Silicone cupcake liners arent nonstick

January 6, 2008 8:49 AM

I just recieved a set of silicone cupcake liners, v silimar to these , and tried them out yesterday. However, the cupcakes wouldn't come out in one piece - every single one broke and crumbled when I tried to release it. Does anyone know how to prevent baked goods from sticking to these things?
posted by darsh to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

I do. You have to season silicone bakeware the first few times you use it. A thin coating of vegetable oil or butter should do the trick. Ideally, you should be able to eliminate oiling of any kind after the first couple of batches.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 8:58 AM on January 6, 2008

That’s exactly why my gf says she won’t use silicone liners, muffin pans, or cookie sheets. Without the direct conductive heat from the metal pan, the dough won’t form a crust, and won’t stay in one piece.
posted by ijoshua at 8:58 AM on January 6, 2008

ijoshua, not exactly. Many commercial kitchens use silicone bakeware of all sorts now because cleanup and storage are much easier. It does work well once you get the hang of it.

Also, a couple of tricks - allow things to cool completely before unmolding them from silicone bakeware. And, if you run your silicone through the dishwasher, you'll need to re-season it again before use.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 9:05 AM on January 6, 2008

I'm afraid to use silicone bakeware for this reason. Plus, I love peeling off the paper liners from a cupcake and nibbling off the moist crumbs from the paper.

FYI: Someone on MeFi posted a question about a chemical smell coming from new silicone bakeware, which you might have also experienced. Someone in the thread said it disappears after a few rounds in the oven.
posted by HotPatatta at 9:07 AM on January 6, 2008

Yes, try oiling them next time...but good luck getting them really clean afterwards. I find they're impossible to rid of that greasy residue, and in general I find them kind of gross to use.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 10:22 AM on January 6, 2008

Someone in the thread said it disappears after a few rounds in the oven.

Yes, that was me. I love my silicone bakeware. I don't have cupcake liners, but I seasoned my muffin tray by spraying it with sunflower oil spray (I think it's called Pam in the US) and heating it. I've never had a problem with things sticking.
posted by essexjan at 12:08 PM on January 6, 2008

That's really amazing. I love my silicone cupcake liners, and the cupcakes, muffins, cornbread, etc just pop out perfectly every time. Perhaps the silicone rather than the chef is flawed? What about returning them and trying a different brand? The kind you can get at Target for like $5 work GREAT for me, and I only occasionally use Pam or any other oil spray.
posted by arnicae at 12:10 PM on January 6, 2008

We got a silicone bundt pan recently and had the same problem. Are all the silicone enthusiasts in agreement with Tilapia that you have to let it cool off totally? That sounds like a sensible approach.
posted by beagle at 1:00 PM on January 6, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks everyone - I'll try seasoning them before the next use and see what happens.
posted by darsh at 1:28 PM on January 6, 2008

Rose Levy Berenbaum, author of The Cake Bible, has an informative blog. Several months ago I emailed her to ask about preparing silicone cake pans; she said she always uses Baker's Joy (an oil/flour spray) or butter and then flour. And she also said to let the cake cool completely.
posted by wryly at 3:16 PM on January 6, 2008

Seconding Baker's Joy. It's awesome. I use it for all my baking (silicone or metal pans).
posted by candyland at 5:57 PM on January 6, 2008