The Top 3 Reasons I love my Silpat

In this post I’m going to tell you the top 3 reasons I love my Silpat non-stick baking liner! I’m in love with my Silpat and I don’t care who knows it! 🙂

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Have you heard of the Silpat? I realized I’ve never shared here on my blog all the reasons I love my Silpat and other Bon Cook products, which is just silly, because I use it on a daily basis and so many of my recipes on this blog depend on a great foundation to turn out like the photos I present. 

Some of you may be familiar with the Silpat, you may own one and use it, you may have seen it on Food Network or you may have no idea what it is at all. 

I’m going to assume the latter and tell you all about why I love my Silpat and think that every kitchen in the world needs a few in their cooking arsenal. Let’s start with a few commonly asked questions. 

What is a Silpat?

The Silpat is a non-stick baking liner. Basically a mat that you place on your cookie sheet that creates a non-stick surface for everything you place in the oven on said cookie sheet. 

It replaces parchment paper and because of its non-stick properties you never need to spray it with cooking spray or butter it.  It is totally nonstick, and requires no grease, no oil, and no spray.  Because nothing sticks to it!

You will get the best results using a Silpat when it is paired with a perforated baking sheet.  The perforated baking sheet creates even airflow from the top and bottom and the results are even better than if you just place a Silpat on a cookie sheet. 

What is a Silpat made of?

The main thing you need to know is that it is NOT plastic. of any kind. The Demarle Silpat® is made of an amazing marriage of silicone and woven glass, which not only capitalizes on the nonstick characteristics of silicone, but also the heat conductivity of glass.

We all know glass is the perfect heat conductor- think about all those pyrex dishes you and your grandmother have been using for decades, when put together with food grade silicone you get the non-stick quality plus perfect baking conditions.

The result is literally perfectly baked food every time (as long you don’t forget to set the timer)! If you want even more of an in depth science lesson on silicone keep reading, if not skip to the next point. 😉  

What is Silicone? 

A synthetic polymer made from silica and other ingredients.  What is Silica?  Common sand made up of silicon – the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Silicon is not found in its elemental form, but occurs mainly as oxides and silicates, like sand. Silicones are made by creating a “backbone” of silicon and oxygen molecules. Then various other synthetic molecules are added branching off of the main silicon-oxygen line to create hundreds of different silicones that range from liquids to flexible solids.  

• Silicone is chemically inert and stable
• Not reactant with or leach into food nor outgas vapors.
• Nontoxic to aquatic or solid organisms
• Not a hazardous waste.
• Not biodegradable, but is recyclable

Between the contents of silicone and that of glass, the basic ingredient of a Silpat® is common sand! 

The Silpat is Certified!  Being certified means that the Silpat is 100% safe for consumer’s health. Silpat® has successfully met the most demanding quality standards/certifications of:  The Pubic Health and Safety Company,
The Food and Drug Administration and Kosher-Pareve certified for pre-baking, baking, and freezing.

What to cook with a Silpat?

Anything and everything you do on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet you should be doing on a Silpat with a perforated baking sheet under it. Here’s a quick list of things that I bake using my Silpat:

• Bake cookies like my favorite: Peanut Butter Cookies, Frosted Sour Cream Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Roasted vegetables
• Pizza! Get the free ebook with all my favorite pizza recipes
• Candied Nuts
• Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
• Candied Pecan Granola
• heat up tater tots, fish sticks and pizza rolls (can you tell I have children?)
• Bake biscuits and scones
• Make nachos and endless other things.

Uses outside of the oven:

• No mess caramel corn or my favorite White Chocolate Puff Corn Crack
• Placing chocolate covered strawberries or other candies on to cool and harden (the strawberries peel right off, ahhhhmazing!)          
• Candy melt creations like these Zombie Oreos
• Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers
• Fruit Pebble Treats
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Straws

Top 3 Reasons I LOVE my Silpat!

Incase you are not fully convinced yet, here are some more amazing reasons I love the Silpat.

1. Saves money.  Can I ask you a question? What do your cookie sheets look like? Have you ever roasted vegetables on them without aluminum foil? or burned something on them? If so I’m guessing they have some black spots that won’t clean or maybe they are like my old ones and totally disgusting.  Using a Silpat not only saves money because you don’t have to replace your cookie sheets, like ever, but it also replaces parchment paper and aluminum foil.   
2. Better cooking results. When the Silpat is placed on a perforated baking sheet you literally get the most evenly cooked cookies with light brown bottoms that there ever was. Even airflow and the combination of woven glass and food grade silicone create perfect results every time. There is a reason you see so many food bloggers and professionals using a Silpat, perfect results every time!   
3. Clean up is EASY. No more scrubbing. repeat it with me, NO MORE SCRUBBING, or soaking or worrying about cooking something that will stick to your pan.  Your roasted vegetables slide right off and all thats left is some olive oil or salt and all you have to do wash it off with a little soap and water and the dishes are done. Seriously, it’s life changing. 

Another tip: You can also use the Silpat as a “lid” for baking casseroles and such, just lay it over the top of your baking mold or dish and you don’t have to “cover with aluminum foil” any longer!  

Where do I get a Silpat?

Click HERE to purchase a half-sheet Silpat *Remember the Silpat has to have a base, it is a flexible baking liner and cannot be put in the oven without a base.

If you want to buy one to place on an existing metal cookie sheet that you already own make sure you measure to make sure it will fit!

If you purchase a Silpat let me know your thoughts and if you love it as much as I do!