A bakery tray is the bake-bone of any bakery business. It is a primary tool in the cooking chain. Whereas the humble bakery tray is not expected to imbue the finished food with a unique taste, it is a critical component in the baking process. An inefficient, fragile or damaged tray will add to overheads and waste precious oven time and ingredients.

A bakery tray which chips and breaks is a health hazard for employees and customers.

A good bakery tray must therefore be in the background, proving its effectiveness and worth by not hampering the baking process. We look at a few beneficial traits of plastic (silicone) bakery trays that make them the ideal tool for bakeries.

-          Oiling and greasing – Plastic bakery trays have this major benefit over metal: they don’t need to be oiled or greased before they are placed in the oven. At the other end, this consumes less time and requires expending less energy, having to wash and rinse metal trays, which could otherwise contaminate food. Valuable time and resource saved for your business.

-          Non-stick – Baked items to the tray are waved goodbye with plastic bakery trays. No more items glued fervently to the tray. Plastic trays are flexible, giving you plenty of leverage. Even the stickiest of doughs can be rolled out because plastic is an inherently a low friction material.

-          Even baking temperatures – Plastic is a more insulating material than metal, which means heat is distributed more even across the bakery tray. Metal trays are quick to gain hotspots running the risk of uneven baking and darkened bottoms.

-          No rusting – Plastic bakery trays do not rust or stain, a very noticeable benefit. Consider that a metal tray will rust over time, not only will its discoloration appear ungainly to customers, it can affect the baked product.

-          Material attributes – Silicone is lightweight, strong and sturdy. Plastic bakery trays of this material can last a long time without fading, bending or breaking. Food grade silicone has low chemical interaction, doesn’t support micro-bacterial growth and does not contaminate the food.

-          Customization – Plastic bakery trays have the tremendous benefit of being customizable. They come in a variety of colors and can be stamped with your business’ logo. These bakery trays are nothing to hide in the kitchen but can be used to show off your brand and become a unique selling point of your business. What’s more, customized bakery trays are likely to deter theft, their unique color and design schemes being obvious giveaways of their status.