Pros and Cons of Using Silicone Baking Sheets

[dandeliion]

Do any of you use silicone baking sheets? I bought one for my mom as a Christmas stocking stuffer but she hasn't used it yet so she can't tell me if it works or not! I've been wanting to try one out for a while but always decide against buying one for some reason. Pros and cons?

 

[LivetoErr]

I want to know the answer to this as well. I've seen them around and think they would fit better inside my oven.

Why do you decide against buying one yet bought one for your mother? Ask her if she's tried it yet and keep asking until she does! Can you ask to borrow it?

 

[dandeliion]

I want to know the answer to this as well. I've seen them around and think they would fit better inside my oven.

Why do you decide against buying one yet bought one for your mother? Ask her if she's tried it yet and keep asking until she does! Can you ask to borrow it?

I was running out of ideas to fill her gigantic stocking lol and I live about a ten hour drive away from her so borrowing it isn't really an option!

 

[NThomas]

I have a silicone baking mat I have only used it for baking cookies.
It works great and love it.
I am eager to try using it to make baking item with lots of gooey cheese , see how well it works.

 

[OhioTom76]

We don't have any silicone baking mats, but I did buy some silicone baking pans for cupcakes and another one for bundt cakes. I wasn't too crazy about them because the food would stick to them quite often. However, they had more of a matte finish, and they weren't shiny like the silicone baking mats. The mats seem to work much better from what I've seen.

I also bought some silicone cups for floating in simmering water to make poached eggs. Similarly, the eggs stuck to them a lot and they made them take much longer to cook.

 

[Crystal]

I have used a silicone baking sheet a few times, and I could take it or leave it. I recently discovered parchment paper, and now that's all I ever use. I can't believe I ever got along without it, actually. You can throw the paper away when you're done and you don't even have to wash your baking sheet (unless you make a mess under the paper, of course)!

 

[Lacey]

I have a bread pan, a muffin "tin" and a round cake pan all made out of silicone and I love them. I was a little worried to try them out because I didn't think they would hold their shape but they are perfect and so easy to get bread out or cakes out of the pans. I would recommend them to anyone.

 

[NThomas]

I have used a silicone baking sheet a few times, and I could take it or leave it. I recently discovered parchment paper, and now that's all I ever use. I can't believe I ever got along without it, actually. You can throw the paper away when you're done and you don't even have to wash your baking sheet (unless you make a mess under the paper, of course)!

Yes, parchment is great. I think if you want something to get crispy, parchment is better to use. The silicone mats tend to keep baked good soft and chewy. Being able to throw away the paper is a good thing when your pan gets extra messy. I like using the parchment for savory bakes and the Silicone mat for sweets.

 

[forte210392]

Silicone sheets are an awesome invention! Whoever created them deserves a medal. Not only do they prevent my cookies and macaroons from sticking, the mats are easily cleaned and are reusable. I cook a lot, and one of the garnishes I make are there parmesan crisps. With regular wax paper, they tend to stick for some reason. But with silicone, I've never once encountered that problem.

 

[forextraspecialstuff]

I'd be interested to hear about these too. I have seen them everywhere from Target to Willaims-Sonoma but haven't picked them up yet. I think I would like them because they look like they're easy to clean post baking. That's huge for me because I hate post bake clean up time.

 

[sweetkymom]

I've not used any silicone pans yet so I'd like to know how well they hold up in shape and staying together after baked. I heard food sticks to the pans but then I heard you could heat the pans up before filling and the goods won't stick.

 

[jneanz]

I bought a set a while ago for family and it freaked them out *shrugs*. Target used to carry these and I got nice usage out of mine but I will say that after a few uses, it may be wise to use oil at the bottom and sides. There was one pan with ridges at the bottom that was really something else to clean, even when I soaked it in hot water for an hour. I threw them out after about five years but for something that costs pennies at Target, I'd say it was a decent investment for a young person.

 

[secretgoldfish]

I have a few silicon baking pans for cupcakes and one for bigger cakes. In my opinion they work, but they're a bit hard to clean, and lately I find they started smelling like dish detergent and it passes on to the food, so I stopped using them. I've heard baking soda mixed with water is good for the smell, but I have yet to try it.

 

[alexiskilgannon]

My mother uses silicone baking pans for her cooking and seems to love them. I haven't used them personally, but I have seen them give great results. I can understand why people would prefer them over traditional baking pans. Being able to simply push out a baked cake without having to knife or shake it out is a big plus.