This Underrated, Reusable Tool Makes Baking Fun Again
The sustainable swap I’m making in my baking
Welcome to Word of Mouth, a blog series dedicated to the unique products and tools that have changed the way we cook.
There is nothing more annoying than the Cake v. Pan conundrum. Often, releasing baked goods is simple: Spray some Pam, flip a pan and unmold your cake. Easy peasy. But why is it so much harder if the bake gets even slightly more complex? Like pulling a streusel-topped coffee cake out of a loaf pan without smushing the top? How about plucking a piping hot boule out of a Dutch oven without scorching yourself? Or shimmying jiggly, just-set cheesecake bars out of a pan?
That’s where loaf lifters come in. I hadn’t heard of them either, until we brought them into the Milk Street Store, but leave it to the pros at King Arthur baking to come up with a smarter way to release baked foods from pans.
First, they’re easy to use. Parchment paper is wasteful and a bit of a pain. Pricey pre-cut rounds or sheets add up if you bake more than occasionally (guilty), and loaf pans need clips for parchment slings to stay in place without sliding down. It singes at high temperatures. But King Arthur’s silicone lifters and liners sit flat, are safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and are even microwave– and freezer–safe. (P.S. The silicone might discolor slightly after repeat use at high temperatures, which won’t affect its performance.)
Second, they’re much more sustainable. Every product in King Arthur’s line is made from European-grade silicone and can be used again and again. Just toss them in the dishwasher after use for easy cleanup.
And these actually save time during baking marathons. No tracing or cutting parchment rounds or folding foil slings for brownies or sandwich loaves. King Arthur’s pan liners are available in squareand round sizes, in a set of two; just place them in the base of your pan, grease lightly—especially the edges of the pan—and add your batter (I use them to protect shortbread crust for lemon squares). And to use the round or loaf pan lifters, also available in sets of two, place them in the base of a Dutch oven or loaf pan and grease lightly before adding your batter or dough on top. (If you’re baking a boule, place your dough on the lifter before its second rise.) The easy-grab tabs will stick out so you can safely pull out your bakes when they’re ready.
My one wish is to see the round cake pan liners in a six-inch size, since I’m often baking six-inch layer cakes, but it’s a tiny quibble. These liners and lifters have made releasing baked goods--normally such a stressful part of the baking process--so much easier, baking is once again relieving my stress instead of adding to it.
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