Silicone Trivet Mats: Protect Your Countertop from Hot Pressure Cookers (2026)

What Is a Trivet Mat and Why Does Your Kitchen Need One?

A trivet mat is a heat pad for your countertop. It sits between a hot pot and the counter, so the heat does not go straight into the surface. A silicone trivet mat is soft, grips the counter and is easy to wash. That is why it suits hot pressure cookers, kadais and tawas in an Indian kitchen. (Looking for the metal stand that goes inside a cooker? See the next section.)

Many of us put a pressure cooker straight from the stove onto the counter. Most stone handles this most days. But a very hot pot on one spot is a sudden temperature change, called thermal shock. Some surfaces can mark, scorch or lift from it.

A new countertop costs far more than a trivet mat. The InstaCuppa silicone mat is Rs 999 on our store as of 4 October 2026. The math is simple.

Most Indian homes do not use trivets. We put hot things on the counter, on a steel plate, or on a folded towel. All three can damage your surface over time. A good silicone trivet stops that damage with zero effort.

What Is a Trivet in a Cooker?

A trivet in a cooker is a small metal stand that sits inside the pressure cooker, above the water. A bowl, a mould or a separator rests on it. The steam cooks the food, and the food stays out of the water. Hawkins calls this stand a grid. Instant Pot calls it a steam rack.

The Hawkins Futura manual says its grid is about 1.3 cm tall. It is used "for minimising the contact between food and the cooking liquid and/or the base." The Instant Pot 5.7 litre manual lists a stainless steel steam rack in the box.

How to use it, from the Hawkins steps for rice in a mould:

1. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of water into the cooker.
2. Put the grid (trivet) in the cooker.
3. Place the mould or bowl of food on the grid.
4. Close the cooker and cook as the recipe says.

Do not use it for every dish. Hawkins says the grid should not be used for soups, stews, dals, pulses and similar foods. Those cook straight in the cooker.

A trivet in a cooker and a trivet mat do different jobs. One lifts food inside the pot. The other protects your counter from the hot pot. The rest of this guide is about the trivet mat.

Why Indian Kitchens Need a Trivet More Than Western Ones

Indian cooking puts a lot of hot cookware on the counter. Pressure cookers, kadais, tawas and iron pans come off the flame many times a day. Food in a pressure cooker cooks at about 121 °C, says the Hawkins manual. A trivet mat protects the counter from this heat again and again.

Think about your daily routine. The pressure cooker comes off the stove after making dal. Where does it go? Straight onto the granite. The tawa comes off after rotis. Same spot. The kadai after frying pakoras. Same spot again.

That one spot on your counter takes heat several times a day. Here is what heat can do to each surface:

• Granite: handles heat well, but the Natural Stone Institute still advises trivets or mats. Sudden heat on one spot can stress the stone and its sealer.
• Marble: softer than granite. The same stone advice applies: use a trivet or a mat under hot pots.
• Laminate: the most at risk. Formica says long heat of 60 °C or more may lift the laminate, and 135 °C is safe only for a short time.
• Wood: a very hot pot can scorch or mark the surface.

A trivet creates a barrier. The hot pot sits on the trivet. Silicone passes heat slowly, so the counter under it stays much cooler.

Silicone vs Cork vs Metal vs Wooden Trivets

Trivet mats come in four main materials: silicone, cork, metal (steel or iron) and wood. Each one handles heat, water and cleaning in its own way. For a wet, busy Indian kitchen, silicone gives the best mix of heat resistance, easy cleaning and grip.

The key difference for Indian kitchens: metal carries heat well. A metal trivet lifts the pot, but its feet still pass heat to the counter where they touch. Silicone carries heat slowly, so it slows the heat on its way down. That is why silicone works better under a hot pressure cooker.

How Much Heat Can a Silicone Trivet Mat Take?

Silicone rubber takes a lot of heat. Shin-Etsu, a silicone maker, says its silicone rubber shows almost no change at 150 °C and can be used at 200 °C for 10,000 hours or more. A hot pressure cooker is far cooler than that. Its food cooks at about 121 °C, so the pot is close to that when it leaves the flame.

We have not run a lab heat test on our mat. Our product page calls the InstaCuppa mat heat-resistant and says you can use it as a trivet for hot pots and pans. It does not list an exact °C rating, so we do not print one here.

The number that matters is the rating on your own mat. Here is how common Indian cookware compares:

• Pressure cooker: food inside cooks at about 121 °C -- fine on a silicone mat
• Kadai after frying: the oil is much hotter than boiling water -- check your mat's rating
• Tawa after rotis: a dry tawa has no water to cool it, so it can be hotter still -- let it cool a minute
• Iron pan from the oven: about as hot as the oven setting -- check your mat's rating
• Baking tray from an OTG: about as hot as the oven setting -- use a mat rated above it, or let it cool

Double Duty: Silicone Trivet That Also Dries Dishes

A silicone trivet mat with raised ridges and a drain spout works as both a trivet and a dish drying mat. One product does the job of two. Use it as a trivet while you cook. Use it as a drying mat after washing. This suits small kitchens with little storage.

Most trivets are small circles or squares. They protect the counter from one pot. The InstaCuppa mat is a full dish drying mat, so it is much bigger than a small trivet. Our product page does not list an exact size yet. When cooking is done, wipe it and use it to dry dishes.

The drain spout, which sends dish water into the sink, is the detail that makes this work. A regular trivet does not have drainage. A regular drying mat is not heat-resistant. This mat does both.

InstaCuppa Silicone Mat as a Kitchen Trivet

The InstaCuppa Silicone Dish Drying Mat doubles as a heat-resistant trivet. It is made of BPA-free, food-grade silicone. It has a non-slip base, a built-in drain spout and a foldable design, and it can go on the top rack of a dishwasher. It costs Rs 999 (listed price Rs 1,499) on our store as of 4 October 2026. It is made in China and sold by InstaCuppa, Tirupati.

What makes it work as a trivet:

• Heat-resistant -- our product page says you can use it as a trivet for hot pots and pans
• Large surface -- it is a full dish drying mat, so it is bigger than most trivets
• Non-slip base -- the mat stays put on a clean, dry counter
• No scratching -- soft silicone will not scratch granite, marble, or glass surfaces
• Foldable -- folds into a drawer. Unlike wooden or metal trivets, it does not need its own shelf.
• Dishwasher safe -- spill dal on it? Rinse it, or put it on the top rack of the dishwasher.
• 1-year warranty -- the standard InstaCuppa warranty covers manufacturing defects, plus a 10-day free trial

Saran Reddy

Founder, InstaCuppa | Building kitchen tools that give busy Indian moms their time back