Choosing Between Parchment and Silicone
Parchment paper provides a superior, crisp texture for cookies and pastries while requiring zero cleanup, whereas silicone mats offer a non-slip, reusable surface that excels at stabilizing delicate tuiles or holding sticky sugar work in place.
Know your surface temperature limits.
Parchment is a consumable wood-pulp product with a silicone coating, while silicone mats are heat-resistant rubber, meaning they conduct heat quite differently.
- rimmed baking sheet
- parchment paper sheets
- silicone baking mat
Why bottoms brown differently
Parchment allows airflow and quick heat transfer to the base of your dough. Silicone mats act as an insulator, which keeps the bottoms of cakes and cookies paler.
The method.
Use parchment for high-heat browning.
When you want golden, crisp edges on cookies or puff pastry, use parchment. The thinner barrier allows the sheet pan's heat to reach the bottom of the dough faster.
Deploy silicone for sticky doughs.
If you are working with tuiles, lace cookies, or anything prone to running, the silicone mat provides a grip that keeps items from sliding across the pan.
Mind the maintenance.
Parchment goes straight into the compost bin, saving you wash time. Silicone mats must be scrubbed of grease, or they will eventually retain odors from previous bakes.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Never let parchment touch the oven heating elements, as it will ignite.
If your silicone mat feels greasy even after a wash, rub it with a lemon wedge or use a degreasing dish soap to restore the non-stick surface.
Silicone mats should not be used as a cutting board; serrated knives will score the surface and ruin its non-stick properties.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I reuse parchment paper?
If it isn't burnt or soaked in grease, you can reuse it for a second batch in the same session, but it will lose its structural integrity quickly.
Why did my cookies stick to the silicone?
Silicone mats lose their non-stick properties if they are not cleaned thoroughly. Any residual fat from a previous bake will caramelize and act like glue.
How real cooks make it.
No one’s shared their version yet. Be the first to put your kitchen on the map.
Cook this your way?
Share your version — your steps, your story. We’ll feature it right here.
Add your recipe