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Hi, Seeking advice on baking in silicone. I saw a DeBuyer financier silicone baking pan online at Sur La Table. It's pricy!

I've never baked in silicone and have no idea if this is a good way to go. Has anyone had experience baking in silicone?

Thanks,

Patricia Ann

I have never baked in silicon but I would expect different results compared with glass or metal.  Silicon is an insulator.  Glass and metal transfer heat much more quickly.  At the very least I would expect bottom/side browning to happen much more slowly.  

I use mini-muffiin silicone moulds and have had great success w/them.  I use them for tiny appetizers, e.g. crustless quiches, cheese puffs, etc., and they've been terrific.  Clean up is easy and - yes, I agree that things cook/bake a little more swiftly than glass or metal, but I regard that as a bonus.

Mine were very inexpensive from SuperStore, but I think I've seem similar ones at Wal-Mart, too.  I also have silicone mini-cup-cake cases, indvidual ones, and I also use those for savoury items, too.  Absolutely no complaints, however, I probably would never have tried them had they been pricy.

I have several silicone baking pans and have had great success with them. All my baked goods brown nicely in them and I find the baking times to be quite similar to metal pans (but I always test early when trying a new recipe.) I particularly love my silicone bundt pan as I have never had a cake get stuck/broken and I cannot say the same for metal bundt pans I've used in the past. I've also made adorable mini jam tarts using my silicone mini muffin pans. I tried making the same exact recipe another time using my mom's metal mini muffin pans and they stuck so badly I couldn't take them to the party I had intended them for -- we didn't mind scooping out the broken bits to eat ourselves, but that certainly wasn't the result I was going for!

The pans I have were quite reasonably priced at Bed Bath & Beyond (Wilton brand), so I would say they are definitely worth it. The only negative I would mention is that my most frequently used silicone muffin pan got a tear in it after a few years. I don't think that is necessarily typical though since I bake muffins a lot more frequently than most people.

Dear Foodelf and Christine,

Thank you for sharing your experiences with silicone.

I'm wondering how you release the items when they are finished cooking? How long do you have to wait before you take them out of the pan? What is the best way to  grease the pan or flour and grease the pan with silicone pans? And finally, do you put them on a baking sheet to give them stability or just place them on the oven rack?

I keep a Williams Sonoma baking stone in my oven and cook everything right on top of that. Sometimes I bake right on it on top of a sheet of parchment. Everything else, I bake in their pans right on top of the stone. I always warm the stone fully before baking. I'm wondering if I can place the silicone on top of my stone? I don't want to melt the silicone or ruin my stone.

Thanks again for your help,

PatriciaAnn

Some silicone pans claim greasing isn't necessary, but I err on the side of caution and always use cooking spray or butter to grease the pan. In my experience, baked goods release very easily and I usually just follow the recipe's instructions regarding how long to cool in the pan before removing. Most of the time all you have to do is gently pull the edges away (bundt or layer cake) or slide a butter knife around the edges (muffins) and then they pop right out.

I usually just place the pans directly on the oven racks. I did try putting the bundt pan on a cookie sheet once and the top got a bit of a flattened appearance, but it didn't do any harm other than that. For muffin pans which already have flat bottoms, it might be nice to place them on a cookie sheet or baking stone for a little extra stability. Though the pans look like they could melt, they would be rather useless if they did. They hold up well to the heat, so unless your product malfunctioned, I don't think it would damage your stone. If you do buy a silicone pan, make sure to check the label/packaging for the upper limit in terms of temperature. I believe most are safe up to 500F. I don't personally recommend high heat roasting in them, but basic baking at 350-400F should be no problem at all. I found this list of FAQs on the Wilton site if you want to get some more information directly from a company that makes these products.

I agree w/Christine - no need to handle with exteme care.  In fact, my slicone goes directly onto the pizza stone that lives in my oven full-time.

I've tried several approaches to greasing, but can't beat paper towel wrapped around the finger with butter smeared on it for proper coverage.  I, too, err on the side of discretion and prefer to grease a little.

I find things cool quicker w/silicone and releasing has never been a problem at all - everything emerges easily and pretty cleanly.  In fact, with the rubbery texture of the silicone, it's easier to bend and manipulate for easy exit.

I'd go for it, PatriciaAnn - maybe not with the really expensive ones, but perhaps an experiment with a less-costly one to test drive?

There's a lot of silicone bakeware on Amazon and eBay, at pretty good prices, so you might want to check the prices there before you buy in a store.  Many of the silicone pans and molds are made in China and there are sellers there (mainly on eBay) who sell them cheaply with free shipping!  I've bought several that way and they arrive quite quickly.  I find it very hit or miss with this stuff on line.  We have a number of good cookware stores here in Kansas City and sometimes their prices are less expensive than online.  So it's worth doing a bit of shopping and comparing -- sometimes a pan that's $20 or $30 in a store is $8 on eBay from a Chinese vendor.  But you never know!  It's the joy of shopping!

Dear Christine,

Thank you for the link to frequently asked questions regarding silicone pans. It was very helpful. Thanks, too, for sharing your experiences.

Dear Foodelf,

Thanks for letting me know you put your silicone right on your pizza stone. It helps me feel confident that I can do it, too. I also appreciate that you shared your experiences with silicone baking.

One aside to leaving a stone in the oven full time... Last year, I made a batch of scones. I already had my cooling rack out so I placed a sheet of parchment on top of the cooling rack.  As I cut the individual scones, I lifted them onto the parchment on top of the rack. (This particular cooling rack is the kind with little squares.) My intention was to slide the scones and parchment off the cooling rack in one motion. But for some reason, I  placed the whole thing, cooling rack, parchment, and scones right on top of the Baking stone. When they were done, I removed the whole thing. The scones turned out more delicious than ever and I've done it that way ever since. It saves my arms from having to reach in, over and over, to place individual scones on the stone. Since then, I've also cooked cookies the same way. I'm only guessing, but perhaps the reason these baked goods seem nicer is that there is more air flow because the cooling rack raises the scones and cookies off the stone. I'm thinking that I may do the same technique with silicone molds.

Dear robm,

Thanks for the advice on where to get the pans reasonably priced. I appreciate your comments.

I like the silicone mini muffin pans for very tender muffins.  By letting the previously greased pans cool completely, I am able to gently remove most delicate muffins intact.  A bit of finger pressure on the outside back of the flexible silicone pushes the muffin out nicely. I suspect the same thing will work when I get around to making tart shells. 

Also, I have repurposed a 14 inch by 14 inch ceramic floor tile as a baking stone.  And it even matches my kitchen floor! (We bought repair tiles when we built the house, but haven't needed them, thank you Kitchen God!