Kitchen utensils
I have tried out various kitchen utensils, including muffin pans, loaf pans, a mixer, and a blender, among others. While these items can be useful for baking and food preparation, I found that many of them took too long to clean, making them impractical for everyday use. As a result, I ended up donating all of the utensils that I wasn’t using. The only items that I found to be useful and easy to clean are silicone baking sheets and silicone muffin cups. These utensils are made from a non-stick material that eliminates the need for oil or butter and silicone material also distributes heat evenly.
Silicone baking trays/sheets are primarily made of silicone, which is a synthetic polymer material composed of silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. However, some silicone baking trays/sheets may contain additional materials, such as fiberglass or nylon, to provide additional strength and durability.
Fiberglass is sometimes added to the silicone material to reinforce the tray/sheet and prevent it from bending or warping during use. This is especially important for larger or thicker trays/sheets, which may be more prone to deformation under high temperatures or heavy use. Nylon is another material that may be added to the silicone to provide additional durability and heat resistance. Nylon-reinforced silicone trays/sheets are often used in commercial kitchens, as they are more resistant to wear and tear and can withstand high-volume use.
When exposed to heat, silicone responds by retaining its shape and structure without melting or warping. This means that it can be used in high-temperature environments without the risk of deformation or damage. Silicone is also an excellent insulator, which means that it helps to distribute heat evenly across the surface of the tray/sheet.
The other useful utensils that I regulary use are metal bowls for mixing, a metal whisk, and silicone spatulas.
Breakfast muffins
The muffins that I came up with require two bowls for mixing, a metal whisk, a spoon, and silicone muffin cups. These muffins are gluten-free. They are made from gluten-free oats, oat flour and or sorghum flour. I also add flax seeds and chia seeds for fiber and nutrition. Sweetness comes from ripe bananas, apple sauce, and honey. I find these muffins very filling, sometimes my breakfast consists of just several muffins and a coffee with oat milk. The recipe also includes two eggs. Eggs, flax seeds, and chia seeds, do contain protein. The flour contains carbs. The eggs and butter add fat. So I would say this is a balanced breakfast. The recipe is below:
Bowl 1 – dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats
1 1/2 cups oat/sorghum flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Mix together all of the dry ingredients in bowl 1
Bowl 2 – wet ingredients:
2 mashed ripe bananas (start with this step first – mash the bananas in bowl 2)
1/2 cup apple sauce
5 tablespoons of melted butter/vegan butter
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespooons honey
1 cup blueberries
Mix together all of the wet ingredients with a metal whisk, starting with mashing the ripe bananas first. Make sure that everything that you mix is at room temperature. Add blueberries last.
Pour the mixture from bowl 2 into bowl 1, again, mix everything together. Let the final mixture stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. While the mixture is standing, you can turn on the oven to 350 F, so that it starts preheating.
Place silicone muffins cups on a tray. After 15 minutes pass, the dough is ready, use a spoon to pour the mixture into the silicone muffin cups. Place the tray with the muffin cups into the oven. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
Notes of a Neuropsychiatry Amateur 