Help (with Mince Pies) please bakers

[greenishfing]

My husband must like them as I caught him attacking them for breakfast.

[roitelet]

I greased with butter and took them out after about 5 minutes.

If you used butter it should be unsalted. The salt in butter can cause the pastry to stick to the tin.

[Alison]

My favourite tins are my Silverwood tins, gradually got a few over the years and, although not cheap, they're brilliant. So long as you treat them right they never stick but the thing I like best is that they distribute the heat so well so you never risk a soggy bottom . They'll last my lifetime.

[mothhawk]

I will definitely give it a go. I am definitely blaming these tins now because the scraps of pastry that were left over I rolled out into a circle and made into a mini pasty and just bunged onto an ungreased tray and that just slid off.

That's your answer, greenishfing. If you're making pastry with half fat to flour, you definitely should not need to grease the tins. There is enough fat in the pastry to keep them loose. More fat is probably what made them stick.

My tart tins are the ones my Mum had circa 1940's and I NEVER grease them. And some of them have ribbed bottoms to look like shells. If I have the slightest doubt about pastry sticking what I do is sprinkle a very scant dusting of flour in the tin before putting in the pastry.

As long as the tins are clean, with no ancient burned on places, the pastry won't stick.

And the best way I've found to clean off burned on grease or whatever (I occasionally buy "new" tins at jumble sales or car boots) is to soak them in biological washing powder overnight. Brings them up shiny new with a bit of a scrub.

[lottie dolly]

My tins are mosty old,i think the secret to get a good baking tin is well proved,and will not stick,wash with care by hand and dry in the oven,if it looks all brown and well used thats good,you can get over fussy with the cleaning,also the tins can be kept in a wraper untill wanted,cling film platic container,this will keep them clean and ready to go,do not put in the dish washer as it strips it of all the prooving,once proved they should not stick,and another no to none stick patty tins.

[Scarlet]

My favourite tins are my Silverwood tins, gradually got a few over the years and, although not cheap, they're brilliant. So long as you treat them right they never stick but the thing I like best is that they distribute the heat so well so you never risk a soggy bottom . They'll last my lifetime.

I use silver wood cake tins. They are fantastic and worth every penny.
And like Lotty, I never but them in the dishwasher, washed by hand and dried out completely on the top of the Aga before stored away.

[Mrs Bee]

I don't agree that silicone tart moulds don't give a good mince pie.

I have used silicone moulds for years now and wouldn't go back to the metal tins if you paid me.

I put the silicone tart moulds onto a sturdy baking tray and with my almond pastry recipe I get no sticking at all and good crisp pastry.

My husband prefers the metal tin tart trays as he would get to eat the broken, half stuck pies and now he has to wait until the Christmas festivities to get any.

I make my own mincemeat and have done for the past 40 years, lots of different recipes and these days I don't add any suet. I do squeeze off some of the liquid before I start and reduce the liquid over a low heat which stops any juices spilling out.

[Alison]

I have used silicone moulds for years now and wouldn't go back to the metal tins if you paid me.

I got given some a few years ago as a gift - you could have had them had I not already given them to the charity shop . I think they're quite marmite really as I do know other people who like them but I couldn't find anything positive about them at all and the wobbliness did my head in. Suspect mine may have been lower quality but having to put the loaf tin in a proper loaf tin so it didn't bow out didn't help and I soon reverted back to my tried and trusted tins. Guess if I'd had problems with the ones I had sticking I might have tried to get over the problems but it wasn't worth the effort.

[Nannysally99]

I don't like silicone moulds, prefer good quality non stick metal ones - mind you, I buy round and loaf tin liners, just to be on the safe side

[Alison]

I buy round and loaf tin liners, just to be on the safe side

Im too tight to even think about looking at those

[greenishfing]

Im too tight to even think about looking at those

I buy them in the 99p shop. I have loose bottomed tins and HATE lining them with greaseproof mainly, I think, because it was always my job as a child.

[Mrs Bee]

I got given some a few years ago as a gift - you could have had them had I not already given them to the charity shop . I think they're quite marmite really as I do know other people who like them but I couldn't find anything positive about them at all and the wobbliness did my head in. Suspect mine may have been lower quality but having to put the loaf tin in a proper loaf tin so it didn't bow out didn't help and I soon reverted back to my tried and trusted tins. Guess if I'd had problems with the ones I had sticking I might have tried to get over the problems but it wasn't worth the effort.

Oh, I wouldn't use the silicone cake or loaf tins. They are, in my opinion, pointless. Ordinary metal cake tins are much better.

I just use the mince pie silicone moulds. I got mine from John Lewis and if you put them on a baking tray to support them before you start there are no problems. And you get no sticker.

I usually make up the pies, freeze them raw and then store them in freezer boxes until I need to cook them. Then I let them thaw and bake them. And again no stickers.

[Nannysally99]

Im too tight to even think about looking at those

Get them in the £ shop Alison, bargain

[Alison]

Get them in the £ shop Alison, bargain

Suppose I've never found a need, never needed to line patty tins etc and I've got a big roll of greaseproof paper for lining the bottom of loaf and cake tins which only takes a couple of seconds to cut out.

Have realised I do have some silicon cupcake liners as they make great mounds for when I make soap but the more I think about it the more squeamish I am about eating anything that's been near them - I avoid plastics she much as possible and although these are a different material they still link in my brain. Funny how different things work for us all

[Miss Mousetrousers]

My OH chef says to VERY lightly coat the tin cases with oil, add a small sprinkling of flour, jiggle the tray to mix it together, then tip the tray upside down to get rid of the excess mixture. The other option is to go the whole hog and buy some good quality non-stick ones.