First of all I would like to say I love cakecentral.com and this forum. I have learned so much through the forum. I think it is awesome 
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I have heard alot of talk about bake-even strips. My question is do you use them on all pans or just round pans and what kind or size do you get? I am new to the bake-even strips. Haven't even purchased any yet, but I am considering purchasing some. Any information about them would be helpful!
Thanks!
Jennifer 
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I don't know the answer, just wanted to let you know that you can find them on ebay if and when you get them.
They run pretty cheap on there.
What do you mean inverted flower nails? How do you use them? I haven't had a lot of luck out of the strips.
I use them, bought them while I was taking the Wilton course....and have never looked back. They keep the cake pretty even, my cakes never have turned out so consistant. I have only used them on round pans though. There are other threads, previously where people have made their own, out of towel strips, and are happy. I think they will last a long time, so I think the money is worth it.
I use my bake even strips on all cakes, except maybe 9" that's just for us. The large ones are the best to buy, because you can use them on any pan. It doesn't hurt if some of it is double thickness (like the strips are too long).
A tip I've learned to freshen up the bake even strips is to soak them in a white vinegar and water bath for a few hours, then rinse and dry. Keeps them clean and fresh. After a while, it seems they have an "odor" and that takes the odor out.
I still use the inverted flower nail on 10" or larger pans.
i usually make 8'' cakes and i use it on that and love it. you get a nice high even cake and i cant see a reason not to use them. i did use the inverted flower nail for my large cake and that worked great too but still had to trim a little on top. The nail does work though for larger cakes when you dont have a bake even strip that big.
Welcome!
I don't use the strips, I use inverted flower nails.
You have to soak the strips and then put them around larger pans, such as a 12" or larger...don't guess it would hurt on a 10" and sheet cakes.
MMDD, baking strips and the flower nails do two different things.
Baking even strips are soaked in cold water and can be used an any of the basic shapes of any size, circle, square, round, retangle, oval, hexagon... I have never tried them on pans like the character shapes so I can't tell you about that one.
Bake even strips work be keeping the outside edge of your pan cooler longer. Normally the first inch around the pan bakes fastest because it is against the hot metal, there for the rest of the matter rises (or domes) in the middle. With the bake even strips it helps to reduce the dome, by helping the outside edges to cook slower.
The invert flower nail takes the place of heating cores which are said to be needed on pans that are 12 inchs or larger. They help the center of your cake cook more evenly with the rest of it, so that the outside and sides are not cooked super done before the middle even gets done.
I bought them but found that they did not work. Honestly, they were a waste of my money. I wouldn't recommend them. It seems as though I'm in the minority here. I also bought a cake leveler and that was a waste of money also. I 'eyeball' my cake and level w/a large, sharp knife. Never had problems and it is much cheaper than spending my money on all those modern gadgets.
Welcome!
I don't use the strips, I use inverted flower nails.
You have to soak the strips and then put them around larger pans, such as a 12" or larger...don't guess it would hurt on a 10" and sheet cakes.
MMDD, baking strips and the flower nails do two different things.
Baking even strips are soaked in cold water and can be used an any of the basic shapes of any size, circle, square, round, retangle, oval, hexagon... I have never tried them on pans like the character shapes so I can't tell you about that one.
Bake even strips work be keeping the outside edge of your pan cooler longer. Normally the first inch around the pan bakes fastest because it is against the hot metal, there for the rest of the matter rises (or domes) in the middle. With the bake even strips it helps to reduce the dome, by helping the outside edges to cook slower.
The invert flower nail takes the place of heating cores which are said to be needed on pans that are 12 inchs or larger. They help the center of your cake cook more evenly with the rest of it, so that the outside and sides are not cooked super done before the middle even gets done.
Sorry, texas, I think I was a bit tired when I wrote that. Thanks for clearing it all up!
What do you mean inverted flower nails? How do you use them? I haven't had a lot of luck out of the strips.
Just like TexasSugar described--they're used as a core. Just place one in the middle of the pan before you pour your batter in.
On larger cakes, I've actually used more than one.
I use them on round, square, and rectangle pans. I don't have hexagon, but they would work on those too. They don't work on character pans since you can't get them to stay in the shape. I have both the large ones and small ones. You can pin two together if they aren't long enough, or overlap them if they are too long. I love mine. Wouldn't make a cake without them!
I've tried baking strips bunches of times. I didn't like them at all. Flower nails do the same thing that baking strips do mmdd. They keep the temp evenly through out the pan, the keep the cake from over browning, keep it baking level, give you nice even sides. I always use flower nails on any cake larger then 8". I've noticed a big difference when I use them. On a cake larger then 10" I use 2 flower nails. Just wanted to add my opinion to this topic.
I love the bake even strips - haven't had to level a cake since I bought them. The key, however, is using them properly. You have to soak them first, and you have to attach them closely around the pan . . . if you don't use them right, they don't work well.
I have the bake even strips and I really like them. So far I've used them on my 8" round and 9x13" cakes and they bake up very evenly and have less of a hump (most of the time no hump). I also make sure to lower my tempurater to 325 degrees.
I was wondering, do any of you use BOTH the bake even strips and flower nails in your cakes? If so, which sizes do you use both?
you can make your own strips by using cut up strips of an old towel. soak them and use them they same way you would the store bought strips.
puzzlegut ... I use the teflon strips and flower nails for all round and square cakes 10" and larger, plus any 3" tall cakes that I bake, regardless of size. I never use the flower nail in my sheet cakes, since they always seem to bake nicely without them.
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