Do You Really Need Those Magi-Strips Thingamadookies?
Decorating By brittanydear Updated 4 Jul 2007 , 10:10pm by karateka
Just wondering if these babies really work, and if they do, do I *need* them? I don't mind buying them if they make a difference, but are they all they are cracked up to be? Just curious!
Thanks,
Brittany
I think it might be the saem to put the temperature up for 15 minutes and then lowering it for the remainder of the baking or even using a water bath.
I had heard of these andd wondered how they work and it was explained to me recently and it seems so silly to have to wet these things with ice water to keep the temp down. It's strange.
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-334723-conductor.html+heat
Here's the science behind how the baking strips work. I will not bake without them. I bake at 325, with baking strips, never use cores or flower nails.
An old towel, cut into strips that are wide enough to fold in half, will work just as well. Cut the strips, soak them in cold water, wring out, and pin them around the pan.
However, since I started using the flower nails, I NEVER mess with this anymore!
i love them, wouldn't bake without them...as a matter of fact, i believe mine are in need of replacement....they must have slipped and touched the baking racks over time (7 plus years?) as they are charred in some areas...i'm SURE that's not safe.
anyone know where to find those nifty 'hat pins' to adhere the strips?
Sally
I don't use them either, but now I'm thinking about it. I read in another thread that was full of tips of all sorts from fellow CC'rs that you could also use strips of cut up towels (wet) and pinned around the pan.... Has anyone tried this? I think I will try this first as I don't have to buy anything for my experiment hehehe 
Lynda
edited to add: Sorry StephW, we must have been posting at the same time 
I'm going to try it on a test cake 
I stopped using them once I switched to pans. Cakes bake so evenly in those pans, it brings tears to my eyes.
FUNNY....me too! I've switched nearly every pan to Magic Line and there's no need to use the bake-even strips! Love those pans!
I have them, rarely use them, since for me, they don't make enough of a differene to matter. I just use my magic Line pans now. 
anyone know where to find those nifty 'hat pins' to adhere the strips?
Sally
Check in the sewing section of any store, or the office supply section. YOu can find them in both sections. I use metal binder clips fromthe office supply section. They work great for me.
I don't use them either, but now I'm thinking about it. I read in another thread that was full of tips of all sorts from fellow CC'rs that you could also use strips of cut up towels (wet) and pinned around the pan.... Has anyone tried this? I think I will try this first as I don't have to buy anything for my experiment hehehe
Lynda
edited to add: Sorry StephW, we must have been posting at the same time
I'm going to try it on a test cake
Not a problem. The cut up towels do work - I used them years ago. But once I started doing cakes again last year, I found this site and read about the flower nail trick and I find that soooo much easier to do.
An old towel, cut into strips that are wide enough to fold in half, will work just as well. Cut the strips, soak them in cold water, wring out, and pin them around the pan.
However, since I started using the flower nails, I NEVER mess with this anymore!
How do you use the flower nails? Where do I find them? How many per cake? Thanks!!!!
How do you use the flower nails? Where do I find them? How many per cake? Thanks!!!!
Flower nails can be found with the cake decorating items at craft stores. It's the one used to make roses. Place it upside down, nail head down, in the middle of a cake pan. I use these on 10" or larger cakes. The number of flower nails to use will depend on the size of the pan. For a 10" pan, I use 1.
The nails act as heat conductors and allow the center of the cakes to bake at the same rate as the sides.
I don't bake without them. I usually soak in ice water for larger cakes.
I used to use the strip but now I for cakes smaller than 10" I bake them at a lower temp. For cakes 10" and larger I use a flower nail. Both work great and I don't have to waste time trying to pin the strips on.
I bought them several years ago and hated them. I actually threw them away when we moved last year! I bake at 325 with the flower nails and have no problems!
I also used to use them and discovered that with a 325 oven and good pans (magic line or other brand...P&H has very nice pans too) I just don't bother anymore. They are a pain when you have a lot of baking to do. Just didn't notice enough of a difference.
have not needed them woth magic line pans, except for choc cakes i do like them still.
I don't use them on any of my magic line pans, but I find I still need them on my Wilton pans (wish Magic Line would make shaped pans!)
I tried them twice on my magic line and the edge of the cake was so gooey (even though it was baked) it was hard to ice even with the icer tip.
I was doing mass production baking last night and ran out of baking strips. I had two 10" square pans to go and only one strip so since they were Magic Line (and after reading this thread), I decided to experiment and do one with the strip and one without.
My cakes usually rise higher than the pan, which makes for ease in leveling and getting cakes that are perfectly level and the same size. The cake without the strip didn't rise quite as high as the cake with the strip. It was about 1/4" below the edge of the pan. Not a big deal .... and still workable ..... but it did make a difference. The pan with the strip rose above the pan and I was able to level it by using the pan edge as a guide.
So now I know that when using Magic Lines, if I dont' use the baking strips, it won't be a "big" deal ..... but I think I still prefer to use them anyway.
I live in a high altitude city (we're at 5,000 ft), and I cannot believe the difference they make here!
I too am a Wilton instructor, and on the first night of Course 1, I show my students two 8" cakes. One is baked with the strip and one without. The one baked without has a pronounced "dome" that tends to be a bit more "conical" than "rounded," and by the time it's leveled is sometimes as much as an inch thinner than the cake baked with the strip.
I don't remember my cakes doming so badly when I lived at a lower altitude, but I certainly wouldn't bake a cake without them here.
Jamey
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