Silicone baking dish – how to use. How to bake and whether to lubricate

The content of the article

• How to use a silicone baking dish
• Do I need to lubricate before baking
• What to put in the oven
• How to bake in the silicone mold in the oven
• Is silicone baking harmful
• How to choose a silicone baking dish
• For cupcakes
• For cakes
• For cookies
• For baking bread
• Silicone Bakeware Rating

Easy to store, easy to wash, convenient to remove finished products, no need to worry about burning – silicone molds meet all these requirements. An additional advantage is the relatively low price when compared with ceramics. However, this material also has drawbacks that can only be avoided with the right choice and use..

How to use a silicone baking dish

The convenience of this material won over almost all housewives: silicone products can be stored very compactly, folded several times – this does not deform them. They also wash easily, you do not need to scrape anything. You can extract food without any problems by simply turning the “dishes” inside out, even if it is a fragile cake. Baking in a silicone mold is prepared faster than in metal: for comparison, a high biscuit with a diameter of 25 cm is baked in 40 minutes against the usual hour. However, you need to use such kitchen utensils wisely – only then will it be able to last several (up to 5) years.

Basic rules:

• Immediately after the purchase you need to clean the silicone mold well, using a soft sponge and detergent: you need to get rid of the chemical composition on its surface.
• After each use, inside and out, they are passed through paper towels or rinsed with clean water..
• Never try to clean silicone with hard brushes – this will disrupt the structure of the wall coating..
• It is easy to take out the pastries from the mold: pull by the edges, lightly press on the bottom to push the food out. Some large pies need help with a spatula, but it should be wooden or the same silicone. No metal!
• Do not put silicone on open flames.
• Do not store such dishes near piercing-cutting objects – holes and scratches on silicone appear quickly.

Do I need to lubricate before baking

This material is very convenient for its non-stick feature, so you can bake it completely without fat, which is ideal for diet recipes. However, at the first use, the mold must be lubricated with oil in order to “activate” this property. Further, if the material is of high quality, it will perfectly maintain this state itself. Dough can burn to cheap silicone, which will require cooking with fats every time.

There are a couple of nuances:

• Lubricate preferably with odorless vegetable oil – do not use butter.
• If you decide to clean the silicone molds with a dishwasher or use a detergent before baking again, you will have to lubricate them with oil from the inside again.

What to put in the oven

The fact that this material is very soft causes some difficulties when working with it. Mistresses do not immediately understand how to put a silicone mold in the oven, and therefore use it similarly to a metal one. It’s not worth doing this: under each silicone utensil you need a mandatory stand: a similar shape made of glass or ceramic, or a tray. This requirement is due to the ease of deformation of the bottom when placed on the grate. Additionally, there are a few more subtleties:

• If you are planning to bake a high biscuit, pudding, or muffin, the severity of a large amount of dough can lead to tilting and tipping over. Place it in a deep frying pan, pot, etc., which match its diameter.
• Fill out the forms after they are installed on the stand, and not until this point.
• Please note that in a gas oven, the silicone product must not come into contact with the walls and open fire, so that there is no melting.

How to bake in the silicone mold in the oven

Cooking with such molds is no more difficult than with ceramic, glass or steel. Choose the right design – and you won’t have to come up with a decoration for even a quick biscuit. Follow the basic rules above, pour the dough into the oven, microwave or multicooker. Silicone baking dishes are universal and easy to use, especially when you consider professional tips:

• Before cooking in a mold, rinse it and wipe it dry: it accumulates dust and static well, wherever it is.
• Due to the high thermal conductivity of silicone, dishes are baked very well, so the optimal temperature will have to be selected again – it may be lower than usual.
• If this is your first time using a silicone mold, carefully watch the dish: you will not have to cook as long as you are used to – time will be reduced by approximately 15-20%.
• Check the data from the manufacturer on the packaging: it can indicate at what temperatures the particular utensil should be used, and where.
• Cool the pastries before taking them out..

Is silicone baking harmful

Neither steel, nor ceramics, nor teflon, nor glass have seen so many disputes regarding the safety of material that comes into contact with food. They talk about the dangers of silicone for baking without stopping, each time putting forward new facts and hypotheses. However, where is the truth, and where is only an attempt to find a non-existent danger? Specialists in the field of chemistry confirm that such products can adversely affect the body, but only if they are selected and used incorrectly:

• Trying to save some money, some manufacturers market molds made of “technical” silicone: a cheap material often supplemented with low-quality dyes. As soon as they begin to heat up, an emission of harmful substances occurs, which, together with the food inside the form, enter the human body.
• Medical or “food” silicone does not pose such a danger, no matter what the temperature effect is. It is suitable for recipes for children’s baking, and for cooking for a sensitive body – no harmful substances are released into the environment. However, in terms of safety, it still can not be compared with ceramics or glass..

How to choose a silicone baking dish

The hostess, who decided to diversify her culinary set, but did not at all get acquainted with the approximate characteristics of the “new kitchen residents”, will mainly make a choice according to external data. However, experts advise to acquire silicone molds for baking not only on the basis of general attractiveness or conformity of sizes and volumes, but also when taking into account some more important points:

• It was specified above that a safe silicone product is made of medical material. This should be proved not by the manufacturer’s words on the label, but by the presence of a quality certificate. Its number is put down in the “composition” column, and the seller, upon request, must issue paper to the consumer for familiarization and authentication.
• The easiest way to determine the quality of a silicone mold is to listen to the aroma emanating from it. The sharp smell of rubber, plastic and other corrosive chemicals should alert you and dissuade you from buying.
• If you bought an odorless tin, but an unpleasant aroma started to heat up, don’t send it to the oven again: use to cool desserts or freeze ice.
• An additional quality control method that gives a relatively reliable result: try bending the product before buying. No white mark should appear on the bend.
• If after conducting basic tests there are doubts, incline to purchase a product of a neutral (light) shade: acid colors are obtained due to caustic dyes that are harmful to the body.
• The country of origin does not play a role, today Belarus and the USA offer a good choice, but it is not recommended to order a whole bunch with Aliexpress, where no one guarantees high-quality silicone.

For cupcakes

There are several varieties of such a product, depending on what the cook will bake:

• A large cupcake tin can be used for Easter cake, if it looks like an inverted bucket, or for a high ring biscuit – if there is a core in the center. It is mainly trapezoidal, the lower diameter (bottom) is in the range of 10-17 cm. The price ranges from 150 to 900 rubles, depending on the manufacturer and size. You can buy good products of this type from Mayer & Bosh, Tescoma.
• Small molds are designed for cupcakes and muffins, have a flat bottom and the same smooth or corrugated walls, the diameter ranges from 5 to 8 cm. Height – up to 9 cm. Capacity mainly does not exceed 150 ml. The most inexpensive – a set of 3 pcs. from Mayer & Bosh for 160 rubles, or Horse (Russia) – for 215 rubles.

A muffin mold may look like a sheet with several (often an even number) cells having a round base. This option is convenient in that the baking does not roll over, because all elements are in a bunch. However, some housewives prefer single small products more – this is economically more profitable, because You can buy any quantity, not 6, 8 or 12 pcs..

For cakes

There are 2 possible options: some housewives prefer to use curly molds in the form of a heart, star, fish, etc. They are convenient for small biscuit cakes that are cut and assembled after cooling the base. For mousse desserts, professionals advise detachable options – such a silicone mold for the cake is completely identical to the metal in appearance, but more convenient to use. The most successful options in these categories:

• Among detachable, Lurch (from 1499 p.) And Bradex (from 690 p.) Deserve attention. Price may vary due to size and presence / absence of an additional non-stick layer.
• Among the figured leaders are Tescoma, offering large beautiful products from 830 rubles, and Pyrex, which is in the same price range. In quality, they are also on the same level..

For cookies

Making products from thin dough in such kitchen utensils is not practiced for speed reasons, because there are no special problems with baking them on a metal pan. A cookie cutter made of silicone is used mainly with recipes where rolling is not required, i.e. for lush treats. The same famous “Madeleines” can be made only in special shells. Often, cooks prefer to use such dishes for curly gingerbread. Outwardly, it looks like muffin baskets – also in the form of a sheet with several cells (6-12).

Find interesting options at:

• Silikomart. The manufacturer also offers beautiful stamps with which you can not only make thin cookies, but also chocolate decor, as in the photo of store two-layer cookies. Cost – from 1190 r.
• Best Home Kitchen. In addition to standard molds, you can find stamps with patterns at a budget price – from 130 r.

For baking bread

This design is a long rectangle that has a minimal difference between the lower and upper perimeters. The silicone container for bread has absolutely even walls and a bottom, although there are varieties with slight corrugation. The following manufacturers offer such dishes:

• Mayer & Bosh – from 230 r.;
• Oursson – from 840 p.;
• Fissman – from 490 r.

There are options for small (up to 20 cm in length) baguettes, mainly with a sheet of 4-9 pcs. – such offers the Spanish brand Lekue. He can also order molds for buns (hemispheres). The price of the issue is from 1850 to 2550 p. In the online store (official), experts advise you to see portioned muffin baking tins: the quality of Lekue silicone products justifies the high price.

Silicone Bakeware Rating

If you understand what goodies you want to cook, but are still lost in the variety of brands and prices, you can’t decide whose production is better – the USA or Austria, check out this rating of the best manufacturing companies:

1. Marmiton. Brand products are made in China, but the products are distinguished by good value for money. Beautiful and comfortable curly silicone molds can be found in Moscow stores at prices ranging from 110 to 700 r.
2. Atlantis. A little-known but worthy Chinese brand. Forms can heat up to 240 degrees. A characteristic difference is the bright colors of all products. Price – from 460 r.
3. Tescoma. A well-known Czech company offering many forms of silicone, even for pizza and pies. The maximum temperature is 230 degrees. Cost – from 350 r.
4. Oursson. At this Swiss brand you can find a large number of sheets with cookie cutters and chocolates at an affordable price: from 300 r.
5. Fissman. The Danish manufacturer offers a wide range of beautiful molds for curly little muffins and baby casseroles. Cost – from 400 r.
6. Lekue. The production of Spain, the pricing policy is high, but also the silicone is of excellent quality. This brand is the only one that offers interesting forms for baguettes, rolls and bread. Issue price – from 1700 r.
7. Regent. The brand is supposedly from Italy, but production is carried out in China. It can not boast of a wide range, but there are plenty to choose from. There are even forms for pasta dishes (canelloni, lasagna, etc.). Cost – from 300 r.
8. Taller Mostly offers molds for muffins, bread, biscuits: designs are simple, low price – from 300 r.
9. Silikomart. Photos of the products of this Italian company of the middle price category attract a beautiful design: if you bake even the simplest biscuit in them, it will already look festive. The disadvantage is not a small price: to find an option cheaper than 1200 r. will fail.
10. De Buyer. The last place is due to the high cost of production – from 4600 p. per sheet for 6-9 products. But to question the French quality is not necessary: ​​such a silicone has a long service life.