Warning: Don't buy those $40 silicone baking mats from the trendy brand

I spent $40 on a pair of those patterned silicone baking mats everyone talks about online. Used them maybe 10 times and now the edges are curling up and stuff slides off. My old $8 ones from the grocery store lasted 2 years without any issues. The fancy ones also left a weird film on my cookies that tasted kinda plasticky. Has anyone else had this problem with the higher end mats, or did I just get a bad batch?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas_wright417h ago

Read online it's because those fancy mats don't actually use high enough grade silicone. The cheaper ones just use a basic silicone that bonds fine, but the trendy brands try to add layers or patterns that separate over time. Heard from a baker friend who used to work in commercial kitchens, they said the only mats worth buying are the plain ones from restaurant supply stores that cost like $5. That plastic taste you got is probably the coating they put on top to make it look nice degrading.

rowangonzalez5m ago

What nobody's talking about is the fact that even the plain restaurant supply mats can pick up smells from your kitchen over time if you don't care for them right. I had one that started making baked goods taste vaguely like garlic because I stored it near the stove without realizing it. @thomas_wright41 you're totally right that the cheap plain ones are the best, but the key is to wash them with baking soda paste after every few uses to keep them neutral. The silicon material is porous on a microscopic level, so it absorbs odors way easier than people expect. That plastic taste could actually be old soap residue too if people are scrubbing way too hard and leaving behind chemicals.