While I was researching the best price for sugars and other decorations I came across this questionably useful item, a “flour wand” at King Arthur Flour. Now, don’t get too excited. There’s a bit of false advertising here by calling it a “wand” since no real magic will be imparted by purchasing this gadget. Yet, this strikes me as one of those items that enhances the ambiance of performing your baking duties.  

If you want a perfectly flour dusted counter to roll out your dough on, then this is the gadget for you. Like the flour sifter, the flour wand performs a task so mundane and easily performed sans fancy gadgets it’s not really essential to go out and actually purchase said gadget. However, they’re so adorable and satisfy some strange, animalistic instinct to make the simple more complex that you simply have to have one. There’s a childlike wonder that sparks a bit when I see gadgets like this, I’m not sure why. This is a down-the-road-after-I-won-the-lottery type purchases, but I figured maybe some of you have money to burn or just have to have every single baking gadget known to man before you die.

One way or another, despite it’s apparent UN-necessity I think it’s kinda cute. You can find a cheaper version here at Amazon. Don’t forget when shopping at Amazon that if you’re going to buy something there, if it happens to ship free with a $25 purchase you really should find $25 worth because it’s so worth it. Believe me, there’s always something at Amazon to buy, that’s the reason ONE of my Wish Lists (yep, that’s plural) is 118 crazy pages long. I know, I’m a freak.

(PS: No, you’re not going crazy if you’ve been reading my blog and don’t remember this post on the 10th. One of these days I’ll get around to explaining my sudden drop-off-the-planet episode. I just wanted to let you know you don’t need to call the men in the white coats, at least on my account.)

“Generously butter pan and dust with flour.” You’ve all heard it before. The same required instructions that are supposed to magically render *insert baking item here* from pan without stickage. And yet though it promises much, it delivers little. It never fails that when I’ve tried the butter and flour method of pan preparation I always have trouble getting the damn whatever out of the pan. Have you encountered the same hair-pulling problem?  

Well folks, have I got a solution from you. The baking Gods and Goddesses have brought forth a salve for all your sticking ills…Baker’s Joy. And yes, it really is a joy to behold. Baker’s Joy is a non-stick spray made especially for bakers that contains flour. No more having to take the time to generously butter anything, or wasting half a cup of flour trying to make sure your pan is properly dusted. Just a light spray of your pan and no more worries about your cake coming out in pieces.

I don’t remember where I first read about this miracle product. I know I was thrilled when I found out it was perfect for preparing my silicone Canelé pan. Supposedly you don’t have to worry about buttering silicone pans. Supposedly. My experience has proven that to be a myth that may happen if you’re lucky enough to live in an alternate universe where the sky is pink and marshmallows rain down from the heavens. Incidentally, the great Rose Levy Beranbaum has also stated that, “…there’s no such thing as 100% non-stick anything.”

I accidentally didn’t use anything to prepare my Canelé pan once and paid the price with Canelé pieces everywhere along with a good amount still stuck in the little crowns of the pan. On a whim I decided to give Baker’s Joy a shot after noticing that butter wasn’t fantastic either. I will say at least four out of eight came out of the pan in one piece using butter. The last time I made Canelés I applied it a bit liberally. I used a paper towel to make sure each little crown was thoroughly covered since that is where I’ve especially run into problems. And believe me, cleaning those crowns when there’s something stuck in them is a huge PAIN. Baker’s Joy delivered eight whole tasty canelés without any jumping or gyrations on my part.

One thing I do have to note about Baker’s Joy and silicone – once they’ve become friends, it’s hard to get them away from one another. To be more plain, cleaning a silicone that’s been sprayed isn’t a peach either. I frankly am not a fan of silicone but the traditional copper Canelé molds are a “I just won the lottery” type purchase at around $20 per mold.

I do want to offer some hope to those who are in love with their silicone pans and still want to use Baker’s Joy. After some experimentation with different cleansers, the best thing I’ve discovered to clean the silicone pan is a mixture of the dishwashing liquid of your choice and baking soda. I wish I had known about this when I first started using the pan because while this mixture did remove the spray residue from my last batch, there’s still some baked on something-or-other from long ago that just won’t come off. Thankfully this is not on the molds themselves, just the lip of the pan. I think that if I had been cleaning the pan with the baking soda mixture from the get go the pan would probably look close to new.

Those of you who wouldn’t touch silicone with a ten foot pole or just enjoy a variety of bakeware, you’ll be pleased to know that with a regular, metal cake pan there are zero problems with cleaning.

Finally, I want to mention that you also don’t have to worry about any kind of off taste when using Baker’s Joy. Believe me, I’m a butter girl all the way. I’ve never noticed a difference using Baker’s Joy versus butter when preparing my pans, so there’s nothing to be worried about there.