melissel Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 My nonstick bakeware is my last holdout because I can't figure out an alternative. I'm not sure I can use stoneware in my oven, because it's teeny weeny and is horrible at regulating temperature. I tried to use a large, rectangular pizza stone in it and the temperature went sky high in spite of the dial setting; the same thing happened when I tried to use Airbake baking sheets. I'm afraid to invest in nice stoneware only to find I can't use it for years until we can afford to re-do our kitchen :glare: I've been doing some reading, and it looks like my other options are aluminized steel (but then there's the whole aluminum fear), stainless steel, or cast iron. I'm thinking stainless steel is my best option, especially considering that's what most commercial bakeware seems to be made of, but is it a hassle to use? I already grease my "nonstick" pans before I use them. Are there more steps than just that? I struggle to keep my cast-iron frying pan seasoned (not very well, I think I scrub it too much), so I'm not sure how well that would work for me. Can anyone weigh in on these options? Does anyone have something they love and recommend? TIA! Oh, and I know silicone is an option too, but I have one silicone cake pan and I don't like the way things turn out in it :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I use stainless steel here. Clean up is simple because you can scrub them without worrying about the finish. However, there is not much scrubbing. Soak, swish with my handle scrubby and into the dishwasher they go. I grease or spray them with Mazola pure olive oil. My kids like using the paper liners because they look cute. Giving up nonstick has actually been much easier than I thought it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouseacademy Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I used to always use baking cups in my muffin pans but now have the Pampered Chef baking stone baking pans and I love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Baking stones. I have one for mini loaf pans, bundt pan, muffins. I LOVE my baking stones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I like paper cups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 I use stainless steel here. Clean up is simple because you can scrub them without worrying about the finish. However, there is not much scrubbing. Soak, swish with my handle scrubby and into the dishwasher they go. I grease or spray them with Mazola pure olive oil. My kids like using the paper liners because they look cute. Giving up nonstick has actually been much easier than I thought it would be. Ooooohhhh! Good point! I HATE having to baby the finish on those things and would LOVE to be able to put them in the dishwasher! What brand do you have? I'm wondering if this is a "you get what you pay for" situation. The Norpros I linked to only cost about $8, but most of the restaurant-quality ones I saw were $30 or more. I bet they're heavier-duty and distribute heat better, hmmm... Re: baking cups. I do like them, but I hate paying for a product that's meant to be thrown away, and I bake big batches of muffins to freeze, so I have to pull all those paper cups off before I do that anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I bake big batches of muffins to freeze, so I have to pull all those paper cups off before I do that anyway. Why? I've frozen muffins with cups with no problem. Is it an issue with some recipes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susie in tx Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 My 10 yo recently broke my stoneware muffin tin. I'm using silicon now. I have some silicon muffin cups like paper cups as well as a "tin". I've not yet tried any of them, but I've been very happy with the other silicon products that I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in Mo Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I still vote stoneware. That stuff is awesome and you can buy small pans and medium pans. There are stoneware muffin tins, bread pans, casserole dishes, pizza and cookie stones.....And Pampered Chef is having all of their stoneware pieces on sale for 20% off in November. If you host a party, you get 60% off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I use Demarle flexipans - they are made of non-stick silicone but are better than the kind you find in stores. You can get them from a Demarle at Home representative (direct marketing like Tupperware). I use to be one so I got mine for a lot less money than they cost new. You can find them on ebay from time to time, too. They are really awesome - totally non-stick - the muffins just fall out and you just rinse them in warm water with a little bit of soap - nothing sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 Why? I've frozen muffins with cups with no problem. Is it an issue with some recipes? It's an issue with getting them off the frozen muffins before you put them in the toaster oven to thaw and toast. I freeze the muffins so they can be super-fast, easy breakfasts (slice frozen apple muffin in half, toss it in the toaster oven, butter, and eat!), and the paper cups made it so much more difficult. Plus, I hate the waste and having to spend money on them, and I make full muffins, so they always overflow the cups and I have to pry the muffins off the tin anyhow. I would love to do the stoneware, but I wish I could borrow one to test my oven out first. Seriously, that pizza stone made my oven temp (set at 375) go up over 550! The oven is ridiculous--it's got to be over 40 years old, and it can't regulate itself, so we have to use an oven thermometer and even then it's hit or miss. I'm dying to replace, but it's a wall oven, and I don't want another wall oven, so to put a range in where the cooktop is would involve construction that we're not ready for. Why would anyone have ever thought that having the oven across the room from the cooktop was a good idea? I'm so mystified by the whole thing. What I wouldn't give for my dream oven... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I've been using silicone muffin tins for about a year. I really like them! For bread baking i use corning ware (really old stuff), glass pans and a pampered chef stoneware...all work well, the Pampered chef one gives the best results for a good crust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 It's an issue with getting them off the frozen muffins before you put them in the toaster oven to thaw and toast. Ah, thanks. I don't toast them. Seriously, that pizza stone made my oven temp (set at 375) go up over 550! The oven is ridiculous--it's got to be over 40 years old, and it can't regulate itself, so we have to use an oven thermometer and even then it's hit or miss. I'm dying to replace, but it's a wall oven, and I don't want another wall oven, so to put a range in where the cooktop is would involve construction that we're not ready for. Why would anyone have ever thought that having the oven across the room from the cooktop was a good idea? I'm so mystified by the whole thing. What I wouldn't give for my dream oven... When we moved in here, we had a cooktop & a wall oven. I replaced the cooktop with a full oven (gas on top/electrival oven) and I put in a brand new wall oven too. I LOVE having 2 ovens..... In our old place, the oven was starting to overheat too. One famous episode in our family involved a blackberry pie. The oven kept heating itself up till it got so hot that the auto clean lock engaged. My pie was burned to a crisp. Even when I realized what was happening & turned it right off, it was so hot that the locks wouldn't open so I couldn't rescue the pie.... Anyway, turned out there was a relatively cheap part avail to fix it. I think it was under $50. Dh installed it so we saved the service call $. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I checked mine and they don't have any brand name on them. They are not flimsy or bendy, but I know they didn't bust the bank when I purchased them. Honestly, they are so old I don't remember buying them. Ooooohhhh! Good point! I HATE having to baby the finish on those things and would LOVE to be able to put them in the dishwasher! What brand do you have? I'm wondering if this is a "you get what you pay for" situation. The Norpros I linked to only cost about $8, but most of the restaurant-quality ones I saw were $30 or more. I bet they're heavier-duty and distribute heat better, hmmm... Re: baking cups. I do like them, but I hate paying for a product that's meant to be thrown away, and I bake big batches of muffins to freeze, so I have to pull all those paper cups off before I do that anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 I replaced the cooktop with a full oven (gas on top/electrival oven) and I put in a brand new wall oven too. I LOVE having 2 ovens..... Stoooop, you're killing me!! Sometimes I just stand in my grody kitchen and want to cry. I love to cook, but I hate doing it in that kitchen. No counter, hardly any cabinet, everything is so bizarrely laid out, there are broken chunks of wood exposed in half the cabinets, the doors all swing open by themselves. Blech. Someday. Someday... I'll have DH look into a new thermostat or something. That's not really his thing, but maybe with a little help from Home Depot, he could figure something out. It actually underheats. I have to set it about 75 degrees above where I need it, but sometimes I'll look in and find my chicken cooking at 425 instead of 375, and sometimes I'll find my cookies baking at 325 instead 350. The slightest provocation causes the temp to veer wildly. It's odd. And old. I checked mine and they don't have any brand name on them. They are not flimsy or bendy, but I know they didn't bust the bank when I purchased them. Honestly, they are so old I don't remember buying them. Thanks anyway. I'm going to see if my friend has a stoneware muffin pan, and if she does, I'll give it a shot. If it doesn't work, I think stainless will be the way I go. It sounds so simple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cillakat Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 i use paper liners. they can be set up on any old baking try *or* in muffin tins. I get the unbleached paper cups from a local hfs. I also have silicone cups as well. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saille Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I've used the Pampered Chef stoneware muffin pan for years, in lousy ovens, and it has worked for me...but I'm also just a person who sets the timer for several minutes less than the recipe says, and then starts checking. Because I don't feel like muffins prime stoneware well, I've also used those Reynolds foil muffin cups lately, which have the added benefit of being able to stand on their own on a cookie sheet if you're making a ton of something, and which ensure you'll have good-lookin' muffins or cupcakes if you've signed up to provide them at an event. Oh, a double oven and cooktop with a center burner...I dream about those the way some people dream about Orlando Bloom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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