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Confession time: I used to chew on my muffin wrappers. Yep. After savoring the muffin—by eating the bottom first, then the top like a true muffin connoisseur—I would ball up the wrapper in my grubby little hands, pop it into my mouth like a piece of Bubblicious, and chew it until all the flavor was gone. I was that kind of gross. Magnetic Measuring Cups
But it wasn't until recently that I realized my desire to munch on muffin paper had nothing to do with my greedy tendencies and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that muffin liners are the worst thing to ever happen to baked goods, your wallet, and the probably the planet. Walk with me.
1. Say bye-bye to caramelized bits! The best part of a perfectly baked muffin is the super-thin layer of golden-brown deliciousness at its the base. As the batter bakes, the parts that are in direct contact with the hot tin are guaranteed to develop complex toasty notes from the caramelizing sugars in the batter. When you put a muffin liner between the batter and the tin, it does an excellent job of ripping that yummy outer layer off of your muffin, leaving you sad and without caramelized bits. So unless you want to chew on muffin liners like young me, you'll never know that extra flavor.
2. They are so wasteful. Single-use anything is just not cute anymore, and muffin liners are no exception. If you're a casual muffin baker, this might not seem like such a big deal, but think about all of the half-used packs of muffin liners hanging out in kitchen cabinets across the world. Or the used foil liners dotting a landfill. Such a waste.
3. Buying the right size is a hassle. Ever try to guess what size you need and end up with liners that are way too big or small for your muffin tin? You're not alone. Muffin liners come in mini, standard, large, extra large, and jumbo sizes. Even within those classifications, the actual size can vary by brand, leading to a higher chance of liners that pucker and dent your muffin, or liners that are too small for your tin.
4. Be honest: they are actually butt-ugly. Yeah, I said it. Even at their jazziest, the standard accordion-like fluted liners are straight-up tacky and dated. If you really need those cheesy designs to distract from the muffin itself, then you may want to reevaluate your muffin recipe. And I guarantee you won’t care about the extra pop of color when you're cleaning up your muffin-liner-littered kitchen.
5. And if they aren't ugly, they're expensive. Okay, so the tulip-shaped ones are KINDA SORTA cute. But why am I being charged extra few cents per muffin liner to make my baked goods look like they're wearing a Dr. Strange cloak? Hard pass.
6. Not so fast, silicone liners. Y'all suck too. I can see how these would be helpful if you bake muffins once a week. But if you don’t, keeping track of and cleaning them will prove to be far more annoying than helpful. Oh, and good luck trying to keep folks from throwing them away. A silicone muffin mold supported by a sheet tray is a much better use of your money.
7. Just grease the crap out of your muffin tin and get on with it. When properly baked muffins cool in a well-greased baking tin, they should be a breeze to remove. For any stuck bits, just wiggle around the edge with a knife, and the muffin will release cleanly. For your diligence and refusal to use a muffin liner as a crutch, you’ll be rewarded with the most beautiful muffin you’ve ever baked.
Brooke Caison is the food editor at Delish, where she develops and styles original recipes, writes the weekly membership newsletter, and appears as occasional on-camera talent for Delish's YouTube channel. She's obsessed with the idea of bringing restaurant methods to the home cook with foolproof techniques and organized cooking (like how to safely shuck a clam or tackle a complex baking project). A graduate of ICE, she was previously a line cook, hospitality manager for the opening season of Little Island, and culinary assistant to Top Chef judge and food expert Gail Simmons. Her work has also appeared on Martha Stewart. There's no food she won’t try, but cranberry whipped feta dip has her heart.
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