Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsDefect on one of the pads I received, plus my mats smoked the first time they were put in the oven
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2020
One of the pads was not properly coated and part of the silicone layer was damaged, the mesh was exposed in a small part of the mat (about 0.3"), I ended up returning that order for a replacement. Please check your pads as soon as you get them, you don't want any of the fiberglass reinforcement to make it into your food. BTW, the fiberglass is sealed inside the silicone layers, which make it safe. Having the silicone layer damaged is no bueno, once that happens, throw the mat out.
I decided to put them in the oven to see how the handle heat. I set the oven at 450 and put them in. They smoke, which is bizarre. Looks like the heat bakes some of the sticky stuff that's on mats. I've never owned these types of pads, so I don't know if this is normal. I would guess probably not.
Once it's "cooked" and the fibers under the silicone turns light brown and the silicone also browns a bit. The mats don't seem to smoke anymore and also become a bit less sticky. Not sure why they don't put them in an oven (or another heat source) before selling to get rid of whatever is on the coating that smokes off. That would make for a more pleasant experience for customers.
Looking at some of the more expensive mats, they are light brown. My guess is that these manufacturers probably expose them to heat prior to selling. Given that these are cheap, that step was probably omitted to keep the price low. Either way, I recommend you wash them and bake them (with nothing on them), and wash them again prior to using. Once you do that, they become light brown (no longer white) and they seem to work fine.
