Using Silicone Pans: Tips and Tricks

[ACSAPA]

Excuse my ignorance, but I've seen a lot of cool looking silicone pans at the store and bought metal ones instead because I didn't know exactly how to use silicone pans.

Silicone pans seem kind of floppy. Do you put them on a cookie sheet in the oven so they are more stable?
Do you use cupcake liners? Do you use baking spray or butter or leave them ungreased?
Are there any advantages to using silicone versus metal?

 

[Becky]

Depends on the quality - cheaper ones can be far too floppy to use properly, but more expensive ones tend to have a bit more structure to support them. That being said, I wouldn't use them for anything bigger than a loaf unless they felt really sturdy!

 

[Kevin]

I often wondered myself. Thought of buying some of the cool designs but wasn't sure about using them. I will be looking at this thread in the future for input from actual users.

 

[trefle77]

I bought one to match the color and looks of my silicone spatulas and it was great. I did use it to make a loaf of cinamon bread and it was definitely amazing to flip it gently onto the plate. One good thing is it doesn't require greasing too. I still like my traditional glass and metal pans but silicone pans are a really nice, attractive alternative.

 

[ACSAPA]

I bought one to match the color and looks of my silicone spatulas and it was great. I did use it to make a loaf of cinamon bread and it was definitely amazing to flip it gently onto the plate. One good thing is it doesn't require greasing too. I still like my traditional glass and metal pans but silicone pans are a really nice, attractive alternative.

Nobody in this thread has actually answered my question about silicone pans. They're kind of floppy, so are you supposed to put them on a cookie sheet to stabilize them or just try to get them into the oven and hope nothing spills out?

 

[Golem]

Excuse my ignorance, but I've seen a lot of cool looking silicone pans at the store and bought metal ones instead because I didn't know exactly how to use silicone pans.

Silicone pans seem kind of floppy. Do you put them on a cookie sheet in the oven so they are more stable?
Do you use cupcake liners? Do you use baking spray or butter or leave them ungreased?
Are there any advantages to using silicone versus metal?

Most silicone pans are flexible by design. Yes, the cheapies are REALLY floppy though. They are great because you do not need to use cupcake liners. If I am using a sticky batter I will give the pan a light spray of PAM or the like; but it is not mandatory. The one thing to remember is to let them cool, preferably on a rack, about ten minutes before you turn them over. Everything usually slides right out.

The pan can go directly into the oven without a sheet. However, I do usually take it out of the oven by sliding it onto a rack or sheet. Clean up is a lot easier than the metal pans.

 

[trefle77]

Well, the silicone pans are still pretty floppy and I did use mine with a cookie sheet for stability. It worked so I'll be using the cookie sheets if I use the pan. I am not quite sure if you can do without the cookie sheet actually.

 

[stanfordsarah]

Excuse my ignorance, but I've seen a lot of cool looking silicone pans at the store and bought metal ones instead because I didn't know exactly how to use silicone pans.

Silicone pans seem kind of floppy. Do you put them on a cookie sheet in the oven so they are more stable?
Do you use cupcake liners? Do you use baking spray or butter or leave them ungreased?
Are there any advantages to using silicone versus metal?

Hi there,
Frankly, I do not like anything made of this material. My mom just bought an ice cube tray and it's a nightmare trying to get the suckers out. I have found that the stuff cracks or breaks before you can remove it from the silicon baking forms. I prefer metal, whether old-fashioned or non-stick, and I like to grease things with softened butter or olive oil, depending on how healthy I am feeling

 

[Cheerio]

I have been wanting to try the silicone muffin and loaf pans. I was skeptical until my cousin showed me hers. It looked so easy as I watched her just pop the muffins right out of the tray and she didn't even have to use paper liners. She's a much better baker than I am so I could use the extra help.

I know the silicone pans are made to withstand great heat and they are supposed to be fairly easy to clean. That would be a huge bonus for me because I HATE scrubbing the burned batter off the metal pans. It seems no matter how hard you work at it, the pans always get that burned on look with time.

I've been pricing silicone bakeware and I think that's going to be next on my list for kitchen purchases.

 

[ChesterV]

I will never use silicone bakeware. I just cannot see where this doesn't infect your food with chemicals while baking.

As for the questions, if it's flimsy, you have to stabilize it, so I'd say yes....you should use sheet pans or something flat to hold it up, or bake it on.

As for liners, I think it depends on the type of silicone it's made of. From what I hear some silicone is like teflon, it doesn't stick.....but other kinds of silicone you have to grease up or use liners, otherwise everything sticks. Personally, I use baking spray on everything that goes into the oven.

As far as advantages over metal or glass, I would think this is a personal choice.....as I don't see any advantages to them, other than being able to just throw them in a drawer or fold them up and stuff them in a box.