When you use silicon bake ware and accessories, you'll enjoy some advantages over traditional products, including durability, easy release of baked goods and quick cooling. You'll find that you won't have to make many changes in the way you usually cook and bake, and the pans or muffin cups are versatile enough to use for gelatin molds and other cold foods, as well as for baking.
The Basics
Silicone bake ware and accessories are manufactured with food-grade silicon, making them safe for baking and cooking. Silicon is a non-stick material that reduces or eliminates the need for oiling or greasing the pans and allows you to release your baked goods with a simple twist. Accessories to go along with these pans are durable and heat-resistant, allowing you to stir, mix or serve hot foods in the bake ware pans without damaging them.
Silicon bake ware heats up while it's in the oven but begins to cool as soon as it's removed. Baking is even, with no overdone or burned areas. You can use these products in the oven, microwave and freezer.
Using and Caring for Silicon Bakeware
According to Rose Beranbaum of Real Baking with Rose, you should wash your silicon bake ware before using it for the first time and "apply a thin layer of oil (or use a non-stick spray) to condition the surface of the pan, when needed. Wipe out any excess." Rose suggests using both oil and flour when baking a chocolate cake and also advises that you may have to "adjust the baking time by five or ten minutes" when baking anything in silicon pans.
Fill the pans with batter and test for doneness in the same manner as any other baking pan. If you're baking bread or muffins, remove them from the pans immediately and set them on a cooling rack, rather than cooling them in the pans.
Since these pans are somewhat unstable, manufacturers now make racks and "sleds" to use beneath them while they're in the oven. You can also place them on cookie sheets. Be sure to use potholders when removing the racks or cookie sheets from the oven, and place them on the cooling racks along with the silicon bake ware.
Use oven temperatures that are within the limit marked on the product. Avoid using sharp objects on these pans, since you might damage them. Don't use silicon pans over an open flame or other source of direct heat. You can wash them by hand or in the dishwasher.
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