Kitchenware | Colorful, versatile silicone

Is it the lollipop colors that we're seduced by? Or the promised ease of a baking pan that's easy to clean?

Whatever the reasons, silicone kitchen products are everywhere, from glossy catalogs to kitchen shops and grocery stores. According to the International Housewares Association, silicone represented about 5 percent of bakeware unit sales in 2005, and the 2006 numbers are expected to exceed those.

"Silicone kitchen products are a huge trend," says Susanna Linse, director of media relations at Sur la Table. The saturated colors of silicone have introduced bright tones to the kitchen and have influenced everything from mixers to refrigerators.

Elemental basics

But it's not just color that sells the products. Silicone is a flexible material that doesn't absorb odors and can be used in the oven, microwave and freezer. It transfers heat evenly to the food and cools quickly when removed from the oven. Although there are ranges of temperatures indicated on each product, some can withstand temperatures from minus 40 degrees to 575 degrees.

Linse, who has been with Sur la Table since 1994, has seen many changes in cookware, but the company has catered to professional bakers for years with a steady supply of silicone bakeware.

"It's just been in the last few years that silicone products have exploded onto the mainstream market," said Linse. Because Sur la Table's stores are placed in urban centers, Linse believes it's the products' flexibility and ease of storage that consumers with small kitchens have responded to. "Collapsible strainers and foldable bakeware have been huge sellers," she said. In fact, sales for silicone products at Sur la Table doubled in 2006.

Silicone shortcomings

Despite the advantages, reactions to silicone products remain a mixed pot. There are some safety concerns about silicone's use in the kitchen, particularly that it could possibly leach into the food. But according to Alan Bennett of the Food and Drug Administration, the tools fall under the "generally recognized as safe" category for substances added to food, and are safe as long as they are used as intended.

The stability of larger cake pans can be a problem, even when investing in the best on the market. "We buy a high-quality product, SiliconeZone, which doesn't use fillers, so it's more stable," says Amy Pomp Lorette, manager and buyer for Mrs. Cook's in University Village.

But quality is not always a guarantee for success, and larger cakes made of heavy batters can still occasionally crack when unmolded from bundt and tube pans.

Companies such as SiliconeZone and Spain's Lékué, which also claims to make its products without fillers, encourage customers to check whether a product is 100 percent silicone by bending it in several places. If white cracks appear, then fillers have been added, making the product less stable and more likely to break down over a shorter time.

Just as Pyrex bakes a little differently than metal pans, one would think there would be differences when comparing these traditional materials with their upstart silicone mate. "In a side-by-side testing we did, the baking times for silicone, glass and metal were pretty close," says Pomp Lorette. This will depend, however, on the temperature of your oven as well as the thickness of a batter. Favorite recipes may still need minor adjustments.

Trials and errors

When consumers use silicone bakeware for the first time, the results can be disappointing because manufacturers often don't provide enough information with their products. My own initial experience with a set of those pretty pastel cupcake cups was disastrous because the cakes wouldn't release from the pans. My dream of a beautifully arranged birthday cake was dashed, and I served the individual cupcakes encased in rubber.

It was only later that I discovered that the bakeware needs a little prep before its first use. Wash well in warm, soapy water, then dry and apply a thin coat of vegetable oil to the inside of the pans, wiping out the excess with a soft paper towel.

Occasionally, the guidelines provided by manufacturers have been misleading. "Silicone was originally advertised as nonstick, but that isn't the case," said Pomp Lorette. "If your recipe calls for greasing and flouring, you'll still need to do that."

Although nonstick cooking spray is sometimes recommended, I've found that it leaves a sticky residue that's hard to remove, even in the dishwasher. Never use abrasive cleansers or scouring pads with silicone. Soap and warm water or the dishwasher will usually clean the surface easily. (Although I'm still picking out little bits of crumbs from the grooves in those pastel cupcake cups.)

The newest wave

The excitement of working with such a promising material as silicone has led to some poorly designed products on the market. But manufacturers are learning from previous experiments, producing better, more practical products.

For instance, the newest models of bakeware have been improved with thicker surfaces that come close to matching commercial grades. SiliconeZone's New Wave line of loaf and cake pans, strengthened with a double layer of silicone, is a step in the right direction.

The first silicone basting brushes featured bristles that were too thick and spaced too far apart to do a good job of holding liquid. More innovative products are now designed with thinner, softer bristles, and some even hold liquid in a hollow well built into the handle. The brushes remain odor-free, which is a huge advantage. "The sales of silicone brushes now drive the market," said Linse, "outselling the traditional brushes."

And William Bounds' line of silicone tools, Sili Gourmet, has recently marketed a stainless-steel steamer insert with a telescoping silicone handle that stays cool and protects hands when lifting from the pot, and the silicone-coated feet prevent scratching pan bottoms. It's reasonably priced at $13.

Will silicone find a permanent place in our kitchens? When product design catches up to technology, the future could be interesting, and very colorful.

CeCe Sullivan: csullivan@seattletimes.com