The Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements is an efficient little multitasker that makes rolling dough easier, enhances even baking and minimizes kitchen clean up.
A food-grade silicone mat that measures 26-by-16-inches (though it does come in 3 different sizes), the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements can be used as a nonskid surface for rolling out dough, with convenient measurements provided, as well as an oven-safe baking mat for cookies, pie, pizza, and other baked goods. In essence, it does a whole lot and costs just a little.
This simple, non-stick baking mat not only helps keep your cooking and baking mess to a minimum, it also lets you easily measure while rolling out your dough. The Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat is a serious kitchen multitasker for well under $25.
I’m an avid cook and baker, and was given a generic silicone baking mat as a gift that largely gathered dust in my kitchen. Although I never felt the urge to use it for baking (parchment paper exists, after all, and you don’t need to wash it off after you use it), I decided to research uses for it online — which is how I came across the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements.
The main difference with this particular mat is that it’s also intended for rolling dough, and has easy-to-read measurements (in both imperial and metric increments) marked directly on it. Those markings instantly piqued my curiosity, because I have to admit that I am no good at estimating sizes and have, in the past, resorted to using a measuring tape to check the size of my dough so often the tape has become clogged with flour.
This mat promised to eliminate the need for extraneous measurement tools and make rolling dough much more efficient and yes, much neater. As someone who does the cleaning after big baking projects, I certainly appreciate anything that can help minimize dishes and mess in the kitchen. I was also intrigued by the claims that this mat may help distribute heat more evenly, and wondered if it might help my chocolate chip cookies, which had turned out unevenly browned the last few times (likely the result of an older oven in need of calibration, I think).
At a price of $14.35 on Amazon with an additional a 5% coupon also offered on the purchase, and free next-day shipping for Amazon Prime members (I am one), I felt like the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements was an affordable chance to take. And this baking mat doesn’t take up much room, so if I didn’t find it as useful as anticipated, it would at least be easy to store away with my other mat.
I personally cook the majority of my meals and desserts, and a great deal of them involve dough because it is versatile, freezes well for make-ahead meals, and tastes delicious. This winter alone, I meal prepped dozens of individual chicken pot pies, empanadas and from-scratch ravioli to make and freeze for fast, easy lunches and dinners. I also make my own pizza crust fairly often, and bake cakes, pies and other desserts frequently as a hobby. I enjoy complicated recipes, and have been especially interested in bread and pastry doughs lately. The last baking project I undertook was making a King cake, the traditional Mardis gras confection, for my birthday which falls around the same time of year. The recipe involved rolling out the dough and filling it with a sweetened cream cheese mixture, and I sadly had to use my old measuring tape to judge the correct length.
Adopting the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements would solve my problem of rolling dough to the correct size, as the mat includes both a ruler and circles of various diameters, which would save me time and energy, and spare my poor measuring tape.
The Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements would be a bargain if it only performed one function, but it excels at no less than three.
For rolling dough, its chief attribute is how flat and still it lies on a countertop. The mat weighs a little over 7 ounces and is slightly thinner than than the thickness of a penny, which makes it easy to roll and store, but it doesn’t lift when rolling dough on top of it, or slide around the countertop. The measurements make an accurate gauge of how much you need to roll so you can get it right the first time, which is helpful because generally, dough should be worked as little as possible. I found the conversion charts less useful but beginning or aspiring bakers might appreciate them.
The nonstick silicone surface also makes dough easy to lift off the mat when transferring to a dish or pan, which can be tricky with thin doughs, and also makes cleaning a breeze (although I found wiping down with a damp sponge sufficient, the mat is dishwasher safe).
Unlike that other baking mat, the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements also let me significantly cut down on cleanup, and though it is a secondary function, it’s no less important. Rolling dough can get messy, with lots of flour, dough scraps, and, depending on what you’re making, assorted egg or milk washes or dusting sugars. This mat contains all of your mess, so you can lift it up, dust it over the trash bin or sink, and easily wipe off what remains — keeping your counters clean.
Admittedly, I did not invest in the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements for baking purposes, but I thought I should at least try it out. I appreciated that it also minimized oven mess, like catching a bubbling-over pie filling, for instance, sparing your baking sheets and oven interior. And once again, the easy-to-clean surface came in handy and it’s reusable so I can feel more environmentally friendly by not wasting that parchment.
It also feels rugged, with a fiberglass inner layer sealed in food-grade silicone, which allows it to withstand temperatures from -45 degrees F to 450 degrees (aka pizza-friendly). I baked chocolate chip cookies on it and they came out just fine, golden-brown with no adjustments needed. And, bonus, they lifted off the mat easily. The grease residue was easily wiped up and my sheet pan was spared the mess. The manufacturer’s description states that the Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements is guaranteed to last more than three years, and can be replaced if it wears out before then. I cannot vouch for that claim, of course, but I judge it to be a sturdy product that can withstand repeated use and temperature changes.
The Cook Time Silicone Non-Stick Pastry Baking Mat with Measurements does everything it promises, but I will admit it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing piece of kitchen equipment I own. Although it comes in four different colors, those apply only to the rulers and the markings on the mat itself are in red ink, which I feel is less easy to read than a darker color might be. However, this is a product designed for function over form, and it fulfills that role exceptionally well. It’s well-made, easy to use, durable and makes baking a variety of foods easier for an extremely reasonable price. It’s a good tool for both aspiring and experienced bakers, one that will actually get a lot of use, and that makes it a great kitchen score.
