like $6+ a box. And if you plan on using it regularly, you're better off buying a silicone mat once, instead of wasting a bunch of money on the expensive disposable silicone foil. Parchment is OK, but I really don't use it all that much. I mainly use it with cookies when I don't want them to spread out too much. I also use it when baking dishes with tomato or tomato sauce in it, in place of foil or as a buffer to the foil to prevent it from making the tomato react to it and go sour/bitter. The downsides with parchment though, aside from the higher cost, is it will sometimes catch fire in the oven, and you can't really fold it around containers like you can with foil.
I've never heard of silicone baking mats. To be honest, I am skeptical about using silicone or anything artificial in my meal preparations. I only ever use earthenware, stainless steel or glass. Does the silicone have a smell?
This looks great. I’ve been using parchment paper since I started baking a few years ago and it’s part of the reason I don’t bake more often. It’s really quite inefficient, and I’ve never nailed the trick of making my cakes look attractive with parchment paper. I love the idea of something reusable like this. Cookies and cakes, here I come!
I haven't noticed a smell to it, but if you're concerned, you could check it out in stores before buying. I agree, and try not to use much that is artificial, but this has proven useful to me.
I've never heard of the silicone coated aluminum foil. I think that might be a great product if I need some structure, in addition to the flat mat. I think a package of that would probably last me quite a while, so cost might not be that much of a factor.
I've always been afraid to use silicone in case I leave things in the oven and it sets on fire. I guess I am afraid to take the risk. I would like to try it though, but it's a habit to use parchment paper, but if a chef or baker like Delia Smith recommended it I would try it. Maybe if I watched a friend bake with it I would also pluck up the courage.
I normally am hesitant to use silicon products for cooking just because I'm highly paranoid and even though I'm fairly sure they are safe I just can't bring myself to use them for food. However, I do agree that this is a much better option than having to use parchment paper all the time since that can prove to be costly because it is disposable whereas a silicon mat you could just reuse everytime would probably last for very long and could potentially save you from buying hundreds of rolls of parchment paper.
Haha, I'd be more likely to set the parchment paper on fire. I'm sure there must be a chef who uses a silicone mat. I know they use the silicone cupcake cups (or whatever they're called), because I can recall seeing them used on cooking shows, but I don't remember which chef was using them.
