Thursday, February 25, 2010

SILPAT vs. Lightly Greased Cookie Sheet



Thanks to my Mother-in-Law, I'm now the proud owner of my first, but certainly not my last, SILPAT! I hadn't yet had the opportunity to use it until today. I wanted one so bad because they seem to be the new 'fad' in the kitchen! I wanted to see how I liked it compared to my normal baking method, a lightly-greased cookie sheet.
For those of you who are looking at me like "what the heck is a SILPAT?"-- Well, here ya go... It is a non-stick baking mat that is safe in temperatures ranging from -40 to 482 degrees. A very versatile little piece of heaven! :-) For more information, go here.

When a recipe calls to line the pan with parchment, this is the answer! And there's no waste of parchment! It's a win-win situation! :-)


So, I started by whipping up a batch of these Chocolate Chip Cookies, preheated the oven, and got out two cookie sheets. I placed my SILPAT on the one and I lightly greased the other one with PAM. I used my large cookie scoop and placed a dozen cookies on each cookie sheet.

I baked them for precisely 12 minutes.
These are my findings:
*SILPAT*
~cookies baked up light and fluffy and were a perfect golden brown on the bottom...
~the outside of the cookie stayed slightly crispy while the inside was so chewy and cooked all the way through.
~I also found that the SILPAT cools quicker, making it nicer to put another batch of cookies on the pan to go in the oven... because it was cooler, they did not begin to "melt" before they were going back in the oven.
~Easy Clean-up!!! (Love this one!)





*LIGHTLY-GREASED COOKIE SHEET*
~cookies baked up light and fluffy, however not quite as fluffy as with the SILPAT.
~the outside of the cookies were darker than the ones baked on the SILPAT, but were cooked thoroughly and were still chewy inside.






All in all, I was extremely happy with my SILPAT! However, this will not stop me from using the traditional method of a LIGHTLY-GREASED COOKIE SHEET. I would like a SILPAT for every one of my cookie sheets, though this could get a little pricey :-). I can't wait use the SILPAT for candy-making and all the many other projects I see in the future!

So, now I'm wondering.....

What do you think? Have you used a SILPAT? Would you prefer it over the LIGHTLY-GREASED COOKIE SHEET? Please weigh in and let me know what you think!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

6 comments:

  1. I had never heard of a Silpat before your post. It sounds like something I would like to try! I never bought parchment paper simply because I didn't want to spend the money on it. These sound like they might be worth the investment.

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  2. thanks for this post. i've ben wondering about silpats lately and this answered a lot of questions!

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  3. I have 1 silpat - I love it for toffee making and other sticky candy things. I honestly don't use it for every day baking, mostly because I only have 1. But I agree if I could get like 5 more then I'd use it for pretty much everything, no fuss, no muss, no sticking :) Love that!

    Great blog, I found you on foodieblogroll :)

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  4. I was in the kitchen supplies store the other day and found a silicone baking pad made for kids... we're trying it next! My little girl is so excited to have her own "silpat"! It was cheaper too :-)

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  5. I need to let everyone know that no matter where you are, you can get a discount from "Luv to Cook @ Kitchen Kneads"... Here's How: If you live in the Logan, UT area, simply copy off this post and take it into Kitchen Kneads and show them this post when you purchase your SILPAT and they'll give you an instant 10% off!!If you are not in our area, go to www.luvtocook.com... mention my blog and this post and they will give you a coupon code for 10% off. Then order your SILPAT there! Thanks!!! And HAPPY COOKING!
    :-)Tea

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  6. I have been using my Silpat for the past 8 years now and can not live without. If you want even better results and keep your Silpat lasting longer, just use the perforated baking sheet that is made for it by the Siplat maker, Demarle at Home. I use it for everything, from roasted veggies - with no unnecessary fat - to grilled cheese. No need to turn them over, they brown evenly. And if you love it, add the Flexipan molds to your collection, they bake in oven, microwave and "freezer" :) You can keep them forever if you care for them, this is a great investment, cleans up in a breeze and do not take storage at all.

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