Lubricant for paving slab molds: which one to choose? Silicone baking molds - how to use, how to bake and do they need to be greased? Preparation: Grease the springform pan with oil.

To make your baked goods not only tasty, but also beautiful, you need to take every moment into account. After all, if you forget to grease the mold in which you are going to prepare the product, it will stick to the walls and all your work will be in vain. It is not always possible to use silicone molds, and not everyone has them. Today we will reveal the secrets of greasing the traditional molds that most housewives have.

How to grease a baking dish: available options

We will present you with several ideas and culinary tricks that will be useful to you many, many times:

Butter. Thanks to it, the baked goods will not stick to the walls, and they will also become more aromatic. The creamy aroma will come in handy. How to carry out the procedure? You'll need to take the butter out of the refrigerator for a couple of hours and leave it at room temperature until it softens a little. The butter should be fairly soft, but not too soft. Now unwrap the package, grasp it with your fingers and rub the butter several times along the inside surface of the mold. Very convenient, isn't it? You don't have to get your hands dirty and the oil stays in the package. If you are storing it without paper wrapping, simply cut a small piece and stick it on a fork and grease the container.

Vegetable oil- also a good option. But in this case we recommend using refined oil, it has no odor. Unfortunately, refined oils do not smell very pleasant when combined with dough and as a result, your baked goods will have a specific aroma.

Magic mixture - If you often bake, we recommend using this recipe. The prepared mixture fits perfectly on the surface and the baked goods separate well after cooking. All you need is to mix vegetable oil, flour and lard in equal proportions. Store the mixture in a plastic container or jar and use as needed.

Flour, semolina. To make the baked goods beautiful, we recommend that after using the butter, evenly sprinkle the surface of the pan with a small amount of flour or semolina. Thanks to this trick, the baked goods turn out perfect and easily separate from the pan.

Cocoa powder. No flour? No problem, replace it with cocoa powder, it works exactly the same.

How to replace butter? If you don’t have butter at home, feel free to use margarine - in small quantities it has no different taste and aroma, and the effect will be exactly the same.

Smalets- a little fatty, but suitable for lack of fish. In addition, it is distinguished by its natural composition and the absence of a pungent odor.

How to remove excess powder? It's simple - after you have evenly distributed it over the surface of the mold, turn the container over a table or over a trash can and shake slightly. The excess powder will remove itself, and you will get a ready-made baking dish; all you have to do is pour in the dough.

How to wash molds after baking? It is no secret that after preparing a product, residues of dough, butter and powder remain on its walls. As a result, cleaning the dishes takes too long. To speed up the process, fill the mold with a small amount of soda, fill it with water and place in the oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180-200 degrees. Thanks to this trick, the dishes are perfectly cleaned of plaque.

Well, today we have presented you with all the options that you can use to grease your mold. And yet, if you have the opportunity, buy a silicone one - it does not require lubrication and the dough separates easily.

Paving slabs are used to lay paths in summer cottages and cottages, and paths in the garden. Neatly tiled paths give a well-groomed look to any country house. It is better to purchase the product in construction markets or make it yourself. To make it yourself, you will need a lubricant for paving slab molds. You can also prepare it yourself or purchase it at hardware stores.

Various options

The tile covering is made of concrete and can have different structures:

universal;
rectangular;
arbitrary;
castle;
model.

There are two options for making the product - under pressure and casting. The first method is quite heavy, and the second can be used for self-production. The composition of the product is also varied:

cement with sand;
fired clay;
rubber;
plastic;
granite.

Most often, cement is used as the basis for the product. This is a durable material that is practically indeformable during prolonged use. All that remains is to find out how to lubricate the molds for paving slabs.

DIY recipe

Regardless of the type of tile product chosen, the process will require a lubricant. The recipe for lubricant for paving slab molds is as follows:

motor oil (50 g);
water (1.5 l.);
dilute the oil with water;
the mixture must be stirred very thoroughly;
Make sure that the composition is not too greasy, otherwise you will end up with a low-quality product;
a non-concentrated composition is also not suitable.

When the lubricant is ready, you can begin preparing the concrete mixture. You will need a concrete mixer. If you need a multi-colored option, then acrylic paints are added to the concrete mixture. You can also make the molds yourself, especially if you want something unusual. They are made from wooden blocks. Special stencils are sold for applying the design.

Lubricant properties

Lubricate the molds for production before pouring. Do-it-yourself lubricant for paving slab molds has the following properties:

high-quality composition does not spoil the color and shape;
there are no pores allowing air to pass through;
the composition can be diluted with water;
the finished tile can be removed from the mold without any problems;
a thin layer of composition is required;
no need to purchase special clothing.

The lubricant is applied with an ordinary sponge. The forms in which the products are prepared are usually not heavily soiled. The lubricating solution does not require special skills or costs to prepare.

Types of lubricants

There are several types for lubricating molds with different properties:

Almost all mixtures are concentrated. This is good because you can prepare a lot of ready-made ingredients. Add water to the concentrate and mix thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency is obtained.

How to lubricate?

To get a quality product, you need to know how to coat molds for paving slabs. Be sure to clean the molds before starting work. There should be no debris or any contamination left in them.

Important: lubricant for paving slabs is applied only before pouring the concrete mixture. Apply the mixture to the walls in a thin layer. You can use a brush, sponge, spray. The tool depends on the composition of the lubricant. You will only need gloves to protect your hands.

Observe the following rules:

tile molds should be lubricated so that there are no gaps;
make sure that no brush bristles get into the molds;
You can clean the molds with a solution based on hydrochloric acid (diluted with water).

It’s easier to clean with soap and water. You need to mix the soap with any dishwashing detergent.

Thanks to the preliminary application of lubricant to the molds, we get the following result:

the product can be removed perfectly;
formwork and forms are easy to clean;
The original shape is preserved because it can be easily removed.

Lubricate the plastic

Grease for plastic molds of paving slabs is also applied before pouring. Each mold needs to be processed separately. The compositions do not require work in special clothing, thanks to environmentally friendly components.

Advantages of a lubricant composition based on biodegradable components:

safety at work;
economical;
mixes with water;
does not affect the rate of hardening of the concrete mixture.

Another advantage to using emulsol as a lubricant is frost resistance.

When diluting concentrates with water, make sure that the mixture is homogeneous. Silicone lubricant for paving slab molds has good water-repellent properties. Most often it is used in the manufacture of large tiles. Can process plastic and metal molds.

Fill

The forms are greased, all that remains is to fill them with concrete. The work requires compliance with certain rules:

It is better to use a vibrating table. Do not weaken, try not to overload the springs;
Large tiles are made in two steps. First, they fill it to the middle, then the reinforcement is placed. The final stage is complete filling.

When making products with your own hands, lubricant for paving slabs plays an important role. After finishing the work, the product literally jumps out of the mold without additional effort.

The secret of beautiful tiles

To make paths and sidewalks at your dacha look beautiful, you need to know how best to lubricate molds for paving slabs. Lubricating compounds make the entire tile production process much easier.

Thanks to the proper use of lubricants, the molds remain in working condition for a long time. Depending on the structure of the composition, it may be enough for a large number of molds. Preparing the mixture will take time, but will pay off in the process of making the tiles and subsequent cleaning of the molds. A properly prepared lubricant allows you to remove finished products from molds without deformation. Lubrication also affects the color of the product.

Follow the main rule: the molds are not filled with grease, but rather lubricated.

Let's compare the efficiency

Cheap, readily available components can also be used as lubricating solutions. Let's look at how they behave during operation:

Which composition will be better depends on the quantity of the product produced. Therefore, if the sidewalk paths are not several kilometers long, then there is no need to spend extra money. Try homemade options for making lubricating solutions.

Regardless of what lubricant you use during the process, you should not leave finished products in the molds for a long time. The deadline when the product can be removed without problems is three days. If you leave it longer, it will be difficult to wash the molds.

How to avoid bubbles?

Lubricating mixtures help not only to safely remove the finished product. This way you can avoid the formation of bubbles on the surface of the tiles.

Bubbles usually form on the face of the tile. It looks very ugly. This is why it is so important to pre-apply a lubricant before pouring concrete.

To improve the quality and effect of the lubricant composition, add a plasticizer to it. This action will prevent the appearance of bubbles.

Cement affects the quality of tiles. The material must be fresh, not stale. Pay attention to the cost of cement, and it’s better not to save money. It is advisable to purchase cement in large construction stores, where you can check the contents of the material.

To give the tiles the required color, try to dilute the dyes in advance. It’s good if the diluted solution remains for half a day. Don’t be afraid to leave the dyes for so long, they won’t deteriorate and the structure won’t be deformed.

How to grease baking pans

It is advisable to grease baking pans with fat that does not contain water, i.e. not butter or even margarine (the lesser of two evils, because margarine is emulsion water with fat). You can bake bread (but not muffins) in Teflon pans without greasing them with anything. Baking trays and cast iron cauldrons can be left ungreased and lined with silicone baking paper or a silicone mat according to size.

When greasing molds with regular vegetable oil or lard, the dough sometimes absorbs this fat during proofing and baking and eventually sticks to the walls of the mold! So much so that you can’t tear it off with anything! Therefore, you can often come across advice to grease the molds with oil and dust the walls of the mold with flour on top of the oil before pouring the dough into it or placing the workpiece. The layer of flour serves as a barrier between the oil and the dough and practically nothing sticks to this coating.

This principle is the basis for the absolutely ingenious mixture of flour and fat “Better Than PAM” for greasing pans, which I first learned about on the American bakers forum. Since then, I have never had bread stick to the pan! In this miracle lubricant, two types of fat are creamed - plastic fat and vegetable oil, liquid at room temperature, mixed with regular flour or cocoa powder (for chocolate baking). Here's her recipe

NON-STICK GREASE

1 cup flour

1 cup plastic fat (lard, cooking oil, melted butter)

1 cup vegetable oil

First, fat, oil and flour are mixed into a lumpy mixture, then beat for 2-3 minutes until the mass increases in volume by 2 times. The resulting cream is used to lubricate baking pans and baking trays. Apply with a brush, thin layer. Shelf life - year at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Images

For churning into cream, we need fat that is plastic at room temperature. Lard, lard, cooking fat, ghee, ghee (russoke) butter, deodorized coconut oil, palm oil, etc. Choose one thing that is on hand, that is cheaper, that you like. I prefer either lard and ghee for their delicious flavor, or shortening for its neutral flavor and aroma (i.e. no taste or aroma, which is important when greasing pastry pans and pans).

The same can be said about vegetable oil - choose either fragrant and fragrant - for bread, or neutral - universal and especially for confectionery baked goods.

You can use any flour, and to grease molds for chocolate baking, instead of flour, you can use cocoa or a mixture of flour and cocoa

I really like creaming butter with baked rye flour. Ideal for both bread and sweet pastries.

Measure butter, plastic fat and flour in equal quantities into a bowl. For example, half a glass of each

At low speed, carefully mix (so as not to scatter the flour throughout the kitchen) into a rough, lumpy mixture, scary colors

Next, at the highest speed, beat into a fluffy cream for 2-3 minutes until the volume of the cream doubles. No scam. Cream will become snow-white silver!

Packaged in jars. Store cool or in the refrigerator for up to a year. You can also store it warm at room temperature, but then the mixture may split from time to time (oil will be released) and you will need to lightly beat it again.

Grease the molds with a brush, apply a thin layer to bread and pastry molds, baking sheets. This mixture is good for greasing molds and baking sheets not only for baking, but also for culinary purposes - baking meat and fish, roast beef and boiled pork, cutlets, meatballs and meatballs, meat loaves, pates and rolls, stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls, cooking lasagne in deep baking sheets and other casseroles. This coating on the walls of the mold and the surface of the baking sheet never burns, is easily and cleanly washed off with plain water and does not leave marks on the crust of the products themselves. Simply MIRACLE.

1 cup flour

1 cup plastic fat (lard, cooking oil, melted butter)

First, fat, oil and flour are mixed into a lumpy mixture, then beat for 2-3 minutes until the mass increases in volume by 2 times. The resulting cream is used to lubricate baking pans and baking trays. Apply with a brush thin layer. Shelf life - year at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Images

The same can be said about vegetable oil - choose either fragrant and fragrant - for bread, or neutral - universal and especially for confectionery baked goods.

You can use any flour, and to grease molds for chocolate baking, instead of flour, you can use cocoa or a mixture of flour and cocoa

I really like creaming butter with baked rye flour. Ideal for both bread and sweet pastries.

Measure butter, plastic fat and flour in equal quantities into a bowl. For example, half a glass of each

At low speed, carefully mix (so as not to scatter the flour throughout the kitchen) into a rough, lumpy mixture, scary colors

Next, at the highest speed, beat into a fluffy cream for 2-3 minutes until the volume of the cream doubles. No scam. Cream will become snow-white silver!

Grease the molds with a brush, apply a thin layer to bread and pastry molds, baking sheets. This mixture is good for greasing molds and baking sheets not only for baking, but also for culinary purposes - baking meat and fish, roast beef and boiled pork, cutlets, meatballs and meatballs, meat loaves, pates and rolls, stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls, cooking lasagna in deep baking sheets and other casseroles. This coating on the walls of the mold and the surface of the baking sheet never burns, is easily and cleanly washed off with plain water and does not leave marks on the crust of the products themselves. Simply MIRACLE.

Easy to store, easy to clean, convenient to remove finished products, no need to worry about burning - silicone molds meet all these requirements. An additional advantage is the relatively low price when compared with ceramics. However, this material also has disadvantages, which can only be avoided with proper selection and use.

How to use a silicone baking pan

The convenience of this material has captivated almost all housewives: silicone products can be stored very compactly, folded several times - this does not deform them. They are also easy to clean, no scrubbing required. You can remove food without any problems by simply turning the “dish” inside out, even if it is a fragile cake. Baking in a silicone mold is prepared faster than in a metal one: for comparison, a tall sponge cake with a diameter of 25 cm is baked in 40 minutes versus the usual hour. However, you need to use such kitchen utensils wisely - only then can they last for several (up to 5) years.

Basic rules:

Immediately after purchase, you need to thoroughly clean the silicone mold using a soft sponge and detergent: you need to get rid of the chemical composition on its surface.
After each use, go through the inside and outside with paper napkins or rinse it with clean water.
Never try to clean silicone with hard brushes - this will damage the structure of the wall coating.
It is easy to remove baked goods from the mold: pull the edges, lightly press on the bottom to push the food out. Some large pies need to be helped with a spatula, but it should be wooden or the same silicone. No metal!
Do not place silicone on open fire.
Do not store such utensils near sharp or sharp objects - holes and scratches on the silicone appear quickly.

Do I need to grease before baking?

This material is very convenient due to its non-stick feature, so you can bake in it completely without fat, which is ideal for dietary recipes. However, when using for the first time, the mold must be lubricated with oil to “activate” this property. Further, if the material is of high quality, it will perfectly maintain this condition itself. Cheap silicone may cause the dough to burn, which will require cooking with fats every time.

There are a couple of nuances here:

It is advisable to lubricate with odorless vegetable oil - you should not use butter.
If you decide to clean your silicone molds in the dishwasher or use detergent, you will need to re-oil the inside of them before baking anything again.

What to put in the oven

The fact that this material is very soft causes some difficulties when working with it. Housewives do not immediately understand how to put a silicone mold in the oven, and therefore use it in the same way as a metal one. You shouldn’t do this: for every silicone dish you need a mandatory stand: a similar form made of glass or ceramics, or a tray. This requirement is due to the ease of deformation of the bottom when placed on the grid. Additionally, there are a few more subtleties:

If you are planning to bake a tall sponge cake, pudding or cake, the weight of a large amount of dough can cause the pan to tilt and tip over. Place it in a deep frying pan, pan, etc. that matches it in diameter.
Fill the molds after they are placed on the stand, not before.
Keep in mind that in a gas oven, the silicone product should not come into contact with the walls or open fire to prevent melting.

How to bake in a silicone mold in the oven

Cooking with such molds is no more difficult than with ceramic, glass or steel. Choose a suitable design and you won’t even have to come up with decorations for a quick biscuit. Follow the basic rules given above, pour the dough, send it to the oven, microwave oven or multicooker. Silicone baking utensils are versatile and easy to use, especially if you consider these professional tips:

Before cooking in a mold, rinse it and wipe it dry: it accumulates dust and static well, no matter where it is placed.
Due to the high thermal conductivity of silicone, dishes are baked very well, so the optimal temperature will have to be selected again - it may be lower than usual.
If this is your first time using a silicone mold, carefully monitor the dish: it will not take as long to cook as you are used to - the time will be reduced by approximately 15-20%.
Check the manufacturer's information on the packaging: it may indicate at what temperatures a particular utensil should be used and where.
Let the baked goods cool before removing them.

Is silicone harmful for baking?

Neither steel, nor ceramics, nor Teflon, nor glass have seen such a number of disputes regarding the safety of a material that comes into contact with food. They talk about the dangers of silicone for baking non-stop, each time putting forward new facts and hypotheses. However, where is the truth, and where is just an attempt to find a non-existent danger? Chemistry experts confirm that such products can have a negative effect on the body, but only if they are chosen and used incorrectly:

Trying to save money, some manufacturers release molds made of “technical” silicone to the commodity market: a cheap material, often supplemented with low-quality dyes. As soon as they begin to heat up, harmful substances are released, which, together with the food inside the form, enter the human body.
Medical or “food grade” silicone does not pose such a danger, no matter what temperature it is exposed to. It is suitable for both children's baking recipes and for preparing food for sensitive organisms - there is no release of harmful substances into the environment. However, in terms of safety, it still cannot be compared with ceramics or glass.

How to choose a silicone baking dish

A housewife who has decided to diversify her culinary repertoire, but has not at all become familiar with the approximate characteristics of the “new kitchen residents,” will primarily make her choice based on external data. However, experts advise purchasing silicone baking molds not only based on general attractiveness or matching size and volume, but also taking into account some more important points:

It was clarified above that the safe silicone product is made of medical material. This should be proven not by the manufacturer’s words on the label, but by the presence of a quality certificate. Its number is entered in the “composition” column, and upon request, the seller must hand over the paper to the consumer for review and confirmation of authenticity.
The easiest way to determine the quality of a silicone mold is to listen to the aroma emanating from it. The pungent smell of rubber, plastic and other caustic chemicals should alert you and dissuade you from purchasing.
If you purchased an odorless mold, but when heated, an unpleasant aroma develops, do not put it in the oven again: use it to cool desserts or freeze ice.
An additional quality control method that gives a relatively reliable result: try bending the product before purchasing. There should not be a white mark at the folded area.
If, after carrying out basic tests, you still have doubts, lean towards buying a product with a neutral (light) shade: acidic colors are obtained from caustic dyes, which are harmful to the body.
The country of origin does not matter; today both Belarus and the USA offer a good selection, but ordering a whole bunch from Aliexpress, where no one guarantees high-quality silicone, is not recommended.

For cupcakes

There are several varieties of such a product, depending on what the chef will bake:

A large muffin tin can be used for a cake if it looks like an inverted bucket, or for a tall ring sponge if there is a rod in the center. It is predominantly trapezoidal, the lower diameter (bottom) is in the range of 10-17 cm. The price ranges from 150 to 900 rubles, depending on the manufacturer and size. You can buy good products of this type from Mayer&Bosh, Tescoma.
Small molds are designed for cupcakes and muffins, have a flat bottom and the same smooth or corrugated walls, the diameter ranges from 5 to 8 cm. Height - up to 9 cm. The capacity usually does not exceed 150 ml. The most inexpensive is a set of 3 pieces. from Mayer&Bosh for 160 rubles, or Horse (Russia) - for 215 rubles.

A muffin tin may look like a sheet with several (often an even number) cells that have a round base. This option is convenient because the baked goods will not turn over, because... all elements are connected. However, some housewives prefer single small products - this can be more economically profitable, because You can buy any quantity, not 6, 8 or 12 pieces.

For cakes

There are 2 options here: some housewives prefer to use shaped molds in the shape of a heart, star, fish, etc. They are useful for small sponge cakes that are cut and assembled after the base has cooled. For mousse desserts, professionals recommend detachable options - this silicone cake mold is completely identical in appearance to a metal one, but is more convenient to use. The best options in these categories:

Among detachable ones, Lurch (from 1,499 rubles) and Bradex (from 690 rubles) deserve attention. The price may vary depending on the size and the presence/absence of an additional non-stick layer.
Among the curly ones, the leader is Tescoma, offering large, beautiful products from 830 rubles, and Pyrex, which is in the same price range. They are also on the same level in terms of quality.

For cookies

Making products from thin dough in such kitchen utensils is not practiced for reasons of speed, because There are no particular problems with baking them on a metal baking sheet. A silicone cookie cutter is used primarily with recipes that do not require rolling out, i.e. for sumptuous delicacies. The same famous “madeleines” can only be made in special shell molds. Chefs often prefer to use such utensils for curly gingerbread cookies. Outwardly, it is similar to muffin baskets - also in the form of a sheet with several cells (6-12).

You can find interesting options at:

Silikomart. The manufacturer also offers beautiful stamps that can not only be used to make thin cookies, but also chocolate decor, as in the photo of store-bought two-layer cookies. Cost – from 1190 rub.
Best Home Kitchen. In addition to standard molds, you can find stamps with patterns at a budget price - from 130 rubles.

For baking bread

This design is a long rectangle that has minimal difference between the bottom and top perimeter. The silicone bread container has absolutely smooth walls and bottom, although there are varieties with slight corrugation. The following manufacturers offer such dishes:

Mayer&Bosh – from 230 rub.;
Oursson - from 840 rubles;
Fissman – from 490 rub.

There are also options for small (up to 20 cm in length) baguettes, mainly in sheets of 4-9 pieces. – these are offered by the Spanish brand Lekue. You can also order bun molds (hemispheres) from him. The issue price is from 1850 to 2550 rubles. In the (official) online store, experts advise looking at portioned muffin tins: the quality of Lekue silicone products justifies the high price.

Rating of silicone baking molds

If you understand what kind of delicacies you want to prepare, but are still lost in the variety of brands and prices, and cannot decide whose production is better - the USA or Austria, check out this rating of the best manufacturing companies:

Marmiton. The brand's products are made in China, but the products are good value for money. Beautiful and comfortable shaped silicone molds can be found in Moscow stores at prices ranging from 110 to 700 rubles.
Atlantis. A little-known but worthy Chinese brand. Molds can heat up to 240 degrees. A characteristic difference is the bright colors of all products. Price – from 460 rub.
Tescoma. A well-known Czech company that offers a variety of silicone molds, even for pizza and pies. Temperature maximum – 230 degrees. Cost – from 350 rub.
Oursson. From this Swiss brand you can find a large number of sheets with molds for cookies and chocolates at an affordable price: from 300 rubles.
Fissman. The Danish manufacturer offers a wide range of beautiful molds for small curly cupcakes and children's casseroles. Cost – from 400 rub.
Lekue. Made in Spain, the pricing policy is high, but the silicone is of excellent quality. This brand is the only one that offers interesting shapes for baguettes, rolls and bread. The asking price is from 1700 rubles.
Regent. The brand is supposedly from Italy, but production is carried out in China. It cannot boast of a wide range, but there is plenty to choose from. There are even molds for pasta dishes (cannelloni, lasagna, etc.). Cost – from 300 rub.
Taller. Mainly offers molds for muffins, bread, biscuits: simple designs, low price - from 300 rubles.
Silikomart. Photos of the products of this mid-priced Italian company attract with their beautiful design: if you bake even the simplest sponge cake in them, it will already look festive. The disadvantage is that the price is not small: find an option cheaper than 1200 rubles. it won't work.
De Buyer. The last place is due to the high cost of products - from 4600 rubles. per sheet for 6-9 products. But there is no need to question the French quality: such silicone has a long service life.