Dishes and other kitchen utensils made of silicone are firmly included in our everyday life. Many housewives prefer silicone molds for baking and production of cold products: jelly, ice cream, mousse. Their advantage is that they are very practical, do not require long-term cleaning, washing, and food does not stick to them. Silicone baking mat also has these qualities, which greatly simplifies and facilitates the cooking process.
It is specially designed to make cooking a pleasure, not a painful and long process.
Brief description of the silicone mat
It is a silicone mat for baking fabric, impregnated with a silicone compound. Its sizes vary in the range of 30x20 cm - 60x40 cm, and may have various bright colors. There are peach, orange, light green and green rugs. The main purpose is to bake pies, pies, pizzas, cookies on it. Silicone baking mat replaces baking paper, parchment and other cushioning materials. Place the rug directly on a baking sheet or, better, on a wire rack. In this case, the dish will be better baked due to the uniform effect of heat on it. You can use a silicone mat for baking in cabinets of gas, electric and microwave ovens. The temperature loads that the mat can withstand are from -60 to +200 degrees. However, it cannot be used with the grill function.
Practical properties
Silicone is characterized by low thermal conductivity, so the food on it does not burn on the edges. This happens because the product is exposed to uniform thermal effects. Because of this, the mat is also called non-stick. The baking mat does not absorb odors, the remains of food do not get stuck in it, and it does not lose its original appearance for a long time.
The mat is easily and effortlessly washed, and some housewives just wipe it with a napkin. In the process of cleaning, you can not use abrasive products, metal, scraping and cutting objects. You can store the rug on a shelf or in a drawer of the kitchen cabinet. But before that, it needs to be washed and dried. And you can do this in the dishwasher. In addition to its main purpose, the mat can also serve as a work surface for preparing dough, for example.
This is convenient since the initially sticky mass does not adhere to the silicone surface at all. The mat does not slip, so it is possible to fix bowls on it, in which something is whipped, rubbed or mixed intensively. In addition, it is good to pan meat, fish and peel fruits and vegetables. It can be used as a surface for storing convenience foods in the freezer.
additional information
Silicone has not yet been unanimously adopted. Some believe that it is unhealthy, others - that it is not. However, silicone mats are no more dangerous than any other dishes, experts say. The main thing is that it should be made of special, "food" silicone with the application of documents certifying the quality. Many are interested in how much a silicone baking mat costs. The average price is 200 rubles and higher. The cost is affected by the manufacturer, the availability of additional functions. This may be a special marking, for example, of round shapes to obtain a product with perfectly even and desired size shapes (pizza, pie). A silicone mat has a lot of advantages, but does it have any disadvantages? It turns out that no. In addition, it is designed for an average of 2000 times of use. But it is so much that to call it a “minus” is quite difficult.