02.Results
What to buy
Jamie Oliver by Tefal:
- Six-hole muffin pan - $49.95
Wiltshire Bend ’n’ Bake:
- Six-hole muffin pan - $14.99
- Round pan - $15.99
- Baking sheet - $10.99
The JAMIE OLIVER muffin pan clocked in with the highest overall score in our test but is expensive. We wanted to test the range’s round cake pan too, but it wasn’t available when we were buying.
If you’re looking for something cheaper the WILTSHIRE isn’t quite as easy to use but is good value and cooks just as well.
What about the rest?
- The silicone near the handles of both PYREX muffin pans in our test started to split, which is why PYREX isn’t in the What to buy list despite its high overall score.
- The BREVILLE round cake pan was more difficult to clean than other brands. It has ridges on the base, and it also needs to be soaked before it goes in the dishwasher.
- All the other brands cook well, but they’re either more expensive or not as easy to use as those in the What to buy list.
Results table
| |
Performance |
Features |
Specifications |
Size & Price |
Brand / model
(in rank order) |
Overall
score1
(%) |
Cooking
score2
(%) |
Ease
of use
score3
(%) |
Greasing
required |
Flexibility4 |
Handles5* |
Oven-safe
temperature |
Warranty
(years) |
Origin |
Manufacturer/
distributor |
Muffin pan
(number of
holes / **) |
Round pan
(cm /**) |
Baking sheet
(cm /**) |
| JAMIE OLIVER BY TEFAL |
84 |
100 |
80 |
• (A) |
Firm |
• |
250°C |
ns |
Italy |
Tefal |
6 /
$49.95 |
na |
na |
| PYREX Flexi Grips Bakeware |
83 |
95 |
80 |
• |
Firm |
• |
220°C |
10 |
China |
World Kitchen Australia |
12 /
$34.95 |
23 /
$29.95 (G) |
na |
| TUPPERWARE |
78 |
100 |
72 |
• |
Firm |
• |
220°C |
‘Lifetime’ |
Belgium |
Tupperware |
7 /
$46.95 |
na |
35x 31 /
$46.95 |
| # SILICONE ZONE |
74 |
100 |
68 |
• |
Floppy |
|
220°C |
‘Lifetime’ |
China |
|
6 /
$19.95 |
25 /
$34.95 |
31x 23/
$19.95 |
| WILTSHIRE Bend ‘n’ bake |
74 |
100 |
68 |
• |
Floppy |
• |
220°C |
3 |
China |
McPherson’s Housewares |
6 /
$14.99 |
23/ $15.99 |
35x 25 /
$10.99 |
| WONDERFLEX |
74 |
100 |
68 |
• |
Floppy (B) |
|
230°C |
(E) |
Italy |
Tomkin |
6 /
$29.95 |
24 /
$37.95 |
na |
| FLEX |
70 |
93 |
64 |
• |
Floppy |
• |
300°C |
20 |
China |
Flex Silicone Bakeware |
6 /
$19.99 |
23 /
$22.99 |
na |
| BAKERS SECRET |
68 |
100 |
60 |
• |
(C) |
|
315°C |
(F) |
China |
World Kitchen |
na |
na |
40x 26 /
$19.95 |
| WILLOW |
68 |
100 |
60 |
• |
Very floppy |
|
230°C |
ns |
China |
Willow Ware |
12 /
$9.87 |
22 /
$9.87 |
na |
| # BREVILLE |
60 |
93 |
52 |
• |
Very floppy |
(D) |
240°C |
ns |
China |
Breville |
12 /
$24.99 |
23 / $19.99 |
na |
| |
Table notes
# Discontinued
* None of the baking sheets has a handle.
** Manufacturers’ recommended retail prices, June 2006.
na Not applicable.
ns Not stated.
(A) See the profile, above left.
(B) Round pan has a metal ring for support.
(C) We only tested a baking sheet for this brand, and they’re very floppy in all brands.
(D) Round cake pan only, not muffin pan.
(E) “Six to 12 months if it’s deemed a manufacturing fault.”
(F) Indefinite warranty period: if the product is deemed faulty, it will be replaced or repaired — “no questions asked”.
(G) To be discontinued and replaced with a ‘deep round cake pan’; you might still find the cake pan we tested in some stores.
1 Overall score
This is made up of:
Cooking: 20%
Ease of use: 80%
Since all the cooking scores were excellent, we gave the highest weighting to ease of use in order to differentiate the products.
2 Cooking score
Our CHOICE home economist cooked sponge cakes in the round cake pans, muffins in the muffin pans and focaccia on the baking sheet (not all brands have all three types of bakeware). She then assessed the quality of the baked goods.
3 Ease of use score
This is made up of:
Cleaning/dishwasher: 40%
Storage and stackability: 20%
Ease of transferring to and removing from the oven: 40%
4 Flexibility
We assessed the firmness of the muffin pans and cake pans for each brand. All baking sheets are intended for use with a flat metal baking tray, and it’s often recommended for the other bakeware too.
5 Handles
Not all the muffin and cake pans have a specific firm handle area.