Silicone, is it safe in the kitchen?
You have heard me say many times to watch out for what a product does to you, NOT what the product does FOR you.. many companies sales pitch speak to you about what their product will do for you. They tell you how their product will make your life easier but sometimes this comes with a health risk. So I always ask myself, do I buy this product for what it does to make life easier and at what cost to my health and are there any other healthier alternatives?
So silicone. I recently found silicone bakeware. I love my muffin cups and loaf pans because I don’t have to worry about the baked goods sticking so I don’t have to use spry or oil before to line the cups. With silicone, everything just pops right out.
Since I always ask that question of what a product does to me, I decided to do research on silicone to bake with. There isn’t a lot of research on silicone being beneficial or harmful. The FDA has weighed in on silicone for baking and all silicone bake ware must pass the FDA standards when used for food.
Silicone is a polymer made up of silicon. Silicon is actually an element with an atomic number of 14. Silicon is the 8th most common element in our universe (by mass) and second most common besides oxygen. More than 90% of the earths crust contains silicate minerals. Silicone comes from this and is chemically inert.
Silicone bakeware is also good in heat. I can almost take out my silicone from the oven with my fingers. I have to pull the pans out to the edge with my fingers and then a slip a cookie sheet below it to pull it out of the oven as silicone is floppy and I don’t want my muffins bouncing all over my kitchen floor. It is also very easy to clean actually needing just a rinse with water in many instances. One of my measures to clean food is how easy the plate or bake ware cleans up after the food is on it.
I wouldn’t recommend using any kind of utensil to take out food from silicone as it can pierce it. Silicone is flexible and therefore can be easily cut by mistake. On a good note, it won’t break when it hits the floor or in the dishwasher.
I also have a silicone drying mat near my sink and use it to take out hot items from the oven or stove top. Silicone won’t burn and is a great hot pot holder!
So, if you are looking for new bake ware, why not try silicone and see what you think? It is a better alternative than aluminum.