Have you ever gotten stuck in a Pinterest black hole, just checking out colorful bakeware by baker bloggers? We have and we catch ourselves doing this pretty often. These colorful bakewares are often made of silicone material.
We’ve wanted to get our hands on these but we must ask, “Is silicone bakeware really good for baking?” Let’s see if this is worth the investment.
Silicone bakeware is the newest addition to the bakeware community. For many decades, bakeware has relied on aluminum, clay, iron, and stainless steel material to create beautiful baking results. All of these materials have withstood the test of time.
In the last 20 years, silicone materials have slowly made their way up the culinary ladder for pretty awesome materials. The most notable utensil that made silicone break the market was the silicone spatula.
When silicone spatulas were introduced, the rubbery ones almost didn’t make it. Rubber spatulas usually melt at a certain point and you’ll end up trimming it with scissors until you don’t have any rub left to scrape food off a bowl.
Silicone bakeware does not melt up to a certain heat, which you really won’t need for baking.
This kind of bakeware has broken the baking market and it’s being used for the most intricate desserts like panna cotta domes, crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, and even cheesecakes.
All of the desserts mentioned have always had their own type of traditional bakeware so do we keep the traditional or toss it out for the new?
Although very popular, not everyone agrees with the results that silicone bakeware gives. A lot of bakers still prefer classic and traditional materials because they’re not able to get their desired results from using silicone.
People are definitely divided when it comes to silicone. However, silicone bakeware, whether you like it or not, is here to stay for the long run.
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Is silicone bakeware safer than normal bakewares?
Not all silicone bakeware is made equal. There are more reputable brands than others and these are the ones we consider to be very safe. The best and safest brands are FDA-approved and use food-grade silicone.
They’re safe in the sense that they don’t melt. They’re strong enough to withstand the heat no more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Silicone bakeware isn’t magic. It heats up and it’s not advisable to touch them with your bare hands fresh from the oven. However, silicone bakeware does cool down faster than its more traditional counterparts like aluminum and stainless steel.
How to use silicone bakewares
Silicone bakewares are cute and very easy to use. If you’re into TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, all of these baker bloggers have their own set of candy-colored silicone bakeware and utensils.
You’ll see pink muffin pans, rainbow-colored measuring spoons and cups, baby blue loaf pans, and purple spatulas all over these social media channels. They look so aesthetically pleasing to the eye that you will just want to decorate your entire kitchen with them.
Silicone bakeware, however cute and easy to use, needs support. Silicone is flimsy and soft. They bend and twist easily meaning they’ll need a harder support like a baking sheet or food pan to transport to the oven and in general, keep it safe while baking to avoid spillage.
Most of the time, most especially if you get a trusty brand of silicone bakeware, you need not grease the pans and it’s easy to pop out the baked products from the pans. It’s the easiest thing you can possibly do.
How do I clean them properly?
Cleaning silicone bakeware is very simple.
First of all, when cooking, it’s very important to clean your equipment thoroughly and correctly. Now all pieces of equipment require soap and water. Some need to be seasoned rather than washed.
In the case of silicone bakeware, you can easily clean it using the dishwasher or by hand with soap and warm water.
You must use a light and smooth sponge rather than one with a rough surface because it might scratch the material. Do not use any scissors or sharp objects near the pans and mats because they might destroy them.
Where should I store my silicone bakeware?
Silicone wear is very easy to keep because you can stack them up well and they’re quite bendy. It’s very easy to store them.
If you have flat silicon mats, you can roll them up and secure them with bands that you can buy online. However, if you don’t want to spend, you can use an empty paper towel tube and slide the silicone mat in. It’s free and quite clever.
If you have bigger pans such as muffin pans, loaf pans, bundt cake pans, you can just stack them up together and store.
