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Silicone Coated Baking Sheets

As any baker, either professional or at-home enthusiast, will attest, you cannot use just any type of paper for baking purposes.

Baking applications can require paper that possesses very specific characteristics; most importantly, such papers need non-stick abilities for baking fatty or sugary products.

That’s where Sierra® comes in.

Food-Grade Paper

Historically speaking, baking papers primarily came in the form of parchment or Quilon papers. Because it creates smoke when utilized in high-temperature situations, waxed paper is unsuitable for most active cooking applications, especially baking.

Parchment paper has been the premium baking-paper product for generations. The specialty paper is made by running paper through baths of either sulfuric acid or zinc chloride; this treatment partially dissolves the surfaces of the paper, creating a cross-linked surface which increases the paper’s heat resistance. After the heat resistance treatment, the paper must be coated with a release agent.

Because the process of making parchment paper poses many risks to the environment, it is no longer made in North America.  The other issue with parchment is that the manufacturing process can be costly, so bakers usually tried to get four to six uses out of one sheet.

Baking homemade chocolate chip cookiesWith the increased move to in-store baking, as a result of the innovation of frozen dough and consumer concerns about food allergies, single-use baking papers are becoming the industry standard.

Quilon paper is made on a paper machine with a Chrome 3 complex of chemicals. The Quilon paper, which has natural release properties, is available at a low price but does not perform as well as silicone coated parchment or silicone coated baking sheets. The issue with Quilon is that it is a grandfathered product with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the stability of the Chrome 3 complex in baking applications is somewhat questionable.

Silicone Coated Paper from Sierra

Sierra creates its baking papers by coating FDA-approved papers with a food grade silicone.   Sierra can coat the top, bottom, or both surfaces of a paper. Most importantly, the finished products meet or exceed the extremely stringent food safety specifications laid out by the FDA.

The baking paper’s silicone coating prevents food products from sticking to the paper or cooking pan. Silicone is an ideal release agent due to its pliability, natural lack of toxins, high insulation ability, and heat resistant capability.

The value proposition is that the cost of a silicone coated baking paper is much lower than a parchment paper, with fewer potential health issues than a Quilon sheet with the Chrome 3 complex.

At current pricing levels, silicone baking paper is ideal for single-use baking of frozen doughs and bakery items.

Other Food-Safe Treatment Options

Receive more information about Sierra’s silicone coating capabilities, as well as other food-safe treatment options, by contacting the Sierra team today.