There are only a few baking enthusiasts who haven’t heard about silicone mats. As you are reading this post, you must be really fascinated by this incredible baking equipment. Although some of you seem to be a little skeptical about the material & thereby asking the question “is silicone mat heat resistant?”.
Popularly known as Silpats, silicone mats were invented for the incredible purpose of promoting recycling zero-waste baking. Almost all types of baking require the usage of baking liners, and most of them are actually intended for single use only.
But with a Silpat, we can finally calm down our inner dilly dally of spending so much on one time use baking liners. If you’re yet to know about this recyclable baking liner, read on—
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What Is A Silicone Mat?
Silicone mat is the quintessential baking equipment that people use as an alternative to baking papers. It became an instant success due to its recyclable property. Baking liners such as parchment papers aren’t that expensive. But using a silicone mat can even cut the cost of that.
The silicone mat was first invented in 1965 and the company named it Silpat, making it their company name as well. Initially, this idea came out from the head of a professional French baker who wanted to bake better baguettes at a cheaper price & with a lot less effort. After he gave it a try, the result was mind blowing.
The name of this French baker was Monsieur Guy Demarle. He kind of started a revolution in the baking industry after achieving overnight success with his better version of Baguettes. He named his invention Silpat and that’s when the story of this incredible baking liner began.
Silicone baking mat or Silpat is a nonstick baking liner that was made with Silicone. You can also call it a “Baking mat” because it looks and feels like mats.
Whenever you’re baking some macarons or even some cookies, you won’t need to grease your baking pans at all. Rather its better heat conductance helps to get a dramatically excellent result in baking items.
Is Silicone Mat Heat Resistant?
Speaking of heat conduction, some people were a bit skeptical about its heat tolerance. Some people believed it would be injurious to health. Because baking is all about piping hot ovens and silicone is so unlikely to manage that kind of temperature.
It’s been a very long time since the Silpat was invented. After that, it went through several upgrades but the question still stayed relevant as before.
Being concerned about their health, many people are still confused if the silicone baking mat can tolerate as much heat as the highest baking temperature.
Well, the truth is, a silicone mat can tolerate up to 480F heat. And some of them can go up to even 500F. Even broiling temperature stays between 450 to 480F. So you can say a silicone mat is indeed heat resistant.
Silicone baking mats are also famous for their heat conductance. It is a better heat conductor than even a parchment paper. So your food will need less cooking time.
What Are The Uses Of A Silicone Mat?
Silicone baking mats have the same use as a parchment paper. We can use this mat for baking cookies or any pastry. Although you can’t use this for baking any batter like food. For example, baking cakes on a silicone mat is pretty impossible.
Although, you can use silicone molds for baking cakes, which doesn’t need any baking liner. That means you won’t have to grease or even use parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking.
One of the best parts of using a silicone mat is, you won’t have to use excess oil on your food. So your end product will end up being less greasy and delicious. Also, it’s easy to clean too.
Are Silicone Baking Mats Safe?
One of the biggest concerns about silicone baking mats is whether they are safe or not. Many people think that using silicone mat is extremely dangerous. Hence they recommend not to use it.
But the truth is silicone baking mats are totally safe for any type of baking. Silicone doesn’t melt even on the highest temperature settings. Plus it doesn’t add any toxic element to the food.
Wrapping It Up
If you want an easy baking alternative to the parchment paper, Silicone mat will be the one for you. This will make your baking easier and help you to be a better baker.
We hope you got your answer of “Is silicone mats heat resistant”. So don’t look down upon this excellent baking equipment and begin using it. Happy baking!
