Silicone baking mats are very beneficial when baking in the kitchen and can be used to prepare a variety of delicious baked goods. Their nonstick design makes cleanup a breeze and they are reusable to reduce waste in your kitchen. Learn what silicone mats are, what they are used for, how to clean silicone mats, if silicone baking mats are safe to bake with, and more.
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Siliconized GRIFON parchment for round shapes.
There are still many different actions prescribed – you can spend the whole evening on it! Why are we planning such a long preface? To the parchment for round shapes GRIFON – saves time, helps to bake delicious goodies, is simple and convenient to use.
The siliconized GRIFON baking parchment in round shapes is created not only for baking, but also for packaging and storing food products. Parchment has excellent moisture- and fat-separating properties. The diameter of the parchment is 36 cm, and due to the presence of die-cuts, it can easily be placed inside the mold and close all the walls with an even layer. Silicone coating allows you to reduce or completely abandon the use of fats and oils for lubricating molds.
GRIFON parchment can be used for baking in gas and electric ovens at a maximum temperature of 220 ° C. Inside the package there are 10 sheets of parchment that do not need to be cut, measured and cut again – everything is ready for cooking! With careful use, sheets of siliconized GRIFON parchment can be used more than once.
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Silicone mats are usually placed between baking sheets or whatever you’re cooking. They can be used as a substitute for greasing a pan or baking sheet. If you’re baking something that is messy or sticky, knowing how to use baking silicone mat can really help.
The mat can prevent your baking sheet from getting very messy, which makes for a much faster and easier cleanup when you’re done cooking. It’s no wonder experienced chefs use silicone baking mats from time to time.
There are definitely instances where the silicone mat is more useful than using a cooking spray, parchment sheets, or other methods of preventing food from sticking to pans.
You might be wondering if you can use silicone mats the same way that you would use cooking spray or parchment paper. Are they interchangeable?
For the most part, silicone mats can be used same way you use either of these. However, one thing you should know about how to use a silicone baking mat is that while silicone mats are often safe for baking with, sometimes they are made with toxins. That sounds pretty scary, right? It is bad as it sounds, and it’s definitely not intentional, but this is something you need to watch out for.
Not every company makes their silicone mats with the same materials, and some of them use fillers to keep costs low. Silicone mats are very popular for kitchen use, so it makes sense that a lot of companies would jump on the trend and make their own version of silicone mats.
However, not all companies adhere to the same levels of quality when manufacturing these, using lower quality components to fill out the mats. Some of these components can seep out into the air and into your food when the mat is heated up. You have to watch out for that and try to use only safe and environmentally friendly silicone mats in your cooking.
Silicone baking mats are impregnated sheets of fiberglass that can effectively substitute parchment paper or aluminum foil on baking sheets. These mats are being used by professional bakers for years, but today, they have made their way into common household kitchens as well. Why should they be used? Are they better than normal baking sheets? In this OneHowTo.com article, we are going to tell you how to use a silicone baking mat.
Step by step instructions
- To use a silicon baking mat, first of all you should wash it using cold water, and make it dry using a paper towel. Place it on a baking sheet single layer, and heat your oven. If there is a logo on the mat, keep it facing up
- Add the batter, pastry dough or the item that you want to bake on the silicone mat, leaving around ¼ inch more space on every side than the space you leave while baking on a parchment paper. For instance, if you leave ½ inch space while baking cookies on other sheets, leave a space of ¾ inch on a silicone mat to contain any extra spread
- Now, place the prepared baking sheet on the middle oven rack, and start baking as per the recipe.
- Take out the mat from the oven and keep it on your wire baking rack. Let the food cool down for some minutes, and then transfer to another bake rack to let it cool completely.
- Once you are done, you can wash the silicone mat with water and soap, and wipe off with a soft cloth or sponge. You can use a paper towel to dry it and store it while laying flat. You may also roll it to make a tube and keep it in place using a rubber band.
Why use silicone a baking mat
There are several advantages of using a silicone baking mat instead of a normal parchment paper.
- First of all, a silicone baking mat is reusable due to which it saves money and also the environment.
- It has non-stick quality and can tolerate high temperatures as much as 480˚F.
- As nothing actually sticks to a silicone baking mat, it is quite easy and quick to clean, without any scrubbing and soaking. If you are cooking something with lots of butter or sugar, then you will actually love this mat. Moreover, there are also silicone molds available on the market to make cupcakes, muffins and more!
- They remain odorless and stainless for longer too.
- Normally, you would need many cookie sheets to make batches of cookies. But if you are using silicone baking mats, you need only one.
- Silicone baking mats give you much less browning and burning in the bottom of the food. If you are baking fish on a silicone mat, you don’t need to worry about it sticking or tearing while lifting off..
- They are great for kneading bread, pie and pizza dough on as well. The dough will not stick and cling to the mat. You may also use these mats to work with chocolates, fondants, sugars or other sticky items.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Use a Silicone Baking Mat, we recommend you visit our Food & drink category.
We took a look at what differentiates two of the most popular non-stick surfaces in the kitchen.
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There’s no crummier feeling in baking than that mix of panic and heartbreak that sets in when your treats stick to your baking surface. Sure, you grease and flour your bundt pan when a recipe says to, but you don’t always want to lube up the baking pan—especially when making cookies, as this can cause over-spreading and over-browning. The solution? Rather than dousing your bakeware with cooking spray and oils, using a non-stick surface, such as parchment paper or a silicone mat, can be the difference between scorched bottoms and golden, evenly cooked baked goods.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a professional kitchen that doesn’t keep a huge box of parchment paper sheets, and silicone mats are a staple for most serious bakers. While both surfaces are great for creating a no-stick barrier between your baked goods and the pan, one has to wonder—is one preferable to the other? I took a deeper look at the uses, pros, and cons of a silicone mat versus using parchment paper to find out.
What is a silicone baking mat?
A silicone baking mat is a non-stick baking surface made from high-quality, food-grade silicone. This surface comes in several shapes and sizes to fit various types of baking pans. The main benefit to owning a silicone mat is that, unlike parchment paper, it’s reusable. The silicone mat is also especially well suited for jobs that may prove too hot and sticky for parchment paper to stand up to without reinforcement (i.e. greasing). Time Inc. Food Studios recipe developer/tester Deb Wise says, “If you make a lot of peanut brittle or do a lot of cooking with sugar, you will need a silicone mat.” She notes that a silicone mat is incredibly useful when you are working with hot confections such as caramel or toffee. Instead of lining your sheet pan with foil, you can use the baking mat to cook savory foods such as baked salmon or chicken breasts. These mats are also easy to clean, especially compared to scrubbing a baking sheet with hard-set residue.
Wise does warn that if you cook with a silicone mat, never use a knife on the surface. Once you puncture or slice the mat, it becomes more difficult to clean and the damage will continue to deteriorate over time. The best way to care for your mat is to wash it with a soft cloth/sponge using warm, soapy water and hand dry the mat with a clean towel. In general, most silicone mats should not be used under the broiler; at most, they are typically designed to withstand temperatures up to 450°F.
What is Parchment Paper?
Parchment paper is paper that is coated in a layer of silicone to create a heat resistant and non-stick surface. Wise says she tends to use parchment paper to line cake baking pans, bake cookies, and catch dripping from glazing or icing cakes. A major perk of parchment is that you can tailor it to oddly shaped pans with a pair of scissors,while you can only use a mat in specific sizes/shapes. Parchment paper is disposable and buying a box comes at a substantially lower cost than purchasing a couple of silicone mats. That said, it’s usually single-use and ultimately creates more waste.
*Note: Be sure not to confuse parchment paper with wax paper. Wax paper is coated with (you guessed it) wax, and melts/burns at high temperatures. Therefore, you should never use wax paper for baking—but it can be used to prevent sticking between layers of items you plan to freeze.
The Test
I conducted a simple test to see if there is any obvious difference in using parchment paper versus using a silicone mat in baking with our Ultimate Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe. I made one batch and divided the dough between both non-stick surfaces. (I did not spray either surface.) I baked each batch of cookies on a lightly colored half sheet pan with raised edges. The only adjustment I made to the recipe was that I ultimately baked them about 3 minutes longer than the 6-7 minutes suggested. All of the cookies were scooped with the same cookie scoop to control the portion size.
The Results
I set the cookies out for other editors to taste, and most preferred cookies baked on parchment paper. While both batches were very close in physical appearance, I do think the Silpat batch maintained a slightly more uniform shape. And because the Silpat lays completely flat, it was easier to scoop the dough onto, compared to the parchment paper with ever-curling ends. In terms of consistency, the cookies baked on the Silpat were slightly crunchier than those on parchment.
All things considered, which surface you use comes down to A.) what you’re using it for and in some cases, B.) pure personal preference. That being the case, when it comes to cookie baking, I’m generally going to stick with parchment paper.
How to Use a Baking Mat with an Iron
Did you know there are other uses for the silicone baking mat then just baking? I found it is very useful for ironing clothes as well. This is one of those little known uses that a few people will absolutely swear by.
Here’s how to use the silicone baking mat to iron in your clothes. Just place the mat down on the ironing board or on the iron board cover. Then, place your clothes on top of the map and iron as normal. You don’t have to do anything different other than place them on an ironing board. So, how does the silicone mat help you in ironing clothes?
What it does is reflect the heat from the iron back through the clothes. That means you’ll iron clothes faster and neater. There’s less need for starch and other little helpful techniques people often use for ironing. You can iron your clothes more effectively and they’ll come up nicer looking when you’re done. This is why I suggest trying the silicone mat for clothes ironing.
Should You Buy A Silicone Mat?
There’s no denying how versatile a silicone mat is and how it can help you do things more effectively and keep your mess to a minimum. I think they’re worth the price just for how much money they save you over the long term.
Yes, a silicone mat costs more than parchment paper, but you can keep reusing it. Instead of buying new packs of parchment paper every so often, you can keep using the same silicone mat for years.
This is a great minor purchase for your kitchen, and it’s also environmentally friendly. I think everyone should have a couple silicone mats in the kitchen. I say a couple because it’s helpful to have a few of these on hand in case you want to bake multiple things at once.
You’ll definitely be thankful for how little mess you have to clean up afterwards and how easily the baking goes. It’s also really easy to take cookies, brownies, another baked goods off of the baking sheet and the silicone mat after they are cooked. They come off so quick and easily and leave so little mess behind that you’ll wonder why you didn’t use a silicone mat before.
Pauline Loughlin
How to Clean Silicone Baking Mats
With a little soap and water, wipe your silicone mat clean, and let it air dry. To dry them, it is best to lay them flat.
How to Use Silicone Mat for Baking
If you want to bake with a silicone map, there are a few things you should know about how to make it work just a little bit better for you. You can use the baking mat alone and usually get good results, but sometimes food will stick to it. If you want to prevent food from sticking to the mat, first put your mat on the baking pan and next spray down the mat with cooking spray.
This may seem redundant and like a waste of cooking spray, but it is a great way to ensure absolutely that your food doesn’t stick to the mat. It makes for easier cleaning when you’re all done baking.
The best method for how to use silicone baking mat is to use it as a pan liner. Simply line any cooking sheet or baking tray with silicone baking mat. Cooking spray is optional but can help reduce your mess and cleanup. After all, you will be reusing the silicone mat, so why not make things easier on yourself and use a little cooking spray?
Knowing how to use professional silicone baking mat makes things a whole lot easier for you in the kitchen. I definitely recommend using one of these mats if you are making a lot of food and don’t want to have a big mess to clean up later on. The silicone mat can really minimise the mess for you and ensure that you spend less time tidying up.
Different kinds of baking mats function identically. If you know how to use a Farberware silicone baking mat, then you know how to use an Imarku silicone baking mat.
The different mats may have different advantages, such as being made of varying sizes or thickness. Some of them are also designed to be more non-stick than others, negating the need for any cooking spray.
There are little advantages to the various silicone baking sheets that you can find, but for the most part, they’re pretty much identical.
Baking Mat vs Parchment Paper
You can use a baking mat and parchment paper interchangeably in a variety of ways. Although both are great for baking or cooking, a baking mat is reusable and long-lasting, while parchment paper can only be used once or twice at a time. Baking mats are perfect for flat surfaces, whereas parchment paper can mold to fit in deeper pans like loaf pans. We break down the uses of baking mats versus parchment paper in the list below.
- Eco-friendly and cost saving
- Reusable
- Variety of uses for baking
- Minimizes cleanup
- Not reusable
- Used mostly to protect baking sheets
- Additional flexibility
- Minimizes cleanup
Can I Use a Baking Mat Instead of Parchment Paper?
Yes, you can. Using a baking mat to cover baking sheets will help protect the baking sheet from stuck-on messes or scratches.
Baking with silicone baking sheets makes baking and cleanup much easier and allows you to make more baked goods at one time. Experience the benefits for yourself and try baking with a silicone baking mat!
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Please refer to our
Are Silicone Baking Mats Safe?
Yes, silicone baking mats are safe for baking. The temperature limit of a silicone baking mat is 428 degrees Fahrenheit. These baking mats can also be placed in the freezer.
However, silicone baking mat safety should be kept in mind when purchasing. Now that silicone is becoming more popular, some companies are adding fillers to their silicone molds and mats. Silicone fillers can be harmful to our health because of the toxins they emit when heated or cooled. If you aren’t positive about fillers in the silicone you purchased, once you bake with it, you may smell a potent burning smell. Your best bet for finding safe silicone baking mats is to purchase from a respected manufacturer. If you want to be sure about the components of the mat before buying, you can always reach out to the customer service team.
How to Use a Silicone Baking Mat
Whether you are baking cookies, kneading dough, or baking a cake, you can use a silicone baking mat. To use as a pan liner, simply lay the mat flat on a cookie sheet if you want to make cookies. If you are worried about your cookies sticking, spray your mat with non-stick spray before you place the cookies down.
When it comes to a work surface, you can also place the silicone mat on a countertop if you plan on kneading bread or rolling out cookie dough. This will save flour and also prevent your countertop from becoming a mess in the process.
What Is a Silicone Baking Mat Used For?
You can use a silicone baking mat in many different ways. Here’s a list of what you can use a silicone baking mat for.
- Replace parchment paper or aluminum foil on baking sheets
- Keep baking pans clean
- Lay a silicone mat flat on a countertop to knead bread or roll out cookie dough
- Put on a tray to heat food in the oven
- Cover baked goods in the oven to make sure they rise evenly
- Place under a cake ring to keep the cake batter from sticking to the sheet pan
Many brands of silicone bakeware live up to their non-stick name. However, greasing or spraying your silicone mats before placing dough or food on them will help when it is time to remove your freshly baked treat. Regardless of the mess your chocolate chip cookies make on a cookie sheet, a silicone mat will help keep the mess at bay, and your cookie sheets in better condition to last longer.
What Is a Silicone Baking Mat?
A silicone baking mat is made of high-quality, food-grade silicone and fiberglass, and it is most often used to cover cookie sheets when baking. They are also perfect for baking messy or sticky concoctions because of their non-stick qualities. Silicone baking mats come in various shapes and sizes to fit different sizes of baking pans.