Product Review #2: Silicone Baking Cups

Little mess free rainbows. Buy two dozen and thank me later.

I never bothered to invest in silicone cups since I rarely made anything in my muffin pan often enough. A husband and two kid later, washing a 12 cup pan is a nuisance. Paper cups were usable, but I am not an advanced baker and it was hit or miss whether they stuck like crazy or peeled off perfectly. You know what I’m talking about. Your muffin or cupcakes come out gorgeous and half of it ends up stuck to the darned liner! And we know what happens next, right? You stand there and try to nibble off the good bits like a rodent without getting a mouthful of paper.

Last September, I was baking cupcakes for my daughter’s fifth birthday, and I had enough of the inconsistent sticking with paper cups or without. And the cleaning. Have I mentioned how much I hate cleaning?

I bought these little rainbows on a whim. The ones that I have are not the top of the line and thinner, but they do the job to my satisfaction. They work perfectly for all types of batter from liquid cupcakes to thick muffin batter. They never stick–except occasionally when I am impatient and don’t wait for cooling. Even then most of the muffin comes off.

I have washed mine in the dishwasher. Beware! Use a dishwasher container meant to hold small items or you’ll burn one on the heating element like I did! I knew it was a possibility and I did it anyway and my reward was a ruined yellow cup. They wash by hand very easily and usually need little more than a swish in soapy water. I turn them inside out first. I love them and if you have a need to bake fairly often, you’ll be glad to have twenty-four. I’ll be jealous and sneer at you. They can also be used stand alone without a muffin pan. I only regret not getting them sooner, they are even more useful and labor saving than my silicone sheet mats I’ve had for ages.

Don’t fret if it seems like they don’t seem to “come clean” and feel a little slick. Silicone just does that. They do get clean, but you can’t do the squeak test with them.