We are fulltime RV’ers. One deciding fact for me was storage. Twelve silicone muffin pans take up a lot less room than the metal tins.

Good answer, Verdigris. I am so stealing this idea for herbs on ice, like for mint or thyme iced tea, and juices, like lemon or lime cubes, and for reduced chicken stock. Wish I had thought this one up. Is there a contest for kitchen tips? You should win a prize for this one.

Thanks, everyone. Rest assured, I bought my pan on clearance ... I'll keep them around for jello or sorbet molds (and keep them out of the oven unless in a pinch.)

Silicone muffin pans are best used for creating indidual portions of frozen foods that will pop out of the pan easily so they can be bagged for storage.

I grease and flour my silicone bakeware before use. But I do agree with betteirene and think that these pans sorta stink.

That said, I have an 8x8" pan that I use for caramels and it works well for that, but isn't a good baking pan.

allie, I TOTALLY agree with betteirene. Good bakeware makes a huge difference in the experience of baking. Get yourself some Calphalon pans. They are heavy, non-stick, and they clean up like a dream. Sometimes you can find them discounted at Marshall's or TJMaxx. Worth the investment.

Silicone potholders, however, are one of the great inventions of our time.

What you did wrong was to go out and buy one of those "pans" without asking us first. I'm pretty sure we would have tried to persuade you spend your money on something more sensible but fun and cute, like those METAL muffin top pans or giant METAL muffin pans or METAL mini-muffin pans.

About five years ago, I paid $9.99 for a blue silicone Wilton "pan" that made squares, a perfect size for the petits fours I make three or four times a year. I baked in it exactly once, and even though my sons have robbed me blind over the years of all kinds of kitchen items, not one of them wants this waste of my money. Well, I guess it's not all that bad--I filled the wells with small candies and sprinkles when the grandkids were here to make Christmas cookies, and we've made Jello Jigglers in them a few times. But still, 10 dollars is 10 dollars, and hindsight tells me I would've had more fun had I spent it on one of those newfangled popover pans.

I'm all for the Silpat liners--those flat pads that line baking sheets that make the baking of lace cookies and Florentines a lot less stressful--and silicone spatulas, but that's all. All silicone bakeware must be placed on a cookie sheet for baking and they must be sprayed with cooking spray or oil, in part to prevent sticking, in part to make it easier to clean batter out of all those nooks and crannies. So, then, what's the point of buying silicone stuff instead of metal?