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Yo bakers, parchment paper or those new silicon mats?

kenny

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Do you use both?

If both, what do you feel each is best for?
If you now use only one for everything, which is it and why?

I'm running out of my parchment, and considering buying the mats, but wonder if they are a replacement for all applications.

Parchment paper is sent to the landfill after one use.
But good quality mats seem greener since they're reported to hold up to thousands of uses.
 
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Rfisher

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They don’t last forever- I think it’s worth it for you to try out, before all your parchment is used up.
I bought a couple various sizes of the Silpat brand years ago.
Knew it would probably alter baking times, didn’t expect totally different end result in cookies/macarons.
Gave up trying to adjust my tried and trues and went back to parchments.
I should try it for fish/meats/veggies - just haven’t.
 

marymm

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I own some silicon mats but have actually never tried them due to hearing about experiences like Rfisher's above ... I don't want (and can't afford) to waste ingredients nor my time spent baking only to end up with less-than-acceptable results.

I love using the parchment paper and find it extremely reliable.
 

stracci2000

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Parchment paper! Love it.
After the holidays, it usually gets reduced. Then I will buy several rolls, and they will last a long time.
 

mochiko42

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Having owned the Silpat silicone mats before, I would say stick to parchment paper. Silpat tends to attract grease and can be hard to clean. Also it can affect the results of your baked goods.

I originally switched to silicone mats due to environmental concerns but after moving to another country where recycling is more common, I can now recycle the used parchment paper with the compostable food waste collected by the municipal govt. :)

Here's a recent article comparing silicone versus parchment:
 
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kenny

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Parchment paper! Love it.
After the holidays, it usually gets reduced. Then I will buy several rolls, and they will last a long time.

Thanks for that.
Since I see them as a ugly manipulative money-grabs I don't celebrate any holidays.
That means no extra baking, and I have enough parchment to last a couple months. :dance:
 

Karl_K

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If you baking and like the bottom a bit crunchy but not to brown/burnt do not use the mats.
You will never be able to get it right and end up like a dog chasing its tail.
It will either be to mushy or burned.
 

kenny

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Thanks so much to everyone.

I'm gonna not get the mats and just stick with the parchment paper. :dance:
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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what is parchment paper ?
is it baking paper ?

what is a silicone baking sheet
my friend gave me this reusable black sheet thing that is oven and bbq safe but ive never used it

ive often woundered what those solicon cake moulds are like i see on Mastercheif ?
i have silicone pot mitts but they are not nearly as heat proff as good quilted ones
 

kenny

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Parchment paper is a heat-resistant silicon-covered paper.
You cut it to fit to your baking pan.
It provides a pretty good non-stick surface, transfers heat well, absorbs a bit of the fat in what you're baking, and dramatically reduces clean up of your baking pan.

A silicon baking sheet is a flexible pad, much thicker than parchment paper.
It also is very non-stick, but being so thick it doesn't transfer heat as well as P. paper, is non absorbent.
Apparently it affects baking results in ways that are either undesirable, or too much trouble to adjust to, maybe both.
Clearly I'm less informed than the other posters in this thread about the mats, but this is what I surmise.
 
Q

Queenie60

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Have had the mats for 5+++ years. They're good for baking cookies. However, I use parchment paper for baking cakes. I use both! Depends upon what I am making.
 

baby monster

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I use both and don't find any downsides to using the mats. My preference is to reuse instead of discard so mats get used most of the time. My silpat did get an oily, sort of"seasoned," feel after a while but it doesn't affect its performance.
 

lyra

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Prefer parchment for crispness, but also have silicone mats.
 

stracci2000

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Thanks for that.
Since I see them as a ugly manipulative money-grabs I don't celebrate any holidays.
That means no extra baking, and I have enough parchment to last a couple months. :dance:

I completely agree with you. I am non-religious as well.
But I still like to bake!
 

MamaBee

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Parchment paper! Food gets a nice brown on them...easy clean up... I started using parchment paper because I don’t like to put food directly on my aluminum sheets.
 

OdetteOdile

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I have both, but prefer the parchment paper simply because you do not have to wash it (I know that is lazy). I agree that grease sticks to them and can make it hard to clean them. I think perhaps parchment has gotten more affordable than it used to be when I first found out about it years ago. I like baking too =)2
 

dk168

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I bought a pack of 3 baking mats from Costco in Vancouver in late 2018 and they suited me well for making cheese scones, biscuits and other bite size baked savory items.

For cakes, I used preformed silicone coated parchment tin liners.

DK :))
 

telephone89

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I compost my parchment paper, so I don't feel *as* bad about it.

I used silpat for a while but found they were so difficult to clean. Something with cooked on grease/oil was really sticky and gross.
 

kenny

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I compost my parchment paper, so I don't feel *as* bad about it.

I used silpat for a while but found they were so difficult to clean. Something with cooked on grease/oil was really sticky and gross.

I thought we couldn't compost things with fat in it.
My parchment always absorbs some fat from whatever I'm cooking.
 

Arcadian

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I prefer parchment. I do more than single use. For instance, I have about 24 dozen cookies to make for the holidays. :shock: yeah. So I found that 2 pieces can go through the oven 5-6 times or thereabouts before it stops doing its job. Does depend on the cookie though! Anyway I do this and use less paper than I'd expect.

I use this brand https://www.amazon.com/CARE-Certified-Parchment-Baking-Paper/dp/B001T6JTMY which uses silicone anyway.

I tried silicone mats but they don't really work very well with the pans I use. I'll stick to parchment paper. At least I know what I'm getting myself into.
 

telephone89

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I thought we couldn't compost things with fat in it.
My parchment always absorbs some fat from whatever I'm cooking.

Oh there is definitely fat on it lol. The city specifically lists it as compostable, along with food bones/carcass, which obviously have fat on them as well.
eta - actually it also lists actual fat. So I'm guessing that's not an issue.

1573144507874.png
 

missy

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I prefer parchment. I do more than single use. For instance, I have about 24 dozen cookies to make for the holidays. :shock: yeah. So I found that 2 pieces can go through the oven 5-6 times or thereabouts before it stops doing its job. Does depend on the cookie though! Anyway I do this and use less paper than I'd expect.

I use this brand https://www.amazon.com/CARE-Certified-Parchment-Baking-Paper/dp/B001T6JTMY which uses silicone anyway.

I tried silicone mats but they don't really work very well with the pans I use. I'll stick to parchment paper. At least I know what I'm getting myself into.

Same here. I don't bake but my dh does and he only uses parchment paper. He is old school.
 

kenny

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Thanks Telephone.
Interesting list of things you can compost.

I don't compost, but do recycle and have a red worm bin (vermiculture) for vegetable scraps.
My city subsidizes the cost of the bins and gives free classes on them.

Kudos to you for composting. :clap:
Every little bit helps lower our footprint on earth.
 
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