Do you use any Silicone bakeware? It is better or worse than a normal pan or tin?
Baking in such a floppy pan makes me nervous, but I bought two today at Target to try because it was so cheap.

Yes, we use it and it's AWESOME. We bought the muffin pans and they just pop right out. You're right about the flimsy problem; some pans come with a metal rack so the batter doesn't all spill out when you stick it in the oven. The bigger bundt and tube pans that I've seen do not come with racks though.

We really are happy with it. Good luck with yours!

what about health issues using them? releasing hazardous toxins when heated?

I just put on a cookie sheet for support. My bundt pan is awesome -- you just peel it off.
Muffin holder things I stack up to preserve space, and then put on a cookie sheet and slide in oven to make muffins. And the colors can't be more kosher friendly
I have a few other pans but haven't used them yet.

Harder to clean, but it doesn't really bother me.

my sister and i use our for cold things, so far. think jello

dd has melted choc onto the muffin tins with great success

actually, silicone bundt pans were the first ones i tried after getting married (also got them in target, very cheap ) i can't compare cause don't have the normal type, but i also put it in a foil pan for support. i also made jello "cakes" in it (for the 4th of july - tricolor, very cute). also, you can fold them - less storage space.

i'm not really good at the peeling off technique, though. and i agree about cleaning - not fun with bundt ones, although ti helps that you can invert them

Wow, I would not have thought of that! I usually struggle with microwaving the chocolate chips.....

She learned that from her high school home ec class.

I don't get it. What did she do?

I have such a hard time with peeling- any tips out there?

Did you pregrease?

to make a "shell"

i learned it the hard way but still, how exactly it works - you wait till it comletely cools off, then flip it upside down, and then peel off? do you have no problem doing the second part?

Correct. Occasionally a drop sticks to the top, but most slides out perfectly.

Oh wow, that's such a good idea! Thanks. I've never attempted those desserts but maybe I will now.

We just bought a silicone tube pan that I'm going to be using tonight IYH, and I'm not sure what to do with the instruction to hang it upside down on a bottle. Is that going to backfire with silicone? Should I ignore that instruction?

what's a tube pan?

a pan with a projection in the middle, so you end up with a bundt cake or ring cake

[Trivia: the hadassah organization came up with the Bundt pan]

how is it different from a bundt pan?

A Bundt pan is a specific type of tube pan - tube pan is the general category, and a Bundt pan is a very specific type of tube pan. Bundt is actually a registered trademark, whereas a tube pan is just a descriptive, a type of baking pan. If you Google "Bundt pan" I'm sure the history will come up.

i searched - they both seem to mean the same type of bakeware, so they must be interchangable

They are not. Again, a Bundt pan is a registered trademark and is necessarily a certain type of tube pan. That people use "Bundt pan" incorrectly notwithstanding and that some manufacturers essentially copy the Bundt pan design for their own tube pans notwithstanding.

They sometimes are, but not always. I don't really know the difference, but I think a tube pan holds more, and is usually for more fluffy cakes (like sponge cake), whereas Bundt pans are usually for heavier cakes (like pound cake).

[Thanks for the piece of trivia, melech. ]

ok, i'm confused; i'll stick with my bundt pans

but here is for your efforts: a friend of mine got those mini red roses silicon forms (a few of them) and froze (pink or red) sorbet in them. for a simcha she served them on individual plates and put a mint leaf next to a "rose". i saw it - it looked so beautiful!

So I used my new pan for shabbos cake his week. The cake popped/unpealed out very easily. However, I can't seem to get it 100% clean- there is still residue on the bottom despite washing it a second time.

They aren't. In common usage a "tube pan" means an angel food pan (although sometimes angel food pan is restricted to the kind with feet). This is a flat bottomed, slightly slope-sided pan, traditionally 10" diameter with 14-cup capacity.

In a larger sense, a Bundt pan is a sub-type of tube pan, but in practice, they mean different things. Also, not all batters work well with both pans. Angel food and chiffon cakes require an ungreased pan as they need to cling to the sides. This is only possible in a pan with smooth, straight sides. A Bundt pan has to be greased (or otherwise nonstick) so the cake comes out smoothly and so you need a batter that will rise on its own.

Yeah, this is a common issue.

How did you grease the pan beforehand?

Bakers spray (it has flour mixed in)

I pregrease, but it always leaves some residue, sometimes it comes out cleaner than others. My cakes do not come out as well as kugels- if that makes sense.

I think it's the grease that leaves the residue actually. I find sprays are worse than a paper towel with oil brushed over it...

Now it's my turn to get into it - any news since our last exchange?