Silicone Baking Mats FTW!

2014/07/26 by T 2 Comments

I bought my first silicone baking mat a while ago, and I LOVE IT!

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to “invest” in one, but now I have no regrets whatsoever. (As a matter of fact, I’ve purchased a second one since then.) Thus far, I’ve only tried baking french macarons with my fancy-dancy silicone baking mat. I find that the mat really evens out the distribution of the heat in the oven such that each macaron turns out consistently, and you don’t get the lopsided macarons that sometimes occurs when you use parchment paper. However, I do find that I need to leave the macarons in the oven for a few minutes longer, which isn’t a big problem as long as they come out looking perfect. So, here’s my breakdown of the pros and cons of baking with a silicone baking mat:

Pros

• Even distribution of heat which allows for consistency.
• They’re reusable, which means they’re eco-friendly.

Cons

• The baking mats can be quite pricey depending on where you buy them from. I recommend checking on eBay – some silicone baking mats that I’ve seen on eBay even have circular imprints on them so you know how much batter to pipe.
• You need to leave your baking in the oven for a few minutes longer, but that’s really not a huge setback.

Have you tried using a silicone baking mat? What did you think of it?