Silicone chocolate molds

[ejw50]

Has anybody ever used these? I love my polycarbonate molds

but these dinosaur molds are so cute.

http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=CE7416 (dinosaurs)

http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=14029&manufacid=551&keyword=Silikomart (easter)

They are made by silikomart, same people who make those red rubber flexipan type

baking/molding things that I really like

For example

http://www.bakedeco.com/nav/brand.asp?manufacid=551

youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kcdv-YPb4U

Edited October 23, 2009 by ejw50 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

They are a bugger to work with because they are so bendy. I picked one up from Lee Valley this week to play with because a student had asked. I'll report back on how well they mold.

[Darienne]

I have used both for making gumdrops...a total disaster - no doubt my error...and chocolates. My quarrel with them is that they are so deep and take a considerable amount of chocolate, which is more than I usually want to use.

[Edward J]

Flexible molds MAY be O.K. for solid chocoaltes, but they sure don't work for filled confections, nor do they work for large molds (Bunnys, Santas, etc.) where you want to do "make-up" with differnt colours and coat the mold with multiple layers in order to stop latent heat build up.

OTOH, I love the slicone molds for Pate de Fruits and small baked things like Finaciers....

[Mette]

If you love dinos, take a look at the moulds from chocolate world

http://www.chocolateworld.be/fotos/CW1346.jpg

[pastrygirl]

Lately I've seen silicone chocolate molds on a few sites and I just can't figure out why anyone would think this was a good idea. Maybe people who have never worked with chocolate and think silicone makes everything easier? Even the manufacturer's demo video shows chocolate escaping as the mold is lifted by hand and messy edges on filled pralines. Anyone have anything positive to say about these?

[RWood]

Not really. I tried a silicone cake pan when they first came out, but they are just too flexible for me. I can't see how they would make working with chocolate easier. I'm used to banging things on the counter to get the air bubbles out and such. I just see them making a bigger mess.

[Darienne]

Quick answer: no.

[Lisa Shock]

I got a few silicone molds, little seashells & bonbon shapes, designed for making chocolates (at least that's what the label said) early on and have never been able to get any decent results from them. At first, I thought it was me, then, I realized that there's simply no way to do anything cleanly with them. You can't effectively scrape the tops, so you get messy edges. You cannot tap them effectively to vibrate out air bubbles. You can't flip them easily to pour out excess, so your work area gets messy. And, they're fussy during unmolding; you can't just tap them and have all the chocolates pop out cleanly. Overall a huge waste of time and money.

I use the molds I am stuck with for cheesecake bites nowadays.

edited for spelling...

Edited July 4, 2011 by Lisa Shock (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Nothing positive here either - I now use mine for shaped ice-cubes, for which they are eminently more suited.

[Edward J]

Whyt?

Good question. Like theothers, I tried them once for chocolate, and they are not good for this.

They are cheap to produce, and since eveyone else is using slicone brushes, mats, bake ware, etc. it's worth a try to flog them on the N. Ametican market where people buy stupid things.

[JBailey]

I was listening to a 'Martha Marathon' today and someone asked this very question as to whether she might recommend silicone for chocolates. She was taken back by the question and said she never had and likely never would use silicone for many of the reasons above. Her stated preference was hard plastic molds.

[pastrygirl]

Glad to hear I'm not alone in thinking these things are ridiculous.

[Edward J]

I've had some given to me as a gift, and was almost "forced" to use them. For filled bon-bons it is impossible, for solid do-able-- provided you use a piping bag to fill. No need to scrape off with a spatula.

[rebgold]

I like them. I have several dome ones that I use for filled truffles, they make more at once than my hard plastic molds, they always turn out really shiny, they're easy to clean. I use a paint brush or gloved finger to coat the inside with chocolate once I've done the cocoa butter color. You can put them on a candy pan on a vibrating table to fill them solid.

[ScottyBoy]

I use one for my "candy bar" desert. I can pour the cream, gelatine, agar and chocolate mixture into the molds and then freeze. When I need to assemble they pop right out onto the cookie base and then at room temp are the texture of ganache.

[dcarch]

I made my silicone mold.

dcarch

[Kerry Beal]

It's a beauty!

I made one too - but everyone laughed at it! Here is a link.

[minas6907]

Nice, I like the silicone work. I almost bought a silicone chocolate mold to use to make plaster casts for liquor filled chocolates, but realized before I got one that the cheap plastic candy molds work just as well.

[pastrygirl]

I use one for my "candy bar" desert. I can pour the cream, gelatine, agar and chocolate mixture into the molds and then freeze. When I need to assemble they pop right out onto the cookie base and then at room temp are the texture of ganache.

I have and use silicone molds for other purposes, bombes and such, and I actually do have some nonstick flexible florentine molds that I use for making chocolate mendiants, just can't imagine trying to do filled pralines in them.

Edited July 17, 2011 by pastrygirl (log)

[Mjx]

Anyone have tips for using soft, solid silicone moulds, like this one?

 

 

It's very soft and flexible:

 

 

I got it because I loved the idea of being able to make decorative leaves from marzipan or fondant, but despite the fact that the 'instructions' (which merely note that the mould is suitable for marzipan, rolled fondant, and all cold moulding) indicate that this is exactly what it is for, I've had no luck getting anything into the moulds: it sticks to my fingers/spatula, but not even a little bit to the mould. Since pouring anything warm into these is apparently contraindicated, I can't imagine how the hell to use these, and I can't find any instructions or discussion of this online (I checked in both English and German, since this is made by a German company, Städer).

 

Suggestions? Anyone have any luck with these?

[jmacnaughtan]

I'd recommend using something fairly stiff, like marzipan or gumpaste.  Put a bit in each cavity (enough to fill, not much more), cover it with parchment paper and roll a rolling pin over the top.

 

Otherwise, you could pour tempered chocolate in for solid pieces.  There's no way that 31°C will be hot enough to damage it.

[Mjx]

I'd recommend using something fairly stiff, like marzipan or gumpaste.  Put a bit in each cavity (enough to fill, not much more), cover it with parchment paper and roll a rolling pin over the top.

 

Otherwise, you could pour tempered chocolate in for solid pieces.  There's no way that 31°C will be hot enough to damage it.

 

Thanks: I tried rolling, but the marzipan stuck to the silicone paper, and the foil, and the cling wrap, and would not sit/stay in wells. I even tried using the rigid clear plastic sheet stuck to the back of of the mould, in case that was what it was for, and the marzipan stuck to that. To make things worse, this spectacularly non-stick mould deforms more easily than marzipan or fondant that is firm enough to hold that level of detail.

 

Regarding the temperature, what you say makes a lot of sense (plenty of silicone withstands really high temperatures). Going to have to try some poured pieces.

[Daymia]

Mjx, I have used such molds with fondant when working on cakes. I make sure the fondant isn't too sticky once I've worked it, then use a little bit of cornstarch on my fingers as I push it into the mold (confectioners sugar would work too). Squish the fondant down in the mould, use an offset spatula to slice off any excess by running it along the top of the mold, and then use your finger to pull any frayed fondant back into the mould. Hope that makes sense!  

[rajoress]

I've used plenty of the orange silicone molds that they sell for cakes and cakelets for chocolates, they come out very easy and the detail is amazing! I also have a few rubber molds that look like the one you show above that I've used with fondant and chocolate and they work fine, also. The orange molds are really flexible so I place them on a sheet pan then pour my chocolate in.

Good luck!

Ruth