Silicone Baking Mats vrs. Parchment

I've used parchment to make cookies on but haven't used it at my own house, the only thing I disliked about it was it was Costco's and didn't fit on the cookie sheet well because it was too big.

I have silicone mats from Costco, they're not as great as I thought they'd be though they have good reviews. They're stained (don't make butternut squash on them as it stains!) and look gross even though I clean them every time, and putting herbs and spices on food ends up sticking to the mat and you have to scrub the heck out of them. Cooking stuff with something like balsamic vinegar usually spills onto the cookie sheet anyhow so you end up scrubbing it. For things like making tostadas it's great but I'm usually making veggies, chicken, or fish. If it's meat I don't even bother but use foil instead of the mats, I don't want to spend forever getting fat off them.

I prefer parchment paper. I have found the generic brands lay on the pans nicer and are a bit cheaper. Of course the trick of crumpling the paper works for laying flat on the pans for any parchment paper that won’t lay flat. I can’t think of anything I’ve ever baked above 400 degrees and used parchment for so I haven’t had any experience with the paper burning. I’m a big fan of less things to wash and parchment makes clean up a breeze. It’s great for making fish packets for baking, nothing sticks. Love parchment.

Parchment for me. I gave my silpats away to someone who uses them.

Parchment paper is nice because you can cut it to fit the pan or container you are using. It is disposable and easy to use. The Silicone mats are especially good if you are baking something using a cookie sheet. Most of the mats fit just right. Yes, you do not need to use butter or oil. I use parchment paper or a silicon mat depending on what I am making.

If anyone else is trying to reduce consumption of single use plastics in the kitchen I came across the following products. I originally bought my silicon baking mats with the idea of reducing waste but was disappointed by heat conduction because they are thicker than silicon lined paper.

I bought the large, standup and sandwich bag size of this product as an alternative to ziplock bags whidh I wash and re-use for as long as I can. For sous vide I mostly use the trianglar stand up bag and large bag but occasionally use the small sandwich bag for a couple of steaks or chicken breasts. If I had to do it again I would just buy to the two larger models.
https://www.stasherbag.com/

I ordered a couple of these as a replacement for cling film or saran wrap. They haven't arrived yet so I can't attest to how well they work.
https://thefoodguard.com/

At risk of hijacking this thread would be curious about other products that reduce single use plastics in the kitchen.

Actually a girlfriend brought me a gift of very fine silicoon mesh that works better than those silicon baking mats. It is foldable, but prone to get tears. Very thin and performs more like silicon lined paper in terms of heat conduction. She bought it at a dime store.

I bought a huge roll of unwaxed butcher paper years ago. I cooked on it, like parchment. It was fantastic for so many things! I kept it in the kitchen, but I also used it to alter patterns when I made our clothes. The kids colored on it. I used it as a drop cloth when I painted. Etc. it was worth way more than I paid for it.

Silicone mats are great for baking cookies! I must confess, I haven't used them for making any 'real' food, but they are a game changer when it comes to baking.

I especially swear by silicone cupcake cases. Cupcakes, crustless quiches, poached eggs - they're very versatile.

I have been using parchment paper and "baking foil" (one side foil, the other parchment), but lately, as I have been in limited-resupply situation in cv19 lockdown, I have elevated awareness of the consumables issue around disposable products, along with the associated issues of recycling/reuse/resources and have been considering silicone mats. Interesting discussions above, thanks.

Baked on parchment last night. A treat for the family, scones. For 15 minutes baking time, used a couple square feet of parchment. Seems to be a waste. I've been told in the past, no matter the appearance, it isn't prudent to re-use parchment. Fire hazard. I accepted this assertion, never confirmed it; in preparing this post, I just did a quick search and see that under right conditions, it can be re-used.

Late to the party - but I like both for different reasons. Something really messy, smelly (lookin at you, fish), or prone to stain/burn in the oven goes on parchment. everything else goes on silpat. The mats do stain a little over time, similar to a pot or pan, but they do a great job, get cleaned and dried, and go back in their drawer, so I don't really care what they look like I do reuse the heck out of my parchment paper unless it has had fish on it (we don't eat other meats, but same rule). Once you've baked your goodies and taken them off the parchment, just wipe it off, fold, and stick in the freezer for next use. I usually have two 'stashes' in the freezer - one for savory items and one for sweet. Also, Reynolds makes a great compostable parchment paper that does a great job. The only other compostable paper we've tried was 'if you care' brand and unfortunately, it didn't really work as parchment paper. lol