Had to choose between parchment and silpat for my last batch of macarons

I was making macarons last Saturday and couldn't decide if I should use parchment paper or my silpat mat. I went with parchment because I've heard silpat can mess with the foot development on macarons. Turned out fine, got a good foot on most of them but three cracked on top. Has anyone here switched from parchment to silpat and actually seen a difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix_thompson422d ago

Oh man, that's a solid debate right there. I've noticed this with so many kitchen tools, people get super attached to one way of doing things and swear by it. For macarons, I think parchment is safer because you can control the heat distribution better, but silpat is just easier to clean up. It's kind of like how some people only use cast iron for steaks while others go with stainless steel. Both can work but you gotta know your own oven and what it likes. Did you let your macarons rest long enough before baking? That's usually what causes cracks for me.

alicecooper16d ago

Honestly, the whole air fryer vs convection oven tribal war is just kitchen gear version of people arguing about pineapple on pizza. Everyone's got an opinion and nobody's backing down. Ngl, I've seen grown adults nearly come to blows over whether a silpat is "cheating" versus parchment paper being "old school." At the end of the day, if your macarons crack, just call them "rustic" and blame the humidity like everyone else does.

the_matthew22d ago

It's like the whole air fryer vs convection oven thing, people get tribal over their tools.