Customer Reviews

Matfer 321005 Exopat 11-5/8-by-16-3/8-Inch Nonstick Baking Mat

5 star:		(292)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

You may have seen sheets like these on cooking shows or at fancy stores under the Silpat name selling for huge sums of money and were discouraged. Well, let me end any confusion and tell you that these work the same way! They are like having permanent non-stick surfaces for baking, roasting, and even candy making. You may be a bit scared to put this plastic looking sheet into the oven at first, but don't worry, as your food would be charred before it would ever melt.

You may have been very frustrated by candy making in the past because the hot sugar would stick to anything that wasn't caked in non-stick spray. Fear no more, as this slippery wonder is a great working surface for kneading it while it's still hot or after it has cooled. If you want to keep it malleable for a longer period of time, set up a small heat lamp over the work surface.

What about cookies? I was shocked with how well they baked. Needless to say, nothing sticks (I was even able to just pick the sheet up and slide them onto a plate), but the surface also helped for even heating of the bottoms in our wonky oven that normally burns them. This was the most even browning I've ever seen, and required less effort than normal. It makes me much less nervous about putting baked goods into the oven. The downside is that cookies that rely on an ungreased cookie sheet to maintain proper form will spread on these sheets in a manner similar to a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Fortunately, those cookies are typically laden with butter and do not stick anyway.

A bonus feature is that you can place this on a cookie sheet underneath a pie that might boil over in the oven. This can save hours of cleanup for those messy pastries.

Then comes the cleaning of the mat. All you do is rinse it with warm soapy water, as I've never seen anything actually stuck to it. It can tend to feel a bit slimy, but that's just the nature of the material. Storage is very convenient as well, as you can roll it up and even stick it in your silverware drawer!

I really have no reason not to recommend this product. It saves time, is cheaper than less effective sprays, and is convenient. I wouldn't cook without one... or two.

I'm a make-do cook. When I saw a well-known personality touting this stuff on her TV show, I just poh-poohed the notion. Then, at a pre-Christmas sale, I decided to try a sheet. Whoa! What a wonder! I promptly bought a second sheet, and I would never try to bake cookies again without one. The savings in time (1-2 min per sheet), headaches (cutting parchment to size every time and then running out), and clean-up (nothing - I say again NOTHING - sticks to this stuff) make it worth every penny!

I've never used a sheet like this or parchment paper, and always ended up having to spend a lot of time scrubbing my cookie sheets after baking. I got one of these matfer sheets recently and I'm in love! At first it looked a little scary - it looks plastic and like it would melt. Since I am a novice chef, I tend to burn things and I have melted plastic in my oven before - not a pretty sight! I was happy to find out that not only does it NOT melt, but NOTHING sticks to this thing. Nothing!

My cookies slide off easily, so easily that I don't even have to hold down the cookie sheet! I also have used it when baking pies and cobblers, since they tend to boil over and make a mess. Recently I made a cherry cobbler and put this sheet between the cobbler and the baking sheet - and after the cobbler was done the matfer was a mess (but my baking sheet was pristine!). I ran a little water over the matfer, all the cherry goo came off with ease! I didn't even have to scrub!

Another bonus is how easy these are to store. I just roll mine up and they fit neatly in a drawer. I bought two for myself, and I also bought a half dozen more that I am giving away for Christmas this year. They are AMAZING sheets, I highly recommend them to anyone! Well worth the cost - one of the greatest kitchen investments you'll ever make!

These Exopat baking sheets are wonderful, and I can't imagine going back to greasing pans or aluminum foil. I roll cookie dough right onto the Exopat, cut out with cookie cutters on the Exopat, and peel away the excess dough around the shapes I have just cut out. No more having to transfer the cut-out dough from the countertop to the baking sheet, so no more distortion of the cookie shapes. When I have a batch of cookies in the oven, I prepare another batch on a second Exopat and have it ready to slap onto the cookie sheet as soon as the first batch comes out. This way, one baking sheet is all I need, and there's no lag time or energy loss between the batches. I roll pie-crust dough right on the Exopat, lift up the Exopat with the dough on it, and flip it over to slap the dough straight into the pie pan. No more having to fold in quarters when transfering to the pan. I also use these for patting out biscuit dough and cutting out biscuits. No more sticky mess on the countertop. These are great for kneading bread dough on, too. I also bake spare ribs on them, so clean-up is easy. Goodness, I use these Exopats for just about everything! Money well spent!

A lot of reviewers have said that there's no difference between the Exopat and a Silpat. I think there is, but not enough to really matter to most people.

After using both a Silpat and an Exopat for baking, I would say that they both perform equally well as far as ease of removing cookies, bread, pastries, etc. from the surface. However, I think that the Silpat is slightly easier to clean. After an equal number of uses, the Silpat was still pristine, whereas the Exopat had some discolorations and small spots that were hard to remove. It's also my impression that the Silpat is slightly heavier and of higher quality construction.

That said, I think the Exopat, at half the price as the Silpat, is the better buy. The Exopat's performance is still amazing and it provides a non-stick surface that's far superior to any standard baking sheet.

It really works, and works wonders.

USES:

* You can put anything on top of it for baking and nothing will stick. The first instinct is to bake cookies on them and you will be surprised how EVEN they will bake.

* I then tried frozen fish with dry rub condiments and it came out perfect. The skins don't stick and everything just slides off the mat. No oil added whatsoever.

* I frequently make croissants and notice that the bottom won't burn as fast as when done on a plain baking sheet.

* I also use the mat to handle sticky items like sugar for candy-making and dough. You won't need any flour to spread on the counter as this does the job just fine. You will wonder how you were able to bake without it for the longest time.

CLEANING:

* The best part is the clean up. You soak it in water and simply wipe off the food particles on the mat.

* For a thorough cleaning, just use mild soap and soft sponge.

* Stick it from the freezer to the oven and back to the freezer and it is perfectly OK. Nothing will crack or burst from the changing temperature - unlike glass pans.

* It is very flexible. Bend it, roll it, spread it out and use it for your rolling pin for the top and bottom.

CAUTION:

* Of course this isn't a magic device where food won't burn. It will just brown evenly the longer you keep it in the oven. Heat will simply be distributed on the mat.

* The product is made of silicone and fiberglass.

- Silicone is great, but it also does not mean it's indestructible. It can only be used within the temperatures from -40 degrees F to 482 degrees F.

- It has a lifespan of 2,000 to 3,000 times. As much as we want it to last, it will eventually wear out.

Fiberglass means that the product is finely weaved with glass. Therefore, it cannot be used as a cutting board. Yes, it's flexible but the glass weaves should be contained within the silicone.

DO NOT cut it into pieces. Buy the appropriate size for your needs. Once the glass particles are exposed, you will have to DISCARD it immediately as it will pose a health risk. I don't mean about breathing any harmful toxins, but those glass particles are sharp that if it goes into your food and on to your body...you get the picture.

That being said, enjoy the product and the wonder that it does. But use it with care. If used properly, it is worth every money spent.

After enduring several batches of cookies burned on their bottoms (sic) before she used these mats, I gave a set of these as a gift to my neice, who is learning how to bake. She had seen Martha using the Silpat brand (which I thought I was ordering, since that's what was listed as the item....Amazon sent Matfer instead). They worked great. And she especially likes the fact that she can wash them, roll them up, and put them in a drawer. I bought two, and she rolls the cookie dough out on them also. Slides right off. So, I'd recommend these mats for baking-challenged novices, and seasoned bakers alike......

This is one of those products that comes along every few years that makes me wonder why I would possibly need it. Until recently, I have been quite happy to line my commerical-quality baking pans with parchment paper. It's a slightly time-consuming process, but I do it without thinking and the results are always good. At least that WAS my habit until I bought a couple of these incredible Matfer Exopat baking sheets. In spite of my skepticism, they are as advertised..a real time saver. They're easy to use and easy to clean. No more parchment for me. Cookies, breads, buns--literally everything I've baked--slides right off these silicone beauties like greased lightning. This is a product that deserves a spot in any serious cook's kitchen. In fact, buy two!

I am a woodworker. I use a lot of wood glue and other adhesives and after getting tired of replacing a piece of scrap plywood, newspaper, etc. big enough to protect an area on my workbench, I tried the Matfer Exopat Nonstick Baking/Roasting Sheet.
Guess what? Just let the glue dry a few minutes to a few hours (depending on the glue) and peel it right off! I haven't had any chemical reaction SO FAR. I've used Elmer's, Gorilla Glue, Liquid Nails without any problems.

I probably should get a few more for my wife to use around the house. An excellent product!

Added 12/30/02
Also works great for lining the bottom of a microwave oven to make easy work of REALLY baked on drips! EXCELLENT & multi-functional.

It works. You've seen other brands, but they're virtually identical. Just go with the lower priced item.

Pro cookie tip: Buy at least 2. That way you can prep a new batch while the other is in the oven.

Also, it works well when rolling out dough (bread, pizza, cookie, or any other dough).