It's Silicone Valley
by Jennifer Tanaka | Feb 10 '03
We all flipped for those silicone spatulas and burnproof baking mats that trickled in from France a few years back. Craving more? Now well-known brands are introducing entire lines of silicone cookware, from the practical (muffin "tins" and pot grabbers) to the utterly esoteric (pancake molds and tortilla warmers). Silicone, it turns out, is great for cooking: nonstick and ovenproof to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, it also conducts heat evenly, never rusts, is dishwasher-, freezer- and microwave-safe and (perhaps most important) comes in lots of pretty colors. And, because silicone is flexible, you can pop out cakes and muffins like ice cubes. When shopping for silicone cookware, use the "twist test," says Michael Karyo, CEO of SiliconeZone, a New York-based manufacturer. "If you twist it and white shows, there's a filler of something other than silicone. That stuff will break down." Pure silicone, though, should last a lifetime.
Newsweek U.S. Edition