Baking mats. ter-posud / Pixabay.com / 2006 / CC0 1.0
Mats have been used throughout human history in every phase of food preparation, from growing, gathering, sieving, storage, preparation, cooking, serving, and cleanup.
There are specialized mats for each phase; very few if any are interchangeable.
Types of mats used for food
Baking Mats
Baking mats are non-stick floppy sheets that you put on top of a baking tray before baking. They prevent the food item being baked from sticking to the pan.
Pastry Cloth
A pastry cloth is a cloth on which you roll out dough for pastry. Its purpose is to minimize sticking, and allow you to therefore roll the dough thinner.
Pastry Cloth Pad
A pastry cloth pad is used to hold a pastry cloth in place on a worksurface to stop it from sliding as pressure is being applied to the dough on it.
Sudare
A sudare is a small, flexible mat made from strips of bamboo to help you assemble and roll up maki sushi.