If you like to cook, you’ll know all about needing and desiring good quality cookware that make the task easier for you, and helps you to produce brilliant, consistent results. A new type of cookware that is rapidly becoming incredibly popular is silicone cookware.  Here we outline everything that you need to know.

About Silicone Cookware

Silicone cookware can be defined as any type of cookware that is made from silicone, a special polymerised material that is completely manmade.  It is however chemically inert so it will not leach any chemicals into the food that it holds.  Silicone cookware is non stick and flexible. In many cases, you can actually twist the cookware nearly all the way around.  The trick to finding good silicone cookware is to twist it – if white streaks appear when it’s twisted, it’s not of good quality.

Types of Silicone Cookware

If you are intrigued by silicone cookware, you may want to know what is available to you.  Types of silicone cookware include:

• Baking tins and moulds
  
  
• Baking mats and sheets
  
  
• Ice/jelly/chocolate moulds
  
  
• Stirring spoons
  
  
• Spatulas
  
  
• Cupcake liners

Why Use Silicone Cookware?

There are several reasons why silicone cookware is such an excellent choice for cooking. Firstly is the fact that it is both heat resistant and cold resistant. This means that you can move pieces of silicone cookware from a cold environment straight into a hot environment without it becoming damaged.  The fact that it is both heat and cold resistant also means that you can make either hot or cold foods in the same piece of cookware. For example, you could use it as jelly moulds and as muffin moulds.  Another advantage of silicone cookware is that it does not conduct heat very well. This means that a spoon will not get hot if left in a saucepan, and you can handle cookware from the oven very soon after taking it out.  This is in contrast to regular cookware which retains heat for quite a long period of time.

Silicone cookware is also completely non stick, and food items will slide right out of it.  You don’t have to use butter, oil or flour to grease the pan, making your food healthier and lower in fat – a great thing if you are watching your diet!  Silicone cookware is also very hygienic! This is because it does not absorb any stains or smells.  It’s also very easy to clean and is completely dishwasher safe.  Silicone cookware is also very fun to have in the kitchen as it comes in a range of bright and cheery colours. Just choose your favourite!