I’ve been using my ceramic baking beans for a while now and, even though they’re always on parchment when in the oven, I noticed (while producing a banging cherry bakewell tart) that they’re beginning to smell of old oil - quite unpleasant. Has anyone tried putting them in a bag in the dishwasher? Or have any other ideas for rectifying the situation? If not - I’ll try the dishwashing and post to let you know the result!
How to Refresh Ceramic Baking Beans
- Thread starter Bea
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that seems to be a pretty common problem. This is why I don’t bother with them anymore and just use rice. It’s cheaper. Plus rice is lighter in weight and doesn’t leave indentations in my crust
Try soaking them in a solution of vinegar and water.
Also rather than parchment paper I prefer the regular weight aluminum foil. Oils and moisture do not penetrate foil. Foil also forms to the shape better. I always freeze my crust. Then shape the foil to it.
Well - I took a chance on the dishwasher idea last night (using a net bag that normally goes through the washing machine) and it worked a treat. Had to scrub out the plastic tub the beans came in as well but I am now fully fragrant in the baking bean department. Thank all! 
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2017
- Messages
- 4,068
- Reaction score
- 2,081
Well - I took a chance on the dishwasher idea last night (using a net bag that normally goes through the washing machine) and it worked a treat. Had to scrub out the plastic tub the beans came in as well but I am now fully fragrant in the baking bean department. Thank all!
Well that’s good news. I know other bakers have tried to use the dishwasher without luck. You might want to switch to foil to keep a good barrier between your weights and the crust. I’ll stick to using rice. Happy Baking