Same here, but I use parchment paper instead. Instant clean up! (Just toss it in the compost bin.)
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Me too!
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So is silicone safe?
BPA isnât an issue I guess. But could something else be transferrred into your food?
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If you remove the silicone item directly from the stove at temperatures over 150 degrees and then put it on your face, it could hurt a lot. Like, really a lot. So mostly safe.
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Same here - parchment paper FTW.
However, I do like using a large silicone mat for working with highly buttery/eggy doughs that I wouldnât want to put on my wooden pastry board.
I have a free plastic âcutting boardâ (very thin and flexible) given as a product freebie advertising a soy sauce line which works almost as well, and itâs stiff enough to stand up in the dishwasher. Plus, did I mention it was free? 
But yeah, I can see a silicone mat being perfect for that useâŚas long as you donât know my friend! I swear, she would find a reason to use a sharp knife to cut through dough. Some people should not be allowed in a kitchen.
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I donât understand. Most things I bake are well under the temperature tolerance of silpats. You get pretty good Maillard reactions below 480F. I think the only thing I do over that temperature is pizza, and I have a stone for that anyway.
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So . . . I already wash my good knives and bamboo cutting boards in the sink, then dry them thoroughly before storing. No problem to add one more item. Thatâs how good cooks and chefs operate. You buy good stuff, and you take good care of it. âEnergy/time efficiencyâ isnât a consideration.
My mats spend their time sandwiched in between said cutting boards in a vertical rack. They may get droopy hanging there, but Iâve never had a problem with them not laying flat or holding their shape.
They tell you up front not to cut on the mats. I never consider the idea of âfriends in the kitchen killing my stuffâ when I purchase kitchen goods. Next time she ruins something in your kitchen, let her know sheâll be replacing the item. And you should possibly NOT be leaving baked goods on the mats anyway.
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One other comment. To store these, roll them up and put in a used paper towel cylinder
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He does! That and flat rocks. And he only cooks over fires started by lightning, or lava flows.
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Thank you for the Zagat non-rating; at least now I know Iâm not a good cook/chef. Iâd always wondered.
I didnât say I chose not to replace the Silpats because I was worried they would be ruined again, just that the fact they were ruined put me in the position of having to consider whether or not to shell out the money again, and for me they werenât worth the extra money and effort.
If someone helps me out by pulling something out of the oven for me, I say âthank youâ, not âyouâd better pay for thatâ. Guess I donât understand what a good friend is either, huh?
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Ha, just got some super sized ones⌠which are slightly too big for our commercial ovens. If anyone is in the Culver City CA area then you should check out Surfas, which is a bad-for-wallet but oh-god-I-need-that kind of place.
Iâm with you on that. Theyâre nice and all, but Iâve always got baking parchment in the house and itâs a bit more multi-purpose for me. I use public BBQs a fair bit and it makes brilliant BBQ liner.
+1.
Iâve broken plenty of my mates stuff over the years, as they have done to mine. I apologise and offer to replace, they refuse, we move on. Itâs not about the money or the stuff, itâs about making sure mutual respect is satisfied. Iâd hate to be that parsimonious that Iâd value a few dollars over a friendship.
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I never said you werenât a good cook. But like any other business or trade, you take care of your tools. Paint brushes, drills, chainsaws, baking mats; whatever you use. Keep them clean and in good repair. Donât depend on a dishwasher to do all the work.
As far as the friend, you said, "I have a friend who makes herself at home in my kitchen despite having no business being there . . . " That didnât sound like someone being helpful; it sounded like someone being intrusive and a bit reckless. My opinion was that if a friend damages something due to carelessness, they should be expected to pay for it. Not you. I do have good friends, and if they want to help in the kitchen they obey The Rules of The Kitchen. I would expect to do the same thing in someone elseâs home. If you ruined a piece of cooking gear at a friendâs house, wouldnât you volunteer to replace it?
PRE-CUT parchment paper has been a game-changer for me. Silicone is useful for sticky sugary baking, but for most baking and definitely for roasting, pre-cut parchment is so much easier. Last time I bought some, they were $20 for 100: 20 cents cheap! Silicone pads never clean up nicely-- always feel slimy and dirty.
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@frauenfelder
Hereâs a concept for a project for kids with the mat.
Use a gummy bear recipe (as I mentioned upstream)
Thatâs a good base recipe.
Then make multiple colors and use the sheet as a way to draw things (like the artistic pancake weâve seen here)âŚon the sheet with plastic squeeze bottles.
Make gummy flowers, gummy animals, gummy art.
You could also use fruit juiced based flavors instead of Drink mix or jelloâŚand add powdered Vitamin C for some sour.
And you should have citric acid on hand to make homemade AlkaseltzerâŚand for rinsing sprouts to keep mold from forming. I use that as a final dusting to adjust the sour to taste.
Cookâs Illustrated tested these things. They noted that all of them eventually acquire burned on food that then flavors whatever else you cook, the painted border eventually flakes off, if you ever develop a crack you have to throw them away due to the fiberglass matrix inside, and decided that they are all unacceptable. They recommended just using parchment paper. Since a half sheet pan of parchment costs about a dime, you can by an awful lot of parchment for the cost of these mats. I must say, having lived with a pair of these, I agree. Mine look like dalmatians from all the burned on shit.
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Do not, under any circumstances, inject it under the skin.
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Christopherâs Kimballâs Vermont notes, FTW. Itâs like a written, more crotchety, more eastern :Lake Woebegone
