Much to the amusement of @ElendilTheTall, I'm working on French macarons. I'm using the method that makes an Italian meringue, so I pour hot sugar syrup into the partially whipped egg whites.  The final result is supposed to look like this:    I'm not there yet :/. The recipes that I have consulted add powdered color to the unwhipped egg white and almond flour mixture (I don't have powdered color), or they add gel to the final mixture before folding. One of the recipes warns against that, that the liquid in the color will affect the consistency of the batter.  So why not add the color (and for that matter, any liquid flavoring you might be using) to the syrup? Just before it reaches soft ball stage (the stage at which it is added to the meringue)? The syrup has water in it anyway. It seems that you could even use ordinary liquid food coloring, three drops isn't going to affect the water measurement, kitchen scales are not accurate to fractions of a gram.  If, at the final stage, the color looks a bit too timid, I still can a drop of gel color (less than I would use otherwise) to the final mix.  Why would this be a bad idea?  My actual recipe is paywalled, but this method is close. 
I have several bannetons (also called brotforms).  Two are wicker and 2 are cane (you can also find them made from wood pulp).  I simply use a small, stiff pastry brush to clean away any flour left behind.  Sometimes I find it helpful to leave it out overnight so the flour dries and it is easier to brush away.  I have even given the canes a quick rinse but I do make sure to thoroughly dry before storing.  In addition to rice flour, I have used AP and bread flour with success.  With the wicker ones, sometimes I use food grade linen that I flour and line the banneton with to proof the bread.  I have also used plastic wrap that has a light spray of olive oil.  These two methods eliminate the need to flour the banneton.  It just depends on my mood and the surface finish I want on the baked loaf. 