As a Former Pastry Chef, I Always Recommend This Baking Essential — Plus, It’s on Sale

As a former pastry chef, I’ve picked up a ton of tips for perfectly baked goods. Like using a great nonstick baking sheet (I love this one from Great Jones, it has rods inside that prevent warping), and making sure your oven is at the correct temperature (you’ll want a good thermometer for that). But the most underrated tip? Use a Silpat silicone mat.

If my time working in restaurant kitchens and bakeries — and owning my own donut business — has taught me anything, it’s that having a silicone mat on deck is an absolute must. And, it’s your lucky day, because my favorite Silpat is on sale right now!

So, what exactly is a Silpat baking mat? Well, it’s a sheet made of fiberglass strands and food-safe silicone that essentially upgrades any surface into a nonstick slab. It’s great for turning out cookies, brownies, and Swiss roll cakes with ease, but I also use it for savory dishes like roasted veggies and my favorite miso-broiled salmon since there’s no burned parchment paper or sticky mess to clean up on my sheet tray.

Speaking of the broiler, the silicone mat is safe to use in the oven, microwave, and freezer — which I find so useful for candy-making (it’s a game-changer for frozen buckeyes, toffee, and everything in-between). No matter how ooey, gooey, or sticky the bake, the Silpat cleans easily with a little soap and hot water. I hang it over the side of my drying rack and it’s as good as new within minutes.

One of my favorite things about the handy helper is that it completely replaces parchment paper and foil. In fact, my Silpat has lasted forever. In the bakery, we used the same five mats for years, washing and baking with them multiple times each day, and they held up just fine. When using them at home, I save a whole lotta dough (the green kind, not the edible kind) because I no longer have to buy paper or foil. Honestly, for that reason alone, it’s a switch worth making — especially right now when they’re just a little over $20 on sale.

In fact, because I use my Silpats so much, I’m grabbing a few more while they’re on sale — see you at checkout!

Buy: Silpat Baking Mat, Medium, $23.78 (normally $26.65)