Silicone baking mat

The content of the article

• What is good food silicone
• How to use a silicone mat
• What care does a non-stick mat require?
• How to choose a silicone baking sheet
• Where to buy and how much

Heat-resistant silicone has recently become popular among housewives due to the fact that the ease of use of dishes from this material can be alarming. Silicone may seem harmful, sometimes even dangerous, and even more so when it comes in contact with food at high temperature. But is it?

What is good food silicone

For any product that is intended for contact with food, special requirements are put forward. Enameled, ceramic, metal or plastic utensils undergo a special safety control before being released into free circulation, this is fixed by law. Therefore, if the manufacturer is conscientious, then there should not be safety problems, this also applies to items made of food-grade silicone. Silicone is good for baking in that it has a number of advantages over conventional dishes:

• has low thermal conductivity, which ensures uniform temperature distribution and prevents burning;
• malleable material helps to easily extract culinary masterpieces from forms, silicone baking sheets;
• durable: difficult to break, not beating;
• the material is lightweight, easy to clean, does not take up much space in the kitchen.

How to use a silicone mat

To prepare a variety of culinary masterpieces, it is convenient to use a silicone baking mat. It is easy to bake cookies, cakes, pizza on a silicone baking sheet. The dimensions of the sheet are from 30 * 20 cm to 68 * 50 cm, the thickness is not more than 7 mm. They come with special markings for rolling pizza and other pastries, with sides along the edges and recesses of different shapes. Using a silicone baking mat is simple, it does not need to be constantly greased with fats, it can withstand temperatures up to 220 degrees. Before first use, rinse the silicone pan with warm water and soda..

What care does a non-stick mat require?

The silicone sheet is very soft, thin and flexible, just stored and very easy to care for. You can also wash the silicone dough mat in the dishwasher, but it’s best to do it manually. The surface of the silicone sheet is soft, so you should not use rough brushes for washing, it is better to wipe the surface with soft sponges or a cloth. If the surface of the sheet after cooking turned out to be very oily, then before washing it is better to wet the mat with dry napkins to absorb fat. Silicone easily absorbs odors, so it is better to wash the product less frequently with chemicals.

How to choose a silicone baking sheet

To choose a quality and safe kitchen product, you need to follow simple rules. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the smell of a silicone baking mat. Products with a pungent odor cannot be used for contact with food. A foreign odor indicates that the manufacturer used low-quality raw materials or a dangerous polymerisation catalyst that left an odor. The second thing that is important when choosing is marking. Mandatory information that is applied to the package must contain the following information:

• manufacturer with its coordinates;
• composition, name of the material;
• availability of signs of conformity and safety;
• documentation on which the product was manufactured;
• instructions for use (the designation “for food”).

Packaging labeling may vary depending on the country of manufacture, but information on the methods of use and safety of the goods must be present without fail. Conformity marks in the EU countries are CE letters on the marking, in the USA – FDA, in the CIS countries – EAC. The product must be soft, flexible, without damage, with smooth edges and uniform color..

Where to buy and how much

You can buy non-stick silicone sheet in specialized stores or on the Internet. The price of this product varies depending on the size and manufacturer. Rugs with special markings or curved surfaces can also cost more than usual. They cost from 200 to 800 rubles, products with figured embossing, marking, designed to work with mastic and dough, will cost more, depending on the design.

Learn how to make do-it-yourself mastic.