Silicone .....pot holder. Really?

[veronaz]

A friend swears by silicone kitchen things.

I have silicone cooking tongs, spatula, cooking brush.

Tried silicone ice cube trays…..did not like them at all because they made ice taste funny and nothing worked to get rid of that taste.  Went back to my plastic trays.

Today I was looking for pot holders at the dollar store.  They had some in silicone.  Bought one to try.  Works pretty good (especially nice for opening jars).  But still seems odd to use when grabbing a hot dish.  Guess it takes getting used to.

Any silicone fans?

[Julian]

I received a silicone 'oven mitt', aka the 'crocodile' a couple of Christmases ago.  It is fabulous.  It doesn't fit over the whole hand, but it's enough to pull out a baking tray without any dramas.  I've also got a bowl scraper - brilliant for big mixing bowls as it gets out every little bit of mixture.

Silicone whisks are great for making sauce/gravy in non-stick pots.  No lumps and no scratches on the non-stick.

I also have a couple of silicone baking tins.  They work very well, the only drawback is they need to sit on a cookie tray in the oven.  But cakes don't stick to them with the tiniest bit of oil spray, it's very easy to peel them off the cakes, and they wash easily.

The silicone pot stands/trivets I have are very handy for everyday use too - my stove top is induction, and putting metal trays on it causes an alarm to sound, so I put the silicone pads on the stove top, and put the trays on them.  No alarms, no scratches or damage to the stove top.

[Coralreef]

My sister could be the poster child for all things silicone.  I like the spatulas and the little paintbrushes for basting, but that's about it.  I don't find the mitts comfortable and I seem to lack the control to handle a hot pan with them.  I admit that the whisks are nice, I have a little itty bitty one.

[HorseFreak]

My silicone bundt pan sticks like crazy. I lost a third of my last cake. Any hints?

[Julian]

My silicone bundt pan sticks like crazy. I lost a third of my last cake. Any hints?

I use olive oil spray, very lightly.  If it's a sticky cake like fruitcake, I dust the olive oil with a little plain flour.

[veronaz]

the little paintbrushes for basting,

aaahhhh, that's what I meant when I said cooking brush (in my opening post).

[betty]

I got a new pot lid to replace an old dented one. It's great, but the handle on top is metal and heats up too much to touch. I wasn't using this nice new lid because it was awkward using a regular pot holder or oven mitt with it. For Christmas, dh got me a Silicone Pinch Grip potholder: it's very small, just the right size for a pot lid handle. Love it, best stocking stuffer ever. (And I tossed out the ugly old lid!)

I also have a silicone loaf pan that I use mainly for baking banana bread. I butter the pan to keep the bread from sticking. I've had much better luck with this pan than with my other metal ones.

[buvezdevin]

I have most of the items mentioned above, and, yes - love pretty much all silicone kitchen stuff which I have tried, so far.

Absolute faves for me are silpats, and large spoons with reinforced handles, for cooking.

[cicero]

My silicone bundt pan sticks like crazy. I lost a third of my last cake. Any hints?

I maybe asking the obvious but do you let the cake cool in the pan before attempting to take it out? I find that when baking in silicone pans you need to let the cake cool first

[dawbs]

I can't get used to the mits, but the 'hot hands' got me thoroughly used to using them in labs (and they're WAY more cleanable than cloth when you're dealing w/ the ickyiness that shows up in labs)
(like this.  But usually rubber-red and no cute faces: http://www.belart.com/shop/380000001-handreg-protector-blue-p-937890271.html)

[Bijou]

I have nothing silicone but wonder if the pans would get greasy and be hard to clean and also whether or not they would retain flavors of other things cooked in them or if they would get a perfume smell and taste if left in water with dish soap in it.  I also wonder if anything leaches into the food from them (as with some plastic items).

[mbbored]

I can't get used to the mits, but the 'hot hands' got me thoroughly used to using them in labs (and they're WAY more cleanable than cloth when you're dealing w/ the ickyiness that shows up in labs)
(like this.  But usually rubber-red and no cute faces: http://www.belart.com/shop/380000001-handreg-protector-blue-p-937890271.html)

I'm also a lab rat so I've been using those for years. I was really excited when this type of product became available for my kitchen. Though I am iffy about my silicon cake pans.

[PastryGoddess]

I like the mitts, but they take some getting used to.  I rely on metal for my cakes.  Silicone does not apply heat as evenly and the cakes come out weird when I use them for making full size cakes.  I use silicone cake pans for small petit fours, but not for regular sized cakes. 

[Library Dragon]

I have a collapsible silicone colander that is great. The legs fold at it flat, taking up less space.

[Mel the Redcap]

We've got a rectangular ceramic casserole dish that has removable silicone bits on its handles - you can put it in the oven with them on, and take it out without using a potholder... in theory. In practice, I still use a potholder, 'cause taking it out involves getting way too close to the hot bits of the dish and the oven trays.