Is silicone bakeware a do or a don’t?

Last month in the forums, Cucinadinana posted this conundrum about the proliferation of silicone bakeware:

"I still have not invested in [silicone bakeware], because my brain will not accept that these are safe to use. I just envision the cupcakes that are baked in these to be absorbing all sorts of chemicals with exposure to heat. I do not feel as nervous using the pastry brush, because it stays at a moderate temperature during use, and has limited time in contact with food products. ...

"What makes me nervous is that we have all seen how different products/pharmaceuticals/etc. get approval, and then 10-20 years later, there are reports that say things like, there is now a direct correlation between such-and-such and [health problem].

"So, my question is, who here uses silicone bakeware, and are there any others that prefer to not use these products? Am I just being a nervous Nelly, clinging too tightly to 'tradition'?"

Well, Cucinadinana, you're definitely not alone. Count me among those who just can't seem to wrap their minds around rubber-like bakeware.

But before we condemn silicone bakeware, let's review a little about it. It's not a newfangled invention. The silicone used in bakeware (a type of inorganic elastomer, as opposed to the organic elastomer of, say, traditionally made rubber) has been around for a while, used in industrial and research applications before someone thought to use it in cooking. According to Dow Corning, the world's lead supplier of silicone, it's perfectly safe for household cooking use, doesn't give off fumes when you heat it, and won't leach chemicals as you bake.

And its benefits have been touted endlessly:

  • It's non-stick.

  • It has low heat conductivity.

  • It has low chemical reactivity.

  • It has low toxicity.

  • It does not support microbiological growth.

  • It's light, flexible and takes up less space.

  • It's easy to pop baked goods out, and they don't come out malformed.

  • Silicone can withstand temperatures from -148 F up to 675 F, and melts around 930 F.

  • (Organic elastomers, on the other hand, become brittle at -13 F, and begin to deform at 212 F.)

Reviewers have found myriad other bonuses, as well, like its adaptability (you could use silicone to make ice cubes as well as muffins), or the fact that it bakes much more evenly than metal or glass (as a nearly non-conductive material, a silicone bake sheet won't cook the bottoms like a metal tray would, for example).

And there are plenty of people who have addressed the safety concerns, as well. Most point out that the food-grade silicone used in bakeware is approved by the FDA, and at least one cites an Environmental Working Group toxicologist as saying that there's no reason to believe there's a risk.

But despite all that, silicone bakeware just doesn't seem ... solid enough. And we all remember the fumes from heated Teflon, right? Especially how they could kill birds?


What do you say: silicone or silican't?


Photograph from Dow Corning Web site.

By Michael Y. Park

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