Non-stick "Magic" sheets. really do work.

rubadub

I got one of those magic sheet things. They are insupermarkets alongside greaseproof paper, tinfoil etc. I thought it was just a sheet of teflon but I think it is something else. They cost €5 which put me off, but they work amazingly. I out it in a wok and fried stuff up at full heat for ages, no sticking at all and the sheet was perfect afterwards.

If anybody knows what they are made of please let me know. I wonder if you could lay it straight on the hob and cook with out a frying pan at all.

Shabadu

Are you talking about the silicon sheets? They're amazing aren't they! They're not stiff enough to put straight on a hob, the food would flop off. But you can put then on a hot baking sheet in the oven.

rubadub

I am not sure if they are silicone (they are not stretchy), maybe some special high temp silicone. They are black and shiny and roll easily in one direction, come in a yellowish box.
Yeah they are not stiff for a normal hob, mine is one of those glass plate things so it would lay down flat. They really are great, I was thinking pancakes would be ideal if I could lay it out on the hob

bonkey

rubadub wrote:

I am not sure if they are silicone (they are not stretchy),

Can't think of anything else they would be, myself.

Bear in mind that silicone is a generic term for a silicon-containing plastic. Just cause it ain't stretchy doesn't mean much.

Generally, though, they will be flexible

maybe some special high temp silicone.

There's no shortage of silicone cooking products, so I don't think its particularly special.

They are black and shiny and roll easily in one direction, come in a yellowish box.

Sounds like sillicone. The chefs on Ready Steady Cook have been using them for donkeys and swear by them.

They really are great, I was thinking pancakes would be ideal if I could lay it out on the hob

well, if you've already used it in a wok, why wouldn't you just use it in a crepe-pan? Besides, how would you flip your pancake if you cooked with it directly on the hob?

Me, I've always thought they were primarily for baking.

Aside:

I guess I just don't get the non-stick thing. I use metal, uncoated pans by preference. Except when I screw up (read: burn things), food doesn't stick...except that lovely bit which you get while browning meat....which is really what you want for deglazing into a sauce. Can't do that properly with non-stick. Course, I have good non-non-stick pans (stick pans?), which helps.

Only place I'd want it is in the oven, to ensure baking doesn't stick to whatever form I'm using.

dudara

I use cast-iron skillets for cooking, and things very rarely stick to them. Same story with my steel wok. You should be moving things around fast enough that they don't stick anyway.

rubadub

bonkey wrote:

There's no shortage of silicone cooking products, so I don't think its particularly special.

did a quick check and found silicone bakeware rated to 220C, this is what normal silicone in guns is rated too aswell, teflon is something similar. Not suited to a high temp stove which gets way over 220C.
Found some saying fiberglass, teflon, and one was teflon coated fibreglass. If it is just silicone or teflon then €5 is very expensive.

bonkey wrote:

if you've already used it in a wok, why wouldn't you just use it in a crepe-pan? Besides, how would you flip your pancake if you cooked with it directly on the hob?.

I have a tiny crepe pan it wouldnt make a nice dish shape when I put it in it, thats why the wok worked well with its angled sides, it is a flat based wok.

bonkey wrote:

I guess I just don't get the non-stick thing. I use metal, uncoated pans by preference. Except when I screw up (read: burn things), food doesn't stick...except that lovely bit which you get while browning meat....which is really what you want for deglazing into a sauce. Can't do that properly with non-stick.

Well it allows you to use very little oil, and I often do burn things. I prefer cooking high fat foods with no oil at all, like burgers, mince, sausages etc.
I do have a good thick base pan for searing in a good steak.

You should be moving things around fast enough that they don't stick anyway.

why should I? just so they wont stick? Well I am too lazy to stand stirring all the time, thats why I got it

dudara

rubadub wrote:

why should I? just so they wont stick? Well I am too lazy to stand stirring all the time, thats why I got it

That's what stir-frying is. The food is exposed for very short periods to an extremely high heat.

bonkey

rubadub wrote:

If it is just silicone or teflon then €5 is very expensive.

I wouldn't have thought so.

Most of the bakeware (rated to 260C or 500F) sheets I've seen online and in other places are alerady more than that.

If you're paying €5 for something that can handle far higher temps, then you're getting a better quality product for less. Doesn't seem that expensive to me.

Are you sure they're that much higher, as a matter of interest? I would have thought they weren't that much higher in temp - its just the difference in how the heat-transfer mechanism works.

I know its not quite directly comparable, but a BBQ where you can just-about hold your hand at arms-length above it is "only" at around 300 degrees C. I'd be massively surprised if a hob was generating spot-temps much in excess of that, if it even got that hot.

jc

Well it allows you to use very little oil,

I almost exclusively use little-to-no oil.

and I often do burn things.

Well fair enough then

I prefer cooking high fat foods with no oil at all, like burgers, mince, sausages etc.

Me too....although I wouldn't consider mince high-fat (at least, not the mince I buy), and I make my own burgers from said mince, so they don't count for me either.

What I do for them is rub them lightly in oil, and then "dry-fry".

I do have a good thick base pan for searing in a good steak.

Griddle-pan for me, if I'm not BBQing.

why should I? just so they wont stick? Well I am too lazy to stand stirring all the time,

Then you ain't stir-frying.

With stir-frying, if you're not moving the stuff around, it will burn. If it doesn't burn, your temp is too low, and you're half-stewing everything. It still tastes fine, and there's nothing wrong with it as a method of cooking, but stir-frying it ain't.

I will admit, though, I find it pretty-much impossible to do decent stir-fry without a gas (or other naked-flame) cooker, or a really heavy wok.

Shabadu

Bonkey- you don't need a really heavy wok. In fact, they were originally made to make the most use of the smallest amount of heat, so the lighter it is, the faster it is to heat up. They're meant to be strong cast iron, but light enough to toss. For example, traditional woks are only one layer, and most heavy bottomed pans have several.

It depends on your definition of heavy though. A traditional wok is heavier than a 'non-stick wok' (even saying it pains me), but a lot lighter than a le crueset frying pan. It also depends on whether or not you use a proper round bottomed wok and stand for a gas flame, or a flat bottomed monstrosity! Although to be fair, some of us have to make do with electric hobs for the time being.

The most important thing to do with your wok is season it regularly, never clean it with detergents, keep it as dry as possible. I have 1 non-stick pan for when my signifigant other cooks, bless him, apart from that I stick to cast iron. The wedding money next year will go on 7 layered copper pans with a titanium coating. \o/ and a kitchenaid.

dudara

Shabadu wrote:

The most important thing to do with your wok is season it regularly, never clean it with detergents, keep it as dry as possible.

Most definitely. Mine very rarely sees detergent. only when something is incredibly badly burnt onto it. And then I have to re-season it from start. BTW seasoning is preparing a wok for use. You place it on heat, and use some kitchen paper to coat the inside with oil. This keeps it in perfect nick.

Every time you use your wok, clean it out with kitchen paper, maybe a rinse with water. Then dry it well. Rub with a little oil if required.

rubadub

bonkey wrote:

If you're paying €5 for something that can handle far higher temps, then you're getting a better quality product for less. Doesn't seem that expensive to me.

€5 would be pricey for teflon or silicone which are pretty inexpensive plastics, thats why I figured it was something else and wondering what material it was. I just wanted to know what heat it is rated to. €5 is well worth it for what the sheet does, no doubt there. even if it is just teflon or silicone I would recommend them

bonkey wrote:

Are you sure they're that much higher, as a matter of interest? I would have thought they weren't that much higher in temp - its just the difference in how the heat-transfer mechanism works.

Yes, hobs get much higher. I have tried searching but found little. You have heard of chip pans going on fire, this page shows oil will have a flash point at 600f (315C) and full fire at 700F(371F).
http://missvickie.com/howto/spices/oils.html
This would mean the hob would have to be a lot hotter to be able to heat the oil. I have studied heat transfer in college and know a fair bit from my actual work too. Thats probably why I have this nerdy fascination with these sheets and what material they are

bonkey wrote:

Then you ain't stir-frying.

With stir-frying, if you're not moving the stuff around, it will burn. If it doesn't burn, your temp is too low, and you're half-stewing everything. It still tastes fine, and there's nothing wrong with it as a method of cooking, but stir-frying it ain't.

I never mentioned stir-frying in the beginning. I think the confusion was me saying I use a wok, which would be used primarily for stir frying, thats why dudara mentioned it. I like the wok since it stops oil splashing out of the pan. I cook everything in them. The magic sheet just lays into the wok easily too (you are not supposed to crease the magic sheets).

These sheets would be good for people with george forman grills without removable plates, or plates that have lost their coating.