what are the cake pans that yall can't live without? i'm trying to buildup my stock & was just wondering .

round pans of different sizes. I love them.

I like the Decorator Preferred by Wilton! THe square pans are wonderful they give you a clean, sharp edge.

my 9x13 and 11x15 slab cake pans,ovals,rounds,squares,hexagons.

do yall think character pans are a waste of space or a good investment?

i really..really want the hexagon pan set. where do most of yall buy your pans?

I'm relatively new to this, but I can say that I bought a Spiderman cake pan that I will most surely NEVER use again, but boy, did it make an AWESOME birthday cake for my step-son!!

This week Hobby Lobby is 50% off on all Wilton. You could probably get the hexagon set there. I don't bother with most of the character pans, and do my own shape. But some are useful and can be used for other things, like the bear could be used for many different animals, etc. It's a personal preference.

Personally, I think the character pans are a waste. They don't serve that many, so you have to make more cake, or put them on top of a sheet cake. I think you get just as pretty a cake with transfers or (what I have done in the past) tracing an image on the cake and filling in with icing. Besides, with the character pans, they go out of 'style' so fast.

I have 3 character pans each have been used once but they were for my children and nephew and put huge smiles on their face so it wasn't really a waste of money. I love my rounds and my squares and of course my half sheet - all Wilton performance pans.

All my rounds and squares! I actually need to get a new 1/4 sheet pan.

I have the Elmo head pan and it is pretty much a waste. However, I didn't buy it, so it is not $$ out of my pocket. I think that it's actually easier to do a FBCT or a figurine rather than to have to pull out all that fur for Elmo. Drives me crazy.

Lisa

The only character cake pans worth buying are from as some people here do, thrift stores, or Ebay if they are cheap, and you NEED it. Or free of course to you. However, most people won't use them more than one time IF that.

Since you can't legally sell a character cake if it's a trademarked or copyrighted image, then it's a total waste.

Take Alton Brown's advice, and make sure the (tools) pans you own, are multi-purpose ones. Examples, are the small sports ball, the bowling pin and the guitar pans.

Until I found this site I was thinking I would have to buy character pans for my kids birthdays. But when I saw the instructions for the fbct I decided they would be a waste of money. I like the look of fbct better & you have more than 1 way to make the same character if you needed to! I just saw the instructions from SquirrellyCakes on a chocolate transfer & can't wait to try one of those too!!

I only do cakes for fun (not for selling) so I don't have a lot of pans but I love the Wilton performance pans I do have (heart & square). They are so easy to clean after baking in them & always give a nice result.

Being a beginner I was worried about buying character pans that will sit and not be used, but I bought the bear and football...... my first grandchild came last December and figure I will have plenty more over the years (I have five children), and with my guys loving football, heck at least one Super Bowl football will be mae each year! So those two seemed worth having - besides, bought them with 50% off coupons!

deb

I agree on character pans..waste of money.
I only have round and square pans, but I would love to purchase that new "comma" shaped one I've been seeing. Where can I get one?
I would also like to buy the groovy shaped heart pan by Wilton.

Basic shapes give you alot of options! I'd go with pan sets, then go back and buy inbetween sizes. Also if you can I'd do doubles of pans you will use alot, especially for 2 layer cakes. Also sheets like the 13x9.

At Michaels I have seen the sets of rounds, hearts, squares, and ovals, but have yet to see the hexagon in store. I ordered my hexagon set from Wilton.com.

As far as character pans goes, I don't think the liscensed ones are worth it. Most of the characters are only good for a few years before new or different ones come out.

But I do think some of the other shapes can come in handy. The 3d ball pan, wonder mold, and such can be used for many different things. Also the pans like bears and footballs are classic and can be used over and over. Look through the Wilton Yearbooks and it will give you an idea of what pans are good for more than one use.

I AM STILL BUILDING MY COLLECTION TOO! I HAVE LEARNED THAT CHARACTER PANS MAKE CUTE CAKES FOR THE KIDS...BUT FOR THE MONEY I DON'T THINK THEY ARE WORTH BUYING. I HAVE GOTTEN TO WHERE I PUT IMAGES ON A CAKE AND GO ON...SO JUST YOUR BASIC SHAPES ARE GREAT TO HAVE ON HAND.

LES

Thanks for the tips on ordering the pans but ZOINKS on the prices!
Ouch...I think I'll have to wait on that one...

I like the charachter pans.. I got a bunch from my MIL but I have yet to use them I actually hang them them on my wall in my extra room I now use for my cake stuff.. It looks cute

If people want to order a character cake, I make them buy the pan that way, they can take it home, and I'm not out any money.

Thrifty me likes that idea

My Comma, Clover, Oval, and Scallop (6 sides)