Baking with Silicone

Do you use silicone muffin or cake pans? I just bought a silicone muffin pan (6 muffins) and have a few questions.
Do you take them out hot or let them cool a little or all the way?
From what I've read online, some people spray them first, but isn't the purpose of using silicone is because it doesn't stick?
I've done 2 different types of muffins so far. The first was a traditional blueberry muffin...I tried to pop them out like the directions say, but they didn't want to pop and half of them tore. I couldn't use them for the guests. This morning I sprayed the pan then baked the pecan pie muffins in them (filled them only about half way) and after cooling for a few minutes they did pop out.
What's your experience?

Honestly, it depends on the quality of the silicone. I avoid silicone from the PRC because it usually doesn't have the quality. I buy one brand from spain called Lekue and we have had luck with Casa Bella as well, which is much thicker. I won't buy the thin stuff and I know that thin stuff always needs to be sprayed.
I bought the Lekue trays (genuine) and copies that were made in the PRC... I threw away the copies. I had to spray them and that defeated the purpose.
The same way that I only use genuine silpat baking mats. They work, why save money only to have it end up in the trash.
Incidentally, we have the Casa Bella in all three sizes. We use the small for mini muffins, the medium for cupcakes and the large for things like baked eggs or individual casseroles. Guests love the colours. I love the clean up.

i use them. i grease them. everything 'pops out' as you describe. i love the muffin ones as i never seem to have paper inserts on hand and with these i don't need them. i set them on a cookie sheet to bake. i let them cool a bit. sometimes i am impatient and since they are flexible you can bend the hot muffin out but i try not to as i don't want to break the muffin or cupcake. just DON'T put them in the dishwasher. rinse with soapy water and they clean up easy.

seashanty said:

i use them. i grease them. everything 'pops out' as you describe. i love the muffin ones as i never seem to have paper inserts on hand and with these i don't need them. i set them on a cookie sheet to bake. i let them cool a bit. sometimes i am impatient and since they are flexible you can bend the hot muffin out but i try not to as i don't want to break the muffin or cupcake. just DON'T put them in the dishwasher. rinse with soapy water and they clean up easy..

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why no dishwasher?

Ours says dishwasher safe. Since we have a commercial dishwasher which has a 2 1/2 minute cycle, I think we're safe.

Breakfast Diva said:

Ours says dishwasher safe. Since we have a commercial dishwasher which has a 2 1/2 minute cycle, I think we're safe..

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I always wash my in dishwasher, never a problem

I bake bread rolls for the guests every morning in silicon mini loaf pans and they last me 2 -3 years. After that they get baked on muck which I can't get off so I throw and replace. I just wash them in hot soapy water when I'm cleaning the cooker.
Example on ebya
Breakfast Rolls
The one silicon thing I had which didn't work was a flan case, because the silicon is soft it sagged so i always under up with a bump in the middle.

This morning I made bacon & egg cups. You know the kind where you wrap the bacon around the inside of the muffin tin and pour the egg mixture in the middle.
I did not spray and the bottom was sticking. Next time I'll spray. I did like baking them in the silicone cups because they are slightly wider and taller than my metal tins.

We use mainly for muffins. Silicone will absorb odors, so I wouldn't do strong savory (baked garlic french toast?) in same set I would use for sweets.
Let them cool a little so the muffin firms up, same as you don't slice bread from the oven until it cools to body temperature or it squishes.
When new, oil lightly. Silicone will absorb cooking oil so after a few uses you don't need to oil the silicone itself if batter has fat.
Wash with minimal soap - just enough to get off stuck muffin, but leave the absorbed oil. I wouldn't dishwasher clean as there is no sanitary risk to a baking utensil that never appears on a guest table.