Okay so I have the old wilton pans, and I love them. So imagine my surprise when I found the Gold Series pans. I fell in love... But sadly I fell out of love after using them the first two times. First off I am not a fan of non dishwasher safe (You may say I am lazy, lol...) But my biggest issue with these pans is that the shear size of them is all wrong. When I bake a layer cake and use two old 8 inch wilton pans and one 8 inch round gold series pan when I stack them the cake that I made in the gold series pan was a good 3/4 - 1 inch larger then the other two 8 inch cakes. Please tell me that I am not the only one who has experienced this problem. Also any idea's on why this is. Has Wilton said anything about the error with this pan? Please let me know because I feel like I am taking crazy pills....UGH!
I personally think Wilton should be chided for their "gold" pans, and their square and rectangle pans that have sloping sides. They are purposely misleading new hobby bakers into buying junk products that will have to be replaced as soon as the hobby baker gets one or two cakes under their belt.
kaseysweetkissbakery, I personally would try to return them where purchased and tell the store to tell Wilton that these are unacceptable. If it is too late to return them (like my set of Wilton square pans, sigh.....), just eat the cost, move on and buy better square or rectangle pans on line after reading lots of reviews.
With that said, I did go out and use my 50% Michael's coupons to get two sets each of the round, petal, hexagon, and heart pans (only $170 for a zillion pans!!!). For two sets of each and since I'm a hobby baker, NO WAY I'd ever be able to afford those from Magic Line or Fat Daddios. Just used my hexagons (12", 9", 6") last night and they were great; the round sets also work great. (Note: My Wilton instructor said never try to stack cakes from pans made from two different manufacturers. That's why I got the four shapes in two sets of each)
I agree with Leah_s, thought the same thing when I first saw the pans. I have some old Wilton pans and they have straight sides. They cannot be stacked inside one another. I also have a 9" set of Wilton pans that I NEVER use because they do slope and I can stack them inside one another (nest).
The pans that I have were all bought at the same time and they are all the same size. I have heard that Wilton pans can/will be different sizes...one 6" will be larger/smaller than another 6" pan for instance....I've not had that problem with the pans that I own though. I have a different brand of square pans and also a different brand of 9" pans than Wilton.
As far as 'dishwasher safe' I NEVER put any of my baking pans in the dishwasher. EVER
(Note: My Wilton instructor said never try to stack cakes from pans made from two different manufacturers.)
What the heck is she talking about??
If you have a Mirro round 8" cake pan, and a Norpro round 8" cake pan, and want to stack them to end up with a 4" high cake, the pans are probably NOT the same, even tho they are labeled as 8" round pans.
So if I purchased a set of Wilton hexagon pans, they may not "stack" with a set of magic line pans without having to trim the edges.
I agree with Leah_s, thought the same thing when I first saw the pans. I have some old Wilton pans and they have straight sides. They cannot be stacked inside one another. I also have a 9" set of Wilton pans that I NEVER use because they do slope and I can stack them inside one another (nest).
The pans that I have were all bought at the same time and they are all the same size. I have heard that Wilton pans can/will be different sizes...one 6" will be larger/smaller than another 6" pan for instance....I've not had that problem with the pans that I own though. I have a different brand of square pans and also a different brand of 9" pans than Wilton.
As far as 'dishwasher safe' I NEVER put any of my baking pans in the dishwasher. EVER
Mamawrobin, how come you never put your pans in the dishwasher? Does it hurt the pans? I never even thought about it. BTW, I made some IndyDebi BC this am and whipped the crisco around for about 15 minutes like you suggested. It came out really nice. I'll have to try it the lazier way and see if it is any different.
Mamawrobin, how come you never put your pans in the dishwasher? Does it hurt the pans? I never even thought about it. BTW, I made some IndyDebi BC this am and whipped the crisco around for about 15 minutes like you suggested. It came out really nice. I'll have to try it the lazier way and see if it is any different.
It's better for the finish on your pans to be hand washed. Although they are 'dishwasher safe' manufacturers recommend that you 'hand wash for best results'.
I find that it does make a difference in Indydebi's bc by beating the heck out of the Crisco. I've made it both ways and I will always go the extra step. It does make a difference. 
And FYI, my Wilton Instructor said the gold comes off. And, uh, who wants gold flecks in their cakes. LOL. She bought the pans and ended up tossing them. She didn't use the dishwasher, so that didn't cause it.
And FYI, my Wilton Instructor said the gold comes off. And, uh, who wants gold flecks in their cakes. LOL. She bought the pans and ended up tossing them. She didn't use the dishwasher, so that didn't cause it.
Can you imagine what they would be like IF they were put in the dishwasher? 
I didn't like the looks of them when I first saw them. They look poorly made to me.
They're thin and the sides are sloped.
Ditto!
I am just a hobby baker and never sold a cake, but when it comes to cake pans it is obvious wilton pans are made not to last.
They are thin and cheap in material, and as all of you know they are not the right size.
Mamawrobin, how come you never put your pans in the dishwasher? Does it hurt the pans? I never even thought about it. BTW, I made some IndyDebi BC this am and whipped the crisco around for about 15 minutes like you suggested. It came out really nice. I'll have to try it the lazier way and see if it is any different.
It's better for the finish on your pans to be hand washed. Although they are 'dishwasher safe' manufacturers recommend that you 'hand wash for best results'.
I find that it does make a difference in Indydebi's bc by beating the heck out of the Crisco. I've made it both ways and I will always go the extra step. It does make a difference.
The main reason for not putting cake pans in dishwashers was recently revealed in the news: most, if not all, are annodized aluminum and newer dishwasher detergents are not freindly or kind to aluminum. There was a list of items that been publshed to avoid puting in dishwashers and aluminum is on the list.
Quite frankly, my first reaction to the gold pans was that Wilton is looking for the next gimic to get people to purchase pans. Sheesh.... GOLD?
Sandy
They're thin and the sides are sloped.
Ditto!
I am just a hobby baker and never sold a cake, but when it comes to cake pans it is obvious wilton pans are made not to last.
They are thin and cheap in material, and as all of you know they are not the right size.
mmm not so... I've been decorating since '91 and all of my pans are in mint condition. And I've purchased a few on ebay that are old. There are many who've held on to and use wilton pans. The gold ones may be cheap, and you'll see a lot of trash talk about Wilton, but for the most part, their quality has been good. No crisp angles on their basic pans, but not that bad, either.
And, crisp angles can be created on cakes that are baked in pans that do not have crisp angles/corners. It's all in how the icing and fondant are worked.
Sandy
Frankly, those nearly 20 year old W pans are much better made than the pans of today. Back in the day, before companies outsourced everything to the cheapest bidder. things were made to hold up. Now things are made so that companies make a profit.
I do agree with you on that!! I look at the pans that come out and frankly are not impressed. They do not appear as thick. I really want that pillow pan set but wonder how well they will last. 
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