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Silicone Baking Pans
JEAN QUESTION
Dear Rose,
I have an older copy of your "The Cake Bible" that was written before
the advent and proliferation of the silicon baking pans. In general,
what changes to the baking process should I consider if I use these pans?
Thanks,
ROSE REPLY
There are actually very few changes necessary. It is important to realize, however, that no substance on earth that I know of is 100% non-stick. Because silicone happens to be the most nonstick substance, if it is prepared properly (with oil and flour) it will release the cake perfectly with no crust stuck to the pan.
It is best to allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack until warm or room temperature before unmolding it.
Deep fluted tube pans, as they are now, do not conduct the heat well to the center of the cake and may require as long as 20 minutes extra baking. But this is a relatively new technology and is continuing to evolve. For small cakes and the standard 9 x 2 inch cake I feel silicone has no equal. The cakes rise more evenly, with no need to wrap the sides of the pans with cake strips, and the texture is lighter and more even though the actual height of the cake is slightly lower.
Read about my association with Lékué Silicone pans and bakeware from Spain.
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There is no comparison to the Flexipan and any other silicone products on the market. If you go to http://www.demarle.com/en/la-societe/competences.html you will see the certifications proving that Demarle has no carcinogens and is perfectly safe and leaves NO aftertaste or health concerns. They also have a kosher certificate posted on the demarleathome.com website for those who are interested. If you haven't tried Demarle, the ORIGINAL proprietor, you may run into some of the problems listed on your blog. Hopefully that website for Demarle Magazine, a website for professional chefs around the world, should clear up this matter. I highly doubt that chefs who stake their whole reputation on taste would use anything that would compromise taste. I see chefs on the Food Network use these molds, silpats, roul pats on just about every Food Network Challenge. If it was an unsafe product wouldn't the professionals stop using it? They have nothing to gain as a personal endorsement as it has been purchased by professional chefs for many many years before it became a fad that cheaper silicone companies tried to copy. The fad would have long since been abandoned.Hope this helps!
Reply to this Posted by: Celeste Friese | November 20, 2008 4:55 PM #
Rose is out of town, but I'll attempt to answer your question. If your tops of your cupcakes are getting sticky, they are absorbing moisture... can happen even when the air is dry. Are you cooling your cupcakes inside a container of some sort, or are they left on the counter over night?
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | October 2, 2008 7:24 AM #
Hi Rose, i have the same problem too. i am from Australia, climate is dry. i usually bake in the evenings. after leaving my cakes overnight to cool overnighte the cakes get moist and a little sticky on the top. hope you can advise.
Reply to this Posted by: mei | October 2, 2008 6:26 AM #
Nope, i work in the chem field, and i know what goes into making Silicone pans. So i am an authority on them.
Reply to this Posted by: Donnie | September 16, 2008 11:15 PM #
you probably bought crap pans. I use these all the time and my concoctions smell and taste delicious. And stop the scare tactics...go one some other site to post your paranoia.
Reply to this Posted by: Tammy | September 15, 2008 12:14 AM #
You people don't realize that Silicone pans are made from Petrochems...derivatives from crude petroleum. Silicone pans, in my opinion, give off a very small amount of carcinogens during each baking or use.
Each molecule builds up in your body to increase the chances of getting cancer.
Reply to this Posted by: Donnie | July 28, 2008 8:57 AM #
We bought some of these flexipans for our business. We bake pound cakes and cheesecakes, brownies, pies, all sorts of baked goods. The cakes in the silicone stunk up our building while they were baking, and we had to throw away the results. The cakes smelled like burning rubber, and were not baked through. We have the bundt ones, and the batter weighs them down, causing the pretty scalloped edge to FLATTEN resulting in an ugly cake. I just can't see The Cheesecake factory using these. our little hometown cheesecake business knows better, now.
Reply to this Posted by: Cheesecakery | July 26, 2008 1:18 PM #
Thanks Rose, I"m looking forward to trying both products!
Reply to this Posted by: amanda | April 2, 2008 2:38 PM #
yes they are the mini cake pans and are wonderful!
silicone bread pans give equal results as long as they have side supports without which the bread spreads sideways a bit. this is not a problem perse--just a different look.
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | April 2, 2008 6:58 AM #
Rose,
What is your preferred loaf pan for bread baking: silicone or metal, or do they produce relatively equal results? Also, for the barcelona brownies you speak of a financier mold by lekue...is that the same as their mini cake pans? I can't find anything by them specifically called "financier". Thanks...
Reply to this Posted by: Amanda | April 2, 2008 3:39 AM #
i love barfi! yes silicone is perfect for this. i would coat it lightly with cooking spray or oil to be sure it unmolds perfectly.
bonnie i see i didn't ever answer your question. since cakes don't rise quite as high in silicone i would fill it a little more full than usual. it may take 5 or 10 minutes longer to bake as well.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | February 29, 2008 5:57 AM #
Hi, I want to try moulding barfi (an indian sweetmeat) in a silicone ANGEL cake mould. The barfi is cooked on the stove, (quite sticky), and then after it's cooled a little, poured into the mould and left in the fridge to set. Will the silicone be suitable for this, and should I use oil or spray to grease the mould before use?
Thanks, HEMA
Reply to this Posted by: Hema Dhanesur | February 29, 2008 5:35 AM #
A silicone heart shaped pan is my latest purchase. I wish to bake a white layer cake for V day. How high should the batter be and how long do I bake it---in Denver,CO---the mile high city? Thank you!
Reply to this Posted by: Bonnie | February 12, 2008 6:20 PM #
I love the silicone tart pans for making the butter pecan tarts my family loves so much, but I am unable to get the pans clean. It bothers me that they "look" dirty. I have tried everything I can think of. Does anyone else have any suggestions. Thanks.
Reply to this Posted by: Patricia | December 23, 2007 4:37 PM #
That's funny, because I just won a bake off using my fluted bundt mold from Demarle and the judges didn't seem to have a problem with it. Other than the first use, I never notice an odor and have never had something not taste right.
Reply to this Posted by: Robyn | November 20, 2007 6:38 PM #
You are correct, Mark. I smell a strange odor EVERY TIME I bake with my Demarle molds- and the food doesn't taste the same-- a little odd. It's like the Emperor's new clothes-- no one admits it bc of the convenience.
Reply to this Posted by: Leyla Trin | November 20, 2007 6:17 PM #
i use the same temperature. the baking time may be a little longer but of course use the usual tests for doneness.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 5, 2007 12:59 PM #
Thank you for the info on placing the silicone pan on a rack in a sheet pan.
I am using a cake mix.
Do I lower or raise the oven temperature because this is a silicone pan and not metal?
Do I adjust the cooking time??
I am using a silicone cup cake pan that will go together to make a train shaped cake.
Reply to this Posted by: Mary Hazel | November 5, 2007 12:56 PM #
the ones i use brown perfectly but you can always unmold the bread when done and put it directly on the the oven rack for extra browning.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 23, 2007 9:06 AM #
I am waiting for my bread dough to rise, and was reading on how to use the two loaf pans (silicone) that I purchased at a rummage sale. The only thing that concerns me is the browning of the sides and tops of plain old white bread. Is it comparable to my trusty old metal pans? Thanks!
Reply to this Posted by: Connie McCollough | September 23, 2007 3:17 AM #
I use silpats a lot, never had a problem with any aftertaste. Is it possible Mark's restuarant oven temp is higher than the recommended cooking temp?
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | September 11, 2007 9:11 AM #
Sorry, Caren, but other chefs have noticed this flavor transfer when using these pans. With all due respect to Martha, perhaps certain people's palates are extra-sensitive to picking up the off flavor imparted by some silicone bakeware.
Reply to this Posted by: Mark | September 10, 2007 10:37 PM #
Sorry Mark--I have used Flexipan molds for almost 3 years now and haven't EVER had a rubbery aftertaste. Are you cleaning your pans properly? For one thing, silicone is not rubber, it is more of a composite of glass. As a distributer of Flexipan, with many professional chefs in our business--I have never heard this complaint. The Flexipan is made of the same material as the Silpat.....and we all know that Martha Stewart is pretty darn picky!
Reply to this Posted by: Caren LeMark | September 10, 2007 11:11 AM #
robyn was right about not need to spray the demarle flexipan mold for baking a yellow cake. i haven't tried chocolate yet but i was astonished that no residue or crumbs were left in the mold. just as in silicone that i have used, the cakes were slightly less higher on the sides as compared with metal. another thing is that there were many slanted tunnels throughout.
bottom line, there are advantages and disadvantages to each material and you have to chose what your priorities are and make your own choices. for example, i would never use metal molds for madeleines--flexipan or silicone keep them from sticking and make unmolding a dream.
and my preferred materal for layer cakes is metal with a non-stick coating, sprayed with baker's joy, and encircled with my silicone cake strips.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 9, 2007 11:09 AM #
If a restaurant is using them, they aren't going to be using something that makes their meal taste rubbery. Who would eat it? And Subway and the Cheesecake Factory use Flexipan along with tons of others. If you do have a rubbery taste, you should contact the rep who sold them to you. The only way to buy these is through an independent rep or the Demarle corporate company that sells only for commercial use.
Reply to this Posted by: Robyn | September 9, 2007 9:23 AM #
The Flexipans I have are manufactured for restaurant use. I know that these pans do not have rubber in them, but each time I have used them I note a chemical aftertaste in the baked product, which to me tastes faintly rubbery. As I said, other chefs have noted the same with these pans.
Reply to this Posted by: Mark | September 9, 2007 8:15 AM #
I became a rep for Demarle at Home only AFTER using their Flexipans and Silpats. Once I saw what they did, I got rid of every P Chef stone I had AND my glass too. I have used them exclusively in my cooking since June and have not once tasted anything that tasted rubbery. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a rep. If you are using true Demarle at Home products, and not the cheap ones you find in stores, you will not taste anything rubbery. They are made of silicone and glass. Not rubber. As for Rose's questions, the whole mold is made of silicone and beaded glass. You do not have to use any kind of spray, oil or grease to make these pans release.
Reply to this Posted by: Robyn | September 9, 2007 8:07 AM #
I have tried baking cakes in Flexipans and found that a chocolate torte baked in it had an unmistakable taste of something rubbery. I repeated the test, and noted the rubbery aftertaste in the cake. I'm not the only one who has noted this with Flexipans; this issue was also noted by others on eGullet.
Reply to this Posted by: Mark | September 9, 2007 7:53 AM #
incidentally, i have recommended silpat, silpain, and roulpat and though ads say you can roll dough without sticking on roulpat this is untrue unless you add flour.
metal pans with nonstick coating claim that cakes will not stick. this is true but only if you add grease and flour.
nonstick substances are terrific if prepared properly. if not i have yet to find a single one that releases adequately.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | August 11, 2007 10:09 AM #
are you saying that the outside surface, i.e. the surface that comes into contact with the batter, is a combination of siliconeo and beaded glass or that the beaded glass is in the interior and only the silicone component touches the batter?
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | August 11, 2007 10:06 AM #
I have to say you are wrong too. I am an independent rep for Demarle at Home, the makers of Silpat and Flexipan. These are 100% non stick! You can bake any cake in them and flip them out, NO Stick! I can send you one if you would like to see for yourself. They are made of silicone and beaded glass. These are the real deal.
Reply to this Posted by: Robyn Easlick | August 11, 2007 5:13 AM #
you're wrong. flexipan is an excellent product but if you try to bake a cake in it without preparing it with grease and flour of baker's joy it will stick. that's the nature of silicone. there is no such thing as 100% non-stick anything.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 23, 2007 8:55 PM #
Rose,
Your previous comment about Flexipan (maker of the Silpat) is that it needs flour or oil--this is untrue on both counts. The mold starts with woven glass (like a screen door) and is sprayed with 3 layers 100% food grade silicone, giving it a slick finish. Any and all flour would stick to the cake, not the mold. Flexipan has won the number one spot repeatedly at Europain and as the most innovative baking product in the world. There is not another product on the market that compares. See more at www.demarleathome.com--dare to be wowed!
Reply to this Posted by: Caren LeMark | July 23, 2007 8:09 PM #
Hi Rose,
are silicon tartlet pans as good as or better than the nonstick steel ones?
Thanks
Florian
Reply to this Posted by: Florian | July 20, 2007 9:18 AM #
great tip!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 14, 2007 7:34 AM #
Hmmmmm - If silicone can absorb odors, you might want to try scrubbing with a baking soda paste before trying the Softscrub - it works like a dream and it's natural vs. chemical. I keep a shaker of baking soda right at my sink and use it on all my cookware and baking pans - friends always comment on how "new" looking my stuff stays.
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | May 14, 2007 7:32 AM #
sorry, then don't have experience with baking spray in europe. you might want to try soft-scrub and be sure to wipe off excess in future as that seems to work on mine.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 14, 2007 5:22 AM #
i always wipe off the spray before baking so not sure if once it's baked on it will be possible to clean it. i have contacted my friends at lékué and will post a response after i hear from them.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 11, 2007 4:41 PM #
Rose,
I have a question that I've not seen posted yet and hope you can help. I have several silicon pans and absolutely love them. However I've noticed that even after washing, the cooking spray has begun to build up around the outer lips and I'm finding it very difficult to remove it all. Any suggestions?
Reply to this Posted by: Naomi | May 10, 2007 5:08 PM #
Great, I'll get it in the mail within the next couple of days. Keep in mind that the opening of the show is missing.
How fitting that you are a knitter as well. It just gives me more to admire about you. By the way, I knit for an organization called Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org) which provides hand made blankets (knitted, crocheted or quilted) to children who are ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. Just making a plug to anyone who has free time to make a gift of love for a child. The blankets are distributed locally, so that you know your are contributing to your own community. It's easy to knit, crochet or quilt while waiting for bread to rise.
Enough from me. Take care.
Reply to this Posted by: Marilyn | May 4, 2007 7:26 PM #
thanks--it will be great to see the context. by the way--i also am a knitter.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 4, 2007 6:46 PM #
The whole show was about showers of various kinds and though there was a segment about quilted fondant and one about making frosting pansies, there were also ones on shower favors and invitations. Your demonstration was the highlight, in my opinion. I don't usually watch this particular show, but I was in a time crunch to finish knitting and it seemed opportune at the time. Why don't I just mail you the tape and you can decide for yourself?
Reply to this Posted by: Marilyn | May 4, 2007 5:36 PM #
that's so generous of you marilyn! actually i do have a copy of my show but if you think there are other things on it worth seeing i'd be interested, i.e. it sounds like my segment was part of a group.
my husband made me a mini martini and the ice is soothing my throat but my nose is closing up again. i thought only red wine would do that.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 4, 2007 5:25 PM #