Getting your favorite cookie recipe just right so it doesn't stick to the baking sheet has always been a problem, not to mention baking anything with cheese and hoping that it doesn't burn and stick. In the last twenty years, silicone has been used more and more to make quality bake ware, and now with a Silpat silicone baking liner, you can bake worry (and stick) free.
Instructions
1. Buy the right size and model. There are a number of silicone bake sheets on the market right now. Silpat happens to be the most well-known and reliable. Before you buy a silicone baking liner, make sure you read the packaging. Always buy a silicone liner that has a warranty. These sheets can be expensive, and if they are made well, they should last for decades. If there is no warranty, you may be dealing with an off brand and a shoddy product. Also, don't go for the smaller size, just because it's cheaper. The bigger the Silpat, the more uses it will have. If you get it home and find that it is too large for any of the cookie sheets you have, you can always trim it.
2. Clean your Silpat before use. Because of the nature and texture of silicone, it must always be cleaned and rinsed before every use, even if you cleaned it after it's last use. These silicone mats collect dust and impurities from the air and cling onto them, so give it a thorough cleaning every time with warm water and a mild soap. Pat dry with a clean dish towel, and you are ready to use your Silpat.
3. Make no stick cheese crisps on your Silpat. One great example of the magic of the no-stick abilities of silicone is its reaction to melted cheese. Ordinarily, heating cheese straight onto a baking sheet would leave a burnt mess. With a silicone baking liner, this won't happen. Toss a tablespoon of all-purpose flour with a cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Line a cookie sheet with your Silpat, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the Silpat with small 2-inch mounds of the cheese mixture. Make three rows of four or five, however many will fit. Put the cookie sheet in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the cheese is melted and brown. Once out, wait till they cool. You can shape them while they are still warm into mini-bowls, or let them cool completely and serve as chips. Either way, they should slide effortlessly off of the Silpat and leave absolutely no mess at all.
4. Bake low fat cookies on your Silpat. Baking low fat is a challenge, because the cookie sheet you bake on must be greased with a fat in order to ensure that the cookies don't stick. With a silicone baking liner, that isn't an issue. Make your favorite low-fat or fat-free cookie recipe and instead of greasing the cookie sheet, put the cookies on a Silpat-lined cookie sheet.
Tags: cookie sheet, your Silpat, baking liner, silicone baking, silicone baking liner
