The best use of a mini muffin pan is to cook meatballs. Make them slightly larger than the cup opening, then prop them on top. The grease drains into the cup and the meatballs are very crispy!
We have a kitchen rule, whoever cooks, leaves the dishes for everyone else who did not. Works out rather well. We did have a chat with the one who loves cooking, regarding their use of so many unnecessary dishes. Running the dishwasher, more than twice in one day was their cap😉 Even though, whatever they cooked was fantastic!!!
I actually like the ones with lower, wider cups for little tartlets. The regular mini cupcake proportions are just not quite right. The shallower pans just seem to work better when you're baking something with a crust and a bit of filling. YMMV, but I've got both types to use as needed.
I use mine for tartlets at the holidays, not muffins. The little tiny pumpkin or pecan pies are amazing. Cut little pie crusts with a biscuit cutter. Press them into the muffin tin, fill, and bake. They're gone before they have time to cool.
I switched to floppy silicone mini pans several years ago & won't be going back. No problems with browning, but maybe that's due to my specific techniques? (Unlined, with cake release, set on a cheap aluminum sheet, oven preheated to 425F then turned down to normal baking temp after a couple minutes). Cleaning is easy; just dump in a sudsy sink & wipe clean; no seams to catch crumbs & individual wells/cups can be turned inside out for better access. Do go for silicone muffin cups/tins with smooth sides. The pleated ones are a pain to clean. Plus storing the silly pans is just a matter of squishing them into a drawer or baking supply box or whatever.
I use mine mainly for all my overflow recipes. Things like breads or muffins or cupcakes. The “stars” are made full sized for the baked goods I bring to my coworkers, but I get to eat the mini versions.
Love baking mini-muffins, both savory and sweet, but I'll stick with my vintage 1 dozen each aluminum pans! In fact, I keep adding them if I see them at estate sales or thrift stores. Great size for when you just need a few muffins vs two dozen. Yes, there are concerns about the aluminum and you have to use paper liners or spray them, but they bake beautifully, and those I know who enjoyed eating from my original ones, lived long and full lives of MANY decades (and only one with issues that may be associated with the aluminum).
I use ours to make mini apple tarts with a crumb topping. My wife likes to take them to her art meetings since they offer a smaller bite than using a standard muffin pan.
@@sandrah7512Use the size that’s recommended for a toaster oven. They work great and frequently come in mini muffin sizes instead of regular muffin sizes.
These are just great for portioning out things in general. I do baked oatmeal a lot for my evening post-dinner meal and not having to slice it (no gluten so they're always a little crumbly, even with a bit of xanthan gum and egg added in) is a plus.
Just a comment on the video format, its disappointing to see the complete second half of the video is just ATK plugs. I guess plugs need to be there but for such short videos, maybe you can use a shorter plug.
I love mini muffins, but I absolutely prefer the silicone trays for their easy cleanup and I'm happy to sacrafice a bit of evenness. I'd love some longevity testing on the nonstick metal ones
Amazon brand silicone liners are great! I have used the same set for years. The only thing that I still use the paper ones for is meat loaf, which is too greasy for silicone liners.
I disagree, mini silicone muffin pans from Sili are fantastic and we often make the best mini banana muffin bites. Key is tip is to pipe the dough in and put the sili mini muffins on a sheet pan.
I’d like to know if anyone can recommend a muffin paper that fits these. Bringing treats to work, the option of making something tidy to pick up is key.
have a couple silicone mini muff pans and have used them from meatballs to chocolate truffles. very handy things to have on hand. might even use them for muffins someday.
When when did America's test kitchen turn its videos into click-bait???? title of the video suggested. We were going to see whether or not these were worth buying, and that's absolutely not what happens. We're just looking at some woman talk about. Food
