Here's a good question from Neha. She has a dilemma we've all dealt with from time to time!
I need help. Do you guys have any tips for taking a sticky bar/cake out of the pan? For example I made granola bars today and they are so sticky and they refuse to come out! It was a recipe that didn't call for lining/greasing, which I sorely regretted not doing! So do you know of any handy tips in such emergency sticky situations.
Who hasn't been in this situation at some point or another? Besides preventative action (greasing the pan or lining it with parchment paper before pouring in the batter or dough) here are a few things we've done to help loosen something sticky.
• Let it cool some more. Some cakes and bars won't come out of the pan until they are a little cooler. Watch to see if the edges have pulled away from the pan yet; that's usually a good sign. Put the pan on a cooling rack to let air flow all around the pan and speed cooling. (One note: if a cake sticks to a pan very badly, it often means that the cake was not finished baking.)
• Heat it up again. Some things, though, just won't come free after they are cool. Something like these granola bars that Neha mentions, which are probably held together by sticky, hardened honey or rice syrup, will benefit from being gently warmed again. Put back in the oven at a low heat - 250°F or less - and check them every ten minutes. When they get soft and supple, dump them out of the pan.
• Use a thin, metal spatula. And when all else has failed, use a thin spatula to cut and pry the sticky baked goods out of the pan.
Other good tips for releasing sticky substances from baking pans?
Related: Quick Tip: How to Line a Cake Pan with Parchment
(Image: Flickr member dan taylor licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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Great suggestions, Faith. Usually I just get frustrated and ruin whatever is stuck trying to pry it.
In the future, assume that any recipe that doesn't call for greasing the pan an error. It's a pet peeve of mine, along with sweet recipes that don't call for any salt.
I think you can never go wrong with parchment, either. Makes for a much tidier extraction and you don't ruin the pan trying to cut stuff in it.
view splatgirl's profile
For now, all I would know to do is pry off what you can (use bamboo or plastic, something that won't gouge the metal, and soak loose whatever remains.
For future - I never put anything directly onto a cookie sheet, but instead bake everything on a parchment liner, which you can reuse a few times. No, it's not cheap, but to me it's worth it for the lack of mess, saving me time and effort - and my cookie sheets stay in great shape. You can also just slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet into the oven, and just cook on the paper alone - perfect for pizza.
view dimsum's profile
ouch
view art's profile
Cook's Illustrated always advocates using a parchment sling- which I've found to be incredibly useful!
You can make a sling for the pan by laying long, wide strips of parchment paper across the length and width of the pan so that the paper overlaps the edges. Then use the overlap as a handy grip when it’s time to remove the loaf from the pan.
Investing in a silpat or silicone baking mat isn't a bad idea, either. Even just a high end cookie sheet can save you lots of trouble and turn out beautifully/evenly baked treats.
view oofs's profile
Another vote for Parchment Paper - I almost never bake without it.
Del
Delementals
view Delairen's profile
I slap a layer of foil into the pan, spray it with non-stick liberally before putting anything in the oven. Probably not the most scientific or correct way of doing it, but it works.
view seekingserenity's profile
Too late now, but I never back without greasing or parchment paper. Even with the recipe does not mention it. Much like many other commenters already.
If you aren't trying to salvage whatever you just baked, I suggest covering in water and baking that for a while.
view wunami's profile