Silicone Baking Mats FTW!

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?

Lemon pepper chicken (Oh, for the love of chicken! Part I)

I often avoid using things such as oil and butter when I cook. The good thing about chicken is that a lot of its natural oils come out when you start cooking it – especially when you’re cooking chicken thighs or wings.

I’ve been cooking chicken a lot lately. I find that it’s really hard to mess up chicken dishes even when you put in very little effort.

I was feeling lazy one evening and created this easy recipe below.

–

Lemon pepper chicken

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• a bit of parsley (optional)

Instructions:

1. Debone the chicken drumsticks and cut the chicken into strips.
2. Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme and basil for about 30 minutes.
3. On medium to medium-high heat, grill the chicken with lemon juice in a skillet for about 10 to 12 minutes. Keep stirring the chicken so it doesn’t burn.
4. (Optional) Garnish with a bit of parsley.

I tried this recipe with chicken wings and it was really good too.

TIP: If you plan on using the oilier parts of chicken, such as thighs or wings, I highly recommend using a deep skillet so that you won’t get a lot of oil splattered on you.

And that’s all. 🙂