My niece gave me silicone pans for Christmas one year - we got a loaf pan, a square cake pan and a round cake pan. I made brownies in the square cake pan. I didn't like the "movement" of the pan trying to transfer a pan full of batter to the oven, as has been mentioned already. It didn't stick any more than any other pan, but I guess out of stupidity on my part, I cut up the brownies - and cut huge slices right thru the pan!!! As I said it just didn't dawn on me - who "unmolds" brownies from a pan then cuts them? You cut them in the pan! After I did it I couldn't believe I was so stupid, but it truly didn't occur to me that the knife would cut thru the pan. I have some "cutting boards" that are made out of a similar material and I obviously cut on those, so I just didn't think. So that went in the trash and I haven't used any of the others since. I think I prefer glass or metal! Altho I did switch to a silicone pastry brush and I LOVE it. And I do have some silicone spatulas as well, but I think I like the rubber ones better - the silicone is kind of stiff and that's the point of a rubber spatula - that it bends and conforms to the dish/pan. I have been thinking about buying the silicone sheets to bake on - they're awful expensive tho, so I wasn't sure they were worth the expense. Lisa

Arkansas_girl, it is not that easy to use a rolling pin for an 18" pizza. Actually, a couple of things were not shown well in the video. I roll the pizza on a restaurant serving tray, it makes clean up easier. Just take the tray to the sink. Using the tray, I can turn the dough around by turning the tray, which is not that easy on a counter. I can flip the dough on the pizza pan without messing up the round shape. Finally, leaving the silicone mat on the dough for the rising will prevent the dough from drying out. Regarding the dough sticking to the mat, it is not all because of the dough's stickiness. It is unavoidable with any non-stick surface. When you roll the dough on the mat, it creates a perfect contact between the two. When that happens, there will be 14 lbs/sq in of atmospheric pressure pushing the dough and the mat together. It is the suction cup situation. You can walk up a glass building wall wearing shoes with suction cups. dcarch Here is a link that might be useful: It sucks This post was edited by dcarch on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 14:09

I use both. I'll use parchment for cookies, granola, cakes, stuff like that. I love it when I make granola, cause I can roll it into a funnel and pour the granola into the container when it's cooled. I don't know that it saves that much on clean up, as I wash and re-use the parchment until it's completely worn out. I also at least rinse the cookie sheet. I started using the silpats and other silicone mats for roasting veggies, and that might have been a mistake, as they now are permanently impregnated with that roasted veggie smell. I've tried washing it out with all kinds of soaps and baking soda, to no effect, so they're strictly for savory foods. Isn't all aluminum foil non-stick? That's been my experience. Sally

NO! Cutting it will destroy the woven texture and it will fall apart. Plus you risk getting bits of the mat in your baked goods. When I "cut" dough on a Silpat I use a stiff plastic tool (like a bowl scraper, spatula, plastic lettuce knife, plastic bar-cookie cutting knife....) that won't damage or cut the mat. To "cut" cinnamon rolls I use dental floss, and I form the dough log on the Silpat. The mats come in a variety of sizes, so I have a number of them, and I have a variety of pans to hold them for different tasks. I love my 10", eight-sided, Silpat for forming small amounts of dough and scones on. A "World Cuisine" silicon mat is actually a little thicker than a Silpat, and my first choice when making peanut brittle. The hot molten sugar/nut mixture won't stick to a silicon mat and it's easy to remove when cool. I line a rimmed cookie sheet with one when I bake meatballs. Clean-up is a breeze. -Grainlady