Silicone: It's Not Just for Implants Anymore

Over the past few years you may have seen colorful, silicone pans, muffins cups, and cookie sheet liners popping up in the cooking departments of your favorite stores.

There are some definite benefits to these items:

• They are very, very good for the environment. The baking cups, for example, are used rather than the paper liners that we grew up with. The paper liners are made from trees, and the paper is taken through a chemical bleaching process. If you prefer your muffins chemical free, and you enjoy trees, then the silicone liners just make good sense.
• Silicone can withstand up to 500F in the oven.

• It is long lasting
• It cleans easily
• It does not rust, or wear through
• It is nonstick
• It does not harbor harmful bacteria
• It is reasonably priced.
• Since it does not conduct heat, baked goods don't burn easily, and taking a pan out of the oven does not come with the risk of blisters

• Since it is flexible items are easily removed from the pans.

While there are a lot of real benefits there are some times when you don't want to use silicone:

• Items don't get a crispy crust when baked in silicone
• Heavy cake batters. like pound cakes, can change the shape of the pan and create an oddly shaped cake.
• Lack of rigidity can cause safety issues when pulling them out of the oven.

However, with a little common sense the silicone is by far the best product for bakers to come on the market in a very long time.

Silicone is chemically inert. This means that there are no toxic ingredients that can be out gassed, or leached from the substance. Silicone, itself, is not toxic to aquatic plants or animals. It does not have a negative effect on soil organisms. Silicone is not considered hazardous waste, and although it is not biodegradable, it can be recycled.

Silicone would seem to be as safe, or safer than any other material used in food preparation, and easier on the environment than some of them.

My own use of the silicone kitchenware has been growing over the past couple of years. I love the muffin liners, which are about ten dollars (American) for twelve. The cups have, thus far, lasted two years. They get almost daily use because we are a large family and I make muffins several times a week. I have not noticed any difference in the texture, or quality of the silicone, and plan to continue to use them for a long time. The muffins slip right out of the muffin cups, the cups are easily washed and left to dry for the next time.

I also use the cookie sheet liners. I like them better than parchment because of the bleaching and paper-making processes involved in the manufacture of parchment. Again, the silicone is a fantastic boon to the environmentally friendly baker!

I will say that I dislike the silicone oven mitts and hot pads because they are more rigid than I like and make it hard to get things from the oven safely and easily.

If you have never used the silicone pans and muffin cups try them. You may never go back to traditional materials in the kitchen.