Silicone Kitchen Products
Silicone is a versatile material found in everything from the lubricants used by your car engine to the soft plastics in your children’s toys. It’s heat-resistant and able to withstand very high temperatures without melting or breaking down.
Look for a silicone kitchen set that is made from pure, BPA-free silicone. This will ensure that it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals that may leach into your food.
1. Durability
Silicone kitchen tools are tough enough to resist high heat and can be used as an alternative to metal or plastic utensils that can melt or leach chemicals into food. They’re also soft and flexible, making it easy to remove from pans and won’t leave scratches on surfaces.
Silicon is non-porous, so it won’t retain odors or color and can be easily cleaned and washed after use. It’s also resistant to bacterial growth and doesn’t absorb flavors from foods into the tool.
Although silicone is a durable material, low quality products can lose their shape or melt under intense heat. Look for FDA-approved silicone and be sure that the item is made with a single piece of molded silicone. Also check customer reviews to ensure the utensil is sturdy and won’t detach from its handle with prolonged use.
For an eco-friendly option, consider silicone kitchen utensils with wooden or metal handles. You can Silicone Utensils even find some utensils that feature both silicone and wood for the best of both worlds. They’re a great way to reduce your environmental impact and save on disposable plastics.
2. Flexibility
Silicone is not easily damaged by sudden changes in temperature, which makes it a good choice for cookware. It can go from the freezer to the oven or vice versa, without risk of cracking. It also resists staining and won’t absorb liquids, so it will be easy to clean if you spill some sauce on your utensil.
Silicone can be moulded into creative shapes for cakes, pastries and ice cream, making it an ideal material for kitchen tools and bakeware. They’re flexible and easy to demold, don’t alter the taste of food and are easily stored.
As silicone can be used in place of non-stick, plastic or metal utensils, it can reduce the amount of waste produced in the kitchen. For example, silicone cupcake cases and baking paper are a great replacement for single-use items that need to be thrown away after one use. This helps to minimise waste and cut down on pollution from plastics. It’s important to buy quality silicone utensils, though, as some low-cost options may contain plastic fillers and BPA. Fortunately, these can be recycled at specialist facilities and remoulded into new products.
3. Safety
Silicone is very safe for food contact, and a great alternative to Teflon (which has been linked to cancer), as it is non-stick but does not release harmful chemicals into the foods you cook. It can also be microwaved and used as an infant bottle nipple (R).
The FDA labels silicone as GRAS, or generally recognized as safe, and there is no evidence that it leaches siloxanes into foods. However, many cheap silicone cooking utensils contain fillers and may be prone to disintegrating at high temperatures, so it is important to look for a higher quality product with an FDA approval label.
Also, it is important to choose a silicone kitchen item with a firm and sturdy handle. Checking previous customer feedback online is a good way to see which utensils have long, solid handles that don’t break at high temperatures. As with plastics, silicone can be recycled, but this option may not be widely available. Instead, it is best to choose a non-stick alternative like ceramic cookware. It is also a good idea to avoid silicone cooking utensils with sharp edges, as these can damage the soft surface.
4. Recyclability
Silicone is a far better choice for kitchen products than plastics, and if you choose high quality silicone that’s non-toxic, then it can be an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastics. However, many people are concerned that silicone can leach harmful chemicals into food. This isn’t a problem if you buy good quality, non-toxic silicone and take care of it properly.
Unfortunately, when it comes to recycling silicone, it’s not as easy as throwing it away in the bin. Silicone requires a special process to recycle, so it’s usually sent to a specialty company rather than your local recycling center or curbside collection service. When it’s recycled, it can be downcycled into industrial lubricant oil or playground mulch (source).
Fortunately, several top silicone-producing companies have their own recycle programs to ensure that their products don’t end silicone manufacturer up in landfills or oceans. You can also join a scheme like TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Kitchen Box to recycle your silicone bakeware and other products. It’s a little more expensive than using your local recycling collection, but it’s less damaging to the environment.
5. Design
Silicone kitchen tools and utensils are flexible, heat resistant and can be used on non-stick surfaces. They don’t scratch pots and pans like metal or plastic utensils can, and unlike Teflon cookware and Silverstone cookware with their toxic coatings, silicone is safe for use.
Silicone cooking utensils are designed to be comfortable in your hand and easy to grip, especially with wet hands. They are also designed to be durable, and most have locking features for space-saving storage. Silicone pastry brushes are useful for brushing pastries before baking or meat with marinade while grilling because they’re heat resistant and easy to clean.
When shopping for silicone utensils and bakeware, look for one with a food grade GRAS certification from the FDA to be sure it won’t bleed chemicals into your food or hurt your hands. Avoid any silicone that’s made for industrial use, which may contain perfluorooctanoic acid and other toxic chemicals. Some silicone utensils have handles that are made from another material like metal or wood, but they should be securely attached to the silicone head.