It’s hard to resist the cool shapes and sizes of new silicone cooking accessories but let’s dig a little deeper if it makes the grade to be in your kitchen.
Silicone is a synthesized rubber made by combining the element silicon with oxygen or carbon. There are claims that silicone is inert and doesn’t leach chemicals into your cooked food, but they’re still isn’t a lot of research to back this up.
Most uses for silicone have focused on medical issues, but there are only a few studies that have analyzed the migration of silicone into food, finding evidence that tiny silicone particles called siloxanes can indeed migrate when in contract with foods, especially higher-fat foods like meat.
Another issue is the bright colorants that might also migrate into food from prolonged contact or high temps.
The verdict, since there is limited information you should proceed with caution.
?Look for items that say 100% food-grade silicone when your purchasing items for your household.
?Do the twist test. If you see white when you twist it, it most likely contains fillers with unknown ingredients, so avoid them or use for non-food uses.
?Skip silicone for baking or other high temp cooking since there is limited data on how silicone behaves at higher temps.
Keep yourself informed and don’t use items just because they are the latest trend.
