The Edit — Kitchen
Parchment Paper or a Silicone Baking Mat: Which to Use
Reynolds rates its parchment to 425°F and says a sheet can be reused up to 3 times. A silicone mat goes back in the drawer for years. When each one wins, and the half sheets that carry them.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page sets parchment paper against a silicone baking mat, using the makers’ published ratings, with 3 picks chosen as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for Cookies, year after year
Watch for Flat trays only
Best for Under either liner
Watch for Hand wash it
Best for Heavy roasts, no warping
Watch for Nonstick, not bare metal
A silicone mat wins on the cookie tray
A silicone mat is the better buy for anyone who bakes cookies more than a few times a year. It lies flat, it is washed and reused, and the tray underneath barely needs cleaning. Parchment does the same job once, or a few times, and then goes in the bin.
The Amazon Basics silicone mat has 123,843 ratings at 4.7. Owners say food comes off without sticking, the mat holds up in convection ovens, and it saves scrubbing the cookie sheet, which lasts longer for it.
Amazon Basics Silicone Baking Mat, Non-Stick, Reusable
A reusable silicone baking mat that owners say releases food without sticking and holds up in convection ovens.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Material | Silicone |
|---|---|
| Use | Reusable, lines a baking sheet |
Owners say nothing sticks, it survives convection ovens and it spares the sheet from scrubbing.
Buy it if
- Regular cookie bakers tired of buying parchment
Don't buy it if
- Lining a round cake tin, which needs parchment
Parchment wins anywhere the liner must be cut
Parchment is the right liner wherever the shape is not a flat rectangle. It cuts to a round cake tin, folds into a loaf pan, and leaves 2 long ends to lift a slab of brownies out whole. A mat can do none of that. Parchment also wraps fish or vegetables into a sealed parcel, which a mat cannot.
Reynolds Kitchens parchment comes on a roll, cut to length. Reynolds says a sheet can be reused up to 3 times, which narrows the waste gap with a mat for a single baking session.
Reynolds rates its parchment to 425°F
Reynolds rates its parchment oven safe up to 425°F. A recipe that roasts vegetables at 450°F is above that, so check the box before lining that pan, and check a mat’s own temperature rating on its listing the same way.
Either liner needs a sheet that stays flat
A liner only works on a pan that lies flat. A thin sheet that buckles in a hot oven lifts the mat or parchment with it, and the cookies slide. Why baking sheets warp explains the heat and the metal behind it.
The Nordic Ware Naturals half sheet is bare aluminum, made in the USA, with 35,122 ratings at 4.7. Owners call it durable under high heat and easy to clean, and the size fits a freezer. The recurring complaint is discolouring in the dishwasher, so wash it by hand.
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet, USA Made Aluminum
A bare aluminum half sheet made in the USA, which owners call durable under high heat and easy to clean.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | Half sheet |
|---|---|
| Material | Aluminum, uncoated |
Owners call it durable under high heat and easy to clean. The dishwasher can discolour it.
Buy it if
- Cookies and roasts, under either liner
Don't buy it if
- The dishwasher, which can discolour it
The USA Pan half sheet is aluminized steel with a nonstick surface. Owners say it is sturdy enough not to bend or warp under a heavy roast, food slides off, and it is heavy enough to brown a pizza base. On a nonstick sheet, a liner is optional for cookies.
USA Pan Bakeware Nonstick Half Sheet Pan, Aluminized Steel
An aluminized steel half sheet with a nonstick surface, which owners say is sturdy enough not to bend or warp.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | Half sheet |
|---|---|
| Material | Aluminized steel, nonstick |
Owners say it does not bend or warp and food slides off. A liner is optional on it.
Buy it if
- A heavy roast or pizza, with or without a liner
Don't buy it if
- A cook who wants bare metal for the darkest browning
For the hands that take the trays out, silicone oven mitts compared ranks 6 pairs, and baking sheets compared covers every sheet behind these picks.
Prices, savings and deal badges are Amazon's own, read from Amazon within the last hour. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Keep reading
Compared
Baking Sheets Compared: Half Sheets for Holiday BakingBare aluminum, nonstick or stainless steel: which half sheet survives a December of cookies?
Explainer
Why Baking Sheets Warp in the Oven, and How to Stop ItWhat is that bang from the oven halfway through a bake, and can the pan be saved?
Amazon Basics Silicone MatLeads the listAmazon Basics Silicone Mat4.7 · 123,843 ratingsSee on AmazonSee Amazon Basics Silicone Baking Mat on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Compared
Gifts for Food Lovers: Salt, Truffle Oil and a ThermometerA cook who owns every gadget still runs out of good salt. Which gift gets used every day?