Parchment paper Vs Silicone baking mat

In this blog, our goal is to highlight the environmental impact of these two baking essentials. 

If you have ever tried baking without lining or spraying the baking tray, you would know its a baking disaster. You worked hard preparing before-hand trying to impress someone special with your baking skills, you get excited as you pull it from the oven, but when you remove it from the tray/pan, it sticks and comes out in pieces. If you have been there, you would know it is very frustrating...LOL

After that hard lesson, the most essential preparation you can make when baking anything is to line the tray/pan with disposable single-use parchment paper or our reusable silicone baking mat.

Parchment Paper

Parchment paper is a single-use grease and moisture resistant paper treated specially for oven use. It is treated with a chemical agent which makes it non-stick and versatile, thus used to line baking trays/pan. This chemical agent used to improve its surface strength and water resistance also make is non-recyclable. 

Besides lining baking trays and pans, parchment paper is inexpensive which can also be used for a range of other tasks apart from baked goods, from roasting meats and vegetables to steaming fish.

As mentioned earlier, the major drawback, in our opinion is that it is disposable and cannot be recycled, causing more environmental pollution.

Silicone Baking Mat

Silicone baking mat is now becoming a must-have kitchen essential in most modern homes due to it being reusable and also as versatile as parchment paper. Silicone baking mat is made out of flexible, heat resistant silicone. Silicone in itself is made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and silicon, in which "silicon" comes from silica (derived from sand). As we know, sand is a readily available and abundant resource which makes silicone baking mat more environmentally friendly than parchment paper in addition to its reusability.

WAFE silicone baking mats are also reinforced with fibreglass to ensure you get that even temperature distribution during baking or cooking. In addition to its been more environmentally friendly than parchment paper, there is also a health benefit for using baking mat as less oil is required to line the baking sheet before baking, allowing you to achieve that elusive calorie target.

Our favourite part about using baking mat versus parchment paper is also the cost savings you can achieve, as they are also versatile and not just for baked goods, but also used for roasted meats, chips and vegetables. This allows a household to cut down in its use of kitchen foil.

So there you have it, the facts speak for itself. You can save money and bake conscience free using silicone baking mat rather than parchment paper. The choice is yours, choose wisely! Try WAFE Baking Mats