Cleaning and drying a Silpat

[Lindacakes]

Must be the Brooklyn homie silpat method.

I do the same, but I start in the kitchen sink and soap it up (which is awkward), rinse it in the tub and hang it over the back of the kitchen chair to dry.

Then I roll it around the rolling pin which already has a stocking on it and a pastry cloth wrapped around it.

Because they are hard to clean, I would never use them for baking -- I use parchment -- but I do like it for some applications of dough preparation when I don't want to use the pastry cloth.

[Darienne]

I'll try my question here instead of starting a new topic.

What is the lifespan of the silpat? Cheaper one? More expensive one? Any difference?

I did some chicken strips on three of mine...one expensive, two cheaper...at 350 degrees Fahrenheit today and two of the silpats look sort of burntish. Dark marks which won't come off.

Just looking for some answers. Thanks.

[KarenDW]

you all can have a laugh at my expense... really

The first (and only) Silpat I purchased was too large for any of my pans at home. Of course, the only appropriate action was for me to "donate" said silpat to one of my community kitchens. Where we almost never use the thing, because parchment seems so much easier to clean up. Oh well.

But, when we do use the silpat, it goes through the sanitizer at work.

[weinoo]

I'll try my question here instead of starting a new topic.

What is the lifespan of the silpat? Cheaper one? More expensive one? Any difference?

I did some chicken strips on three of mine...one expensive, two cheaper...at 350 degrees Fahrenheit today and two of the silpats look sort of burntish. Dark marks which won't come off.

I'm pretty sure your silpat is still fine, albeit discolored a bit.

I sometimes use my silpat for baking focaccia, as I grew tired of dealing with bits of the focaccia sticking to the sheet pan. And I am baking that focaccia at anywhere from 450-500 F. Sure, it has discolored a little bit, but so have my baking sheets. Still works great though. I think the only thing that can really damage the silpat is cutting on it with a knife or bending it till it breaks.

[Darienne]

So now I have discolored silpats. They will be earmarked for potential discoloring processes.

The good news is that Canadian Tire (Canadian chain) had the red silpats for half price this weekend and I shall scarf some up on behalf of self and confectionery partner, Barbara.

New silpats will be for candy making only.

[Porthos]

My DW has offered in the past to buy silpats for me but I have declined. After reading this thread I will continue with my parchment paper. I'm way stuck on only having things in my kitchen that can go through the dishwasher.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Porthos (log)

[andiesenji]

I have been putting mine through the dishwasher for years. I "sandwich" them between two wire cake racks.

I have thee different "brands" and (except for one that was burned because someone who didn't know any better stuck a sheet pan with the thing in the barbecue) they have all survived okay - some have some discolorations. Mine each have a hole drilled in one corner and hang on a shower ring from a hook on the back of the pantry door. It's easy to pull the ring off the hook and carry all of them to the baking area.

[Darienne]

Mine each have a hole drilled in one corner and hang on a shower ring from a hook on the back of the pantry door. It's easy to pull the ring off the hook and carry all of them to the baking area.

Brilliant as usual!!! I am going to copy your idea. And buy some new ones tomorrow too.

[Dianabanana]

I "sandwich" them between two wire cake racks.

No, no, no, this is the brilliant part!

Imagine if Andiesenji used her powers for evil. *shudder*

[paulraphael]

The "don't cut a silpat" rule seems like corporate paranoya. My silpats are a full sheet pad cut in half. I've seen this approach in commercial kitchens too.

I'm surprised to hear about all the cleaning and discoloration problems. I wouldn't a silpat for anything besides tuiles, chocolate work, etc.. Mine rarely even see the oven. Parchment works so much better for baked goods (the silpat is too strong an insulator). For roasting ... why would you bother? It's a lot easier to clean a sheet pan than a greasy silpat.

[Darienne]

I'm surprised to hear about all the cleaning and discoloration problems. I wouldn't a silpat for anything besides tuiles, chocolate work, etc.. Mine rarely even see the oven. Parchment works so much better for baked goods (the silpat is too strong an insulator). For roasting ... why would you bother? It's a lot easier to clean a sheet pan than a greasy silpat.

My kopy-kat silpats are used mostly for chocolate and other 'not-hot' confections. And for baked dog cookies.

For cookies, I now have those strange 'double air bake' things which the former tenant in our Moab house left behind.

I used the silicone mats last week for the first time for meat strips. However, my cookie sheets are old and horrible and I don't feel happy putting anything directly on them.

Never thought of cutting the pads up. Might try it now that I have a new bunch.

Edited March 21, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Varmint]

I've had my Silpats for 15+ years. One is a full sheet pan size that I cut in half when I bought it, and the other is a half sheet size. I run them in the dishwasher, sort of snaking them around the tines of the dishwasher. I use them a lot, and so does the rest of my family. They've taken a LOT of abuse.

After 15 years, they're still like new. No stains, no loss of functionality. Frankly, they're pretty much indestructible.

[Susie Q]

I've stored mine two different ways. When I first got them I'd roll them up and stick them in a plastic bag and secure with a rubberband. Now I hang them to dry and and store them using a pant hanger with rubber padded grippers. I flip them to let each side dry.

[Dianabanana]

Okay, well, I tried putting mine through the dishwasher with the cooling rack method and I have to say that they were much, much greasier afterward than they are when I wash them by hand. I don't mind washing them; what I mind is the way they retain odors from savories. Now I'm thinking I'll just buy a second set of Silpats for sweets. I like them a lot better than parchment paper because I occasionally, and unpredictably, get a nasty batch of parchment paper that imparts a weird chemical taste to my food.