The material silicone and what you should know about it

The trademark of BODDELS is the colorful silicone ring. Since we often come across silicone in various utensils, we decided to answer the most important questions you might have about silicone and its properties. What is silicone, how is it made and what do you have to consider when using it? Here are the answers.

First of all...

What is silicone?

Silicone is a type of plastic that consists of molecular chains of silicon and oxygen as well as a portion of hydrogen and carbon. Unlike other plastics that are made from fossil raw materials, no petroleum is required to manufacture silicone. Silicone is a very elastic material that does not require any additional plasticizers in its manufacture.

What is silicone used for?

Silicone is a very robust and tearproof material. For this reason, silicone is used for various utensils. For example, silicone rubber is often used in the production of baking molds. Furthermore, silicone is also used for the production of medical prostheses or for sealing compounds at home. Processed silicone can withstand temperatures of up to 150°C. Special heat-resistant silicone types can even withstand temperatures well above that.

What about the color of the silicone?

Pure silicone mostly has a white to creamy color. However, by adding various dyes, the material can be easily and permanently colored. For example, you can find our BODDELS silicone rings in many different colors, such as apple green or raspberry red. Since silicone is UV-resistant, our silicone rings do not fade even when exposed to strong sunlight. In addition, silicone can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher.

How harmless is silicone?

Silicone rubber is considered to be harmless because there are practically no allergies to silicone. For this reason, silicone is also often used for the production of kitchen utensils, hygiene products or implants in the medical field. Silicone, which has been specially made for use in the food sector, is also food-safe. Such products are usually marked with a food-safety label on the packaging.

When the material is heated at a high temperature, it could potentially release harmful gasses known as siloxanes. Therefore you shouldn't use silicone baking molds at temperatures above 200°C.

We hope this article answered your questions about silicone. Make sure to check out our online shop and discover the colourful world of BODDELS!