Non-Stick Baking Controversy: Parchment Paper and Silicone Baking Mats
Whether you’re baking cookies, roasting vegetables, or making the sweetest of candies, the sticky skillet is something you should avoid. Both silicone baking mats and parchment paper can be used to cover the pans, give them a non-stick surface and shorten cleaning time, but which one is best to keep in the kitchen?
Competition
Silicone rugs and parchment paper basically do the same thing, but they have a lot of differences. Not only are they made from different base materials, but they also vary in cost, reusability and cleanability.
Silicone baking mats
Silicone baking mats are flexible reusable food grade silicone and fiberglass mats. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit your many casseroles and cost around $ 20-30.
Parchment
Parchment paper is a cellulose-based paper that has an ultra-thin silicone coating that makes it non-stick. It is relatively cheap and sells in packs of sheets or rolls for about $ 5.
Silicone mats are a little more non-stick, but won’t make your food crispy
Nothing but nothing sticks to these guys, and they are the ones I turn to when I make super-delicate cookies or really gummy candy. I made lollipops, pralines and tulles out of them, and there were never any unpleasant situations that got in the way of my style. They’re initially more expensive than parchment, but they can be washed, which means you can use them over and over again, baking and baking until your hungry heart is satisfied. They are also a great surface for kneading sticky dough and will grip without slipping off to countertops or marble slabs.
However, they do not provide a good browning surface, so if you want to make biscuits with a crispy browned bottom, parchment is the better choice. Also, if you have many different types of pans that you want to use mats in, you will need many different mats in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
I also find them a little tricky to get really clean. Although food pieces don’t stick to them, they always remain a little greasy, even after repeated washing, and tend to collect small hairs and dust particles that can float around. You should also lay them on a flat surface or hang them to dry, which doesn’t really matter, but takes up a certain amount of space.
Parchment paper is comfortable and customizable, but a little more wasteful
Besides providing a non-stick, disposable surface for food preparation, parchment paper has many other uses . Not only can you cut it to the size of any pan, but you can also fold it into neat little bags to make your meal en papillote (French for “on parchment”). You can also use it to line cupcake tins, make makeshift pastry bags, and roll them into cones for easier funnels. Papers are also more absorbent than silicone mats and are better for crispiness with biscuits or fatty cheese chips.
However, this creates a certain amount of waste as you just throw away each sheet when you’re done with it. It also makes cleaning easier as there is nothing to wash, but it is slightly less green than reusable rugs.
Verdict: Parchment paper is generally more useful
No kitchen should be without parchment paper, and if you’ve filled your kitchen with just one of these, you should get just that. You can not only cut it into any pan, but you can use it in many ways, besides creating a non-stick surface and making the crunchiest cookies.
However, if you are making a ton of gummy candy or super delicate cookies, it is worth having at least one silicone baking mat as they truly are the non-stick champions. It’s also the greenest of the two and can be helpful if you’re trying to cut down on kitchen waste. However, I can imagine my life (and kitchen) without a silicone baking mat, which cannot be said for parchment paper.