Rather than use disposable parchment paper (often coated with chemicals) or wasteful aluminium foil, invest in a silicone baking mat. Silicone is made partly with fossil fuels (along with sand) but lasts for years, is food-safe and can be recycled at end of use (rather than being binned to break down into microplastics). Silicone is also very tough, so ideal for baking or freezing.
Wafe silicone baking mats are sold as a kit of 2 large and 1 small mats, and you also receive a silicone band for easy storage and a silicone mini-oven glove. Great also to use as a non-slip surface for preparing food, the mats are heat-resistant to 260°C. Avoid contact with flames, heating elements and sharp objects – use with wooden utensils.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many human foods are unsafe around animal friends).
Embedded with fibreglass fabric, these thick silicone cooking mats are extra sturdy. They can endure a wide range of temperatures and provide consistent heat distribution for even baking. Colour-coded to prevent cross contamination, use them for baking savoury goods, vegetables or cakes. After use, just rinse in warm soapy water or put in the dishwasher.
This reusable silicone baking mat is also good, sold alongside reusable silicone cupcake cases.
a pair of silicone mini oven mitts
This pair of silicone oven mitts are in a handy mini size. As an alternative to large clumsy fabric oven mitts that often don’t stop burns and go all yukky as they are difficult to clean. Silicone does use fossil fuels (with sand) but it’s food-safe, lasts years, easy to recycle and doesn’t break down into millions of microplastics. Still care when removing items from the oven.
A one-time purchase, these oven mitts are made from durable food-grade FDA-approved silicone, to make handling hot plates, trays and dishes a breeze. No more spoiling oven gloves with spills and burns. These non-slip mitts are heat-resistant up to 230 degrees and are super easy to clean. Just rinse them under the tap or pop them in the dishwasher. Features handy loops for hanging.
