I got a silicone muffin "tin" for Christmas. Anybody used these before?

I'm eager to try it out this weekend. (Currently coming down off of too many baked goods.) They don't look like something you would put in the oven. I also got a silicone baking mat to use on a cookie sheet.

you like them

I have a bundt pan, a loaf pan and a muffin pan.....they bake as well as any decent bakeware I've used but I have to admit to being a bit uncomfortable with their flexibility when moving them into or out of the oven. This can easily be remedied by sliding a sheet pan beneath them, though. It compromises the baking properties of the silicone a bit, but not so much that you would really notice.

Also, when removing the baked product from the pan, it is easier than you would think to damage the shape, so you do have to be a bit more careful.

Silpats, on the other hand, are probably one of the VERY BEST things I've ever used for baking. A bit pricey, with limited usage, but well worth the cost when you consider the result. Absolutely nothing sticks, nothing burns, they clean easily and, frankly, I've used mine many more times than the manufacturer suggested.

Hope you enjoy yours!

-chef-

I haven't had good results but I've only used it twice with the same recipe that didn't cook all the way through (banana "butt" bread, mentioned in the Burned Christmas Cookies thread. :D) In both cases, I should have kept it in longer but the loaf was brown on the outside and a toothpick came out clean and I was in a hurry. However, I'm not going to give up.

Chefgirl's comments are almost exactly what I would have said.

For what its worth, I am now seeing muffin pans with a wire frame to help keep 'em stiff while being handled.

The silicone does a pretty damned good job of conducting heat and, in my experience, pretty much gives the same result as a good old fashioned tinned steel pan.

And the Silpat comment ........ I could not agree more. They are, without a doubt, the cat's jammies!