Id really like to see the proofs your offering for this. Have there been any scientific testing done? Nothing personal but, I will continue to do my own research (still would love to see yours). Those rubbery muffin pans just dont look friendly to me. NOTHING manmade seems to be without side effects, by my experience anyway.

The safety of Silicone Rubber cookware has not in my mind been proven. I am an engineer that uses silicone rubber to make parts cast from silicone rubber compounds and the material's flexibility is in part do to the silicone oil present in the material's structure. The oily nature of the silicone rubber's surface testifies to the oils presence. It can be washed off only with very strong detergents, but continues to leach out to the surface over time with use. This is the same silicone oil that has been determined to be dangerous when used in silicone breast implants. I can't help but wonder and worry about the long term effects of trace amounts of silicone oil mixing with the foods one bakes or cooks in this bake ware.

Hello,

I wanted to add something more. The silicone mat I have says NOT to put it in the dishwasher, and NOT fold it. I only mention this because Debra mentions that silicone can go in the dishwasher, and some may be able to be folded (?).

I did buy some silicone bakeware- a loaf pan, cake pans, and cupcake pans- and they CAN go in the dishwasher. They are made by Calphalon- which is a different brand than the silicone mat that I just used for the fish. I used the mat on the bottom of an aluminum cookie sheet.

Hello Debra and all,

I just used a silicone baking mat (it looks like the same kind that you use, Debra, from the pictures you show of your own kitchen)- I got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond- it says "Pragotrade USA, Inc." on the wrapping it came out of. I used it last night for fish. I didn't wash it right away- I actually fell asleep, forgetting about it- and then cleaned it up this morning. The manufacturer's directions say that you can wash it off with dish detergent (I used Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap), so I did- just using my hands. Then I rinsed it off, and let it air-dry- just as the manufacturer says. The thing is, it still smells faintly of fish, and when I started washing it, I had an immediate smell that was very strong- it smelled kind of like ammonia. I am not sure if it was the dish detergent (which was actually Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, as I said) reacting with the silicone, but it was pretty strong. Although, I did wash it first before using it, of course, and there was no such smell at the time. My concern (aside from the smell I got when washing it after it had been used), is the fish smell. I have a very allergic child, and she cannot have even a trace amount of any food that she is allergic to. I am worried that the fish- which she is allergic to- is still there, somehow, if I can smell it (faintly). Is it normal for the silicone to hold scents? I know that you (Debra) state that it doesn't hold scents. This (the allergy concern) is why I couldn't use a cast iron or soapstone pot or pan for her, unless it was only to be used for her and her safe foods (she has about 20 confirmed food allergies, and likely more that haven't yet shown themselves; some are deadly- like her peanut allergy). Please let me know if this sounds normal, or if maybe silicone isn't going to be allergy-safe.

Thank you.

I recently came across a silicone steamer with a nylon core. Does anyone have any information on nylon? How about the nylon cooking utensils?

Thanks!

can fda approved silicon for cooking be used in the microwave oven? i sometimes use it as a cover over my glass dishes to cook apples which then go into the vitamix for applesauce. As a cover it prevents all the juice from evaporating while cooking. By doing it this way, I don't have to add any other liquid.

The engineer says that silicone oil leaches out of the silicone baking products and is harmful in breast implants and that it leaches out. I have two responses to this from my research. First, the reason silicone breast implants are harmful is not because the silicone itself is harmful, but because when it is inside your tissues it is a foreign object and your immune system knows it doesn't belong there and tries to isolate it, like it does with a wood splinter or anything else. The moral there is not to put anything inside your body surgically that your immune system can recognize. Second, silicone is a very stable compound and unlikely to decompose or release any "oil". The oily feeling he is talking about is probably not oil but just the normal feel of a nonsticky surface. I seriously doubt that any oil comes off of it, and even if it did it would just pass harmlessly through your digestive tract, since it is not actually inside your tissues. In summary, I believe it is unlikely that there are any problems with silicone. If you are really paranoid though, you don't need to use it.

"Use

I personally use silicone spatulas and baking mats and have experienced no ill effects. Nothing sticks to them and they are very easy to clean. My silicone baking mats which can be reused more than 2000 times have already saved yards and yards of parchment paper!

Silicone has many desireable benefits:

* nonstick finish
►►* does not retain odors or flavors◄◄
* stain resistant
* dishwasher safe
* can go from temperature extremes of -58 degrees F up to 428 degrees F, from freezer to oven [note home ovens can go up to 500 degrees F, so keep the 428 degree F limit in mind]
* promotes even heat distribution
* quick cooling
* some items can be folded for easy storage"

The noted part about does not retain odors or flavors is absolutely false! Sorry, but they DO retain odors and if you google trying to get odors out of silicone you find numerous links where customers, including myself, have tried all sorts of measures to rid silicone of any cooking odor and nothing works! I currently have a silicone splatter screen that for the first time used to cover salmon cooking - it now reeks of fish so the only thing I can use it for is cooking fish! BIG disappointment considering the cost of this. I wont buy another silicone product because of this HUGE drawback.

I would be very interested in learning about silicone use in baby bottle nipples, nipple shields, pacifiers, teethers, and other toys that young babies suck on. Is it better or worse then rubber?

In response to the individual from Arizon who wrote in December...it is my understanding that breast implants do leak and this leaking is what leads to immune reactions. There are many foreign medical parts that are surgically implanted into people and they don't create immune reactions.

The silpat that is mentioned here in this boo is made of foodcgrade silicone and woven a patent product made by Demarle. Besides the silpat no other products are sold in stores. Only from the demarleathome.com webpage or through a independent representative.

I have been using a red Kitchen Aid silicone baking mat with no noticeable issues until today, although I always had doubts about the bright colors. I was baking some eggplant slices dipped in lemon juice and brushed with oil. When I turned them over part way through the baking cycle, I saw the red coloring had transferred to the eggplant - the slices were partially pink... seems likely to me the acidic lemon juice initiated this.

As a result, the red silicone mats are making a one way trip to the trash can...I may switch to Natural waxed paper made with soy wax, or look into silicon mats without coloring, as the issue seems to be with additives, rather than the silicone itself.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any MSDS info on any of the silicone baking products. Who knows what other items they put in there.

To clarify based on Jo Jenner's comment, silcone breast implants did have leakage problems at one time, as well as the risk of capsular contracture (which causes a painful and deforming condition). The newer implants use a firmer gel that minimizes the risk of leakage, and they are textured and placed behind muscle to help prevent capsular contracture. As far as I can tell, it was the leakage that was the problem and not the silicone itself. So this does not really affect the safety of silicone cookware.

The thing that concerns me is that all the silicone products that I have been able to find, come from China. I don't trust anything coming out of china as being safe. I wonder how food safe the coloring is that they use in the silicone. It maybe possible after long term use, the chemicals from the coloring could leach into the food. I haven't been able to find any silicone products made here in the USA. Is there any?

I did find a U.S. company that sells silicone bakeware called Chigago Metallic. They can be found on the web. Though I am not sure I want to keep the baking sheet after finding out that it is coated with silicone. The company lists the coatings they use on their products. Does anyone know where to find an old fashioned plain baking sheet and other baking products?

To the person who was looking for old fashioned cookware, try All-Clad (sold online www.all-clad.com for links, or at Williams-Sonoma). All-Clad makes stainless steel cookware that is all stainless, or with aluminum sandwiched inside (for use as a conductor, but it nevers comes into contact with you or the food), or with copper sandwiched inside. Or you could always try Lehman's. Lehmans is a store that opened to cater to the Amish, so they have lots of off the grid and green living supplies. www.lehmans.com

Where can we go to find out if the silicone bake ware is NSF approved?

I would think that two major concerns would be ;

How does the safety of this material hold up under high temperatures, as substances and/or chemicals can be altered or broken down/released when heated; and

Side effects usually only turn up after people have used them for many many years, and the public will not know of this for possibly 10-20 years. I would be cautious, and I myself have held back from buying or using many of these newer cooking materials. May be completely safe - who knows?