chefpeon

It's actually very simple. You freeze it. It will NOT hurt the cheesecake. I repeat. It will NOT hurt the cheesecake. Then, if you've used a springform pan (I never do), you just run a warm knife around the inside to release the sides of the cake (or you can run the knife along the inside before you freeze it), and then gently warm the underside of the pan with a torch or set it on an oven burner for a second, and the bottom will release. The cheesecake will be hard enough that you can handle it with your hands. You could even throw it at the neighbors dog and it will still be ok. Put it on a cake circle that you have covered with foil, or even better, florist's polyfoil, or use commercially available gold scalloped cake circles. You can even let it thaw for 20 minutes or so, and use a warm knife to create beautifully clean slices. Freezing is a beautiful thing. Really.

Believe me, I don't quit jobs over "one incident". You wouldn't believe the stuff I've let roll off my back.....for well over a year. This is the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. I agree that when you own a business, you get the final say in everything.....after all, it's your business. BUT. I don't think it's unreasonable for me to expect that they should act professionally and treat me with respect. That's not asking for the moon. I come from a "big city" environment, where you would get your ass chewed for the stuff my boss's wife pulls in that kitchen. She is immature, and unprofessional, and is completely unable to see beyond her petty childish issues. If she is so concerned about running a quality shop she seriously needs to grow up. I'm not about to stick around and be her kindergarten teacher.

Ok, I'm resurrecting this thread because I think today was the FINAL straw. That's it, I'm done....I'm outta there. For sure this time!!!! Know what happened today? Yesterday, I baked off a few dozen cookies to cover some ultra early orders for this morning. When I got into work this morning (I'm the first one in), I saw 2 dozen of my Gingersnaps IN THE GARBAGE CAN OUTSIDE!!! What the???? So, when my boss came in, I asked him why the cookies were in the garbage. He said his wife decided they were overbaked. What the????? She trashed them. First, they weren't overbaked. Second, she deliberately threw them away after I'd left for the day......third, she didn't even leave me a note telling me they were in the garbage, so if I hadn't been so observant and seen them actually in the garbage can, I would have discovered that I was 2 dozen short at a point where I wouldn't have been able to get the order out on time. Of course my boss is married to the woman, so even though I may be totally right, he's pussywhipped enough that he'll never stand up for me to her. Also, what they hell are they THINKING that I'm actually going to pass off burnt cookies to a customer? I mean, THAT'S what I've been bitching about all this time.....that THEY are the ones who pass off the crappy product! The absolute bizarreness of this whole situation is making me tear my hair out. I even fished a cookie out of the trash (they are wrapped, don't worry) to bring home to my husband. I told him the story and fed him the cookie. He was amazed. He said to me, "You've GOT to get out of there." He's right. I know he's right. It's sad though......I actually like my boss....although pussywhipped, he's a sweet man......it'll just be a huge hardship for him when I leave.....he doesn't deserve that. I like my other co-workers too........we have some fun coffee breaks together. For me, quitting a job is like a divorce....it's like I have no other choice to preserve my mental health. Why are people in the restaurant business so dysfunctional and f*&cked up??? (Myself included.)

I'm a fanatic about dates on cartons as well.....in fact, I am anal retentive about the cartons being stored with the dates showing.....properly rotated. I get very upset when people put my perishables away incorrectly. Ok, yeah, I been doin' this too long, I know..... However, even when I've been well within the date stamped on the carton, I've had cream spoil on me before that date. A lot of times the hot side will "borrow" (yeah, right) some of my cream, and they will leave it out for hours, or have it sitting by the stove when they are making a sauce. That carton warms up quick, and it shaves a heck of a lot of time off your "sell by" date. Also, "sell by" dates assume you are storing the cream at the optimal temperature. If your refrigeration is off, or you are constantly opening and closing the door of your reach-in in a hot kitchen all day, you know that optimal temperature is definitely not constant. That shaves off life from your cream as well.

The above is true for me as well, although sometimes I have been out of milk and used ALL cream and it still came out fine, albeit a little thick. Here's one thing I found out....... when cream is really really close to being "off", it will go grainy on you. The few times I have given my cream a whiff and decided it was ok today, but might be bad by tomorrow and used it, I have gotten grainy ganache, broken sauces and grainy pastry cream. So now, if it's not off, but close, I don't use it. I learned my lesson there.

Yow....there's one that's more reasonably priced! AND it looks just like a cookie press/caulk gun!!! You'd probably have to buy the additional die set for $18.95, as the dies that come with the press are sort of on the skinny side......

Was shopping at Target yesterday. Went to the toy department....the good news is that the Play Dough "Fun Factory" is only $4.99. The bad news is that it only holds enough clay (or fondant) that's about the size of 2 walnuts. So although you can get a rope out of it, it won't be a very long one.

Tonight on Iron Chef America.....Morimoto does Iced Squid Candy. That is all.

Yes, perhaps the only drawback with the Play Doh machine is that you're limited on the length of rope you can extrude. I've always hand rolled my ropes myself. I was taught how to (patiently) roll them out without having parts of the rope get thin spots in it. A lot of the time I will cheat, however, and use modeling chocolate for ropes...they are much easier to roll by hand as they are not so stretchy. Here's another tip too......I get a lot of my impression and relief tools for cake decorating at Seattle Pottery Suppy. Any pottery supply place will do I suppose. Lots to choose from and OH! so much cheaper!!!!

To expand on MizDucky's idea, which is positively brilliant....PlayDoh is very similar in consistency to fondant I do believe......you can also look into perhaps a heavy duty clay extruder, which mounts on a wall or a table. Sorta pricey ($400-ish), but may be worth it if it will last a long time. Here's a link.

Maybe your future sister-in-law is the one who's confused? Perhaps she thinks that pic of a croquembouche is a Millefogli? Maybe just say, "Hey, you sent me a picture of a croquembouche, which is French in origin...." Then describe what a Millefogli is and see which she wants. I've had a lot of clients of mine ask for something by name, then show me a picture and they've been two completely different things! Now, I sort of always assume my clients are misinformed....

I might be talking out of my butt here, but I think I remember some things that I've read about cookbooks in that day and age. I'm a collector of those old cookbooks......that feature some of the worst food photography known to man. The old obsessions with Jello molds and molded salads, and more things you could do with weenies than you could shake a stick at. The era of "Regrettable Food" as referenced by James Lileks. I'm a huge fan. I remember reading somewhere that cookbooks at the time focused on using shortening, because it was (and still is) cheaper than butter. It doesn't strike me that people were overly obsessed with taste at the time, because, well, look what else they were eating!!! The housewife of the 50's was more concerned about feeding her family cheaply, rather than well. I truly think the recipes in your 1950's cookbook have no other reason for having shortening in them other than it was the trend at the time. Remember too, that there were no health scares about fatty diets, trans fats, high cholesterol or any of that then either.

You're right.....carving spheres freehand is a son-of-a-b*tch! I do have some dome shaped pans, but if you need certain sizes, you're doomed to freehand carving! Unless someone knows an easy way or a cool shortcut......hint hint.

So is "Discworld" the new "thing" now? I've never heard of it or Terry Pratchett. I have to keep up with this stuff. I've just come off the Harry Potter trend. There's also been these trends in cakes: Pokemon Teletubbies Blues Clues Chronicles of Narnia Power Rangers Strawberry Shortcake Winnie the Pooh The Wiggles Toy Story A Bugs Life Monsters Inc. Little Mermaid Aladdin Nemo and the worst cake trend of all........BARNEY. I can't tell you how much purple food color I've gone through. "I love you, you love me, let's drive cake decorators Cr-a-a-zy....."

Hee hee......Just my luck I would do something like that, and the customer would say, "This is the BEST chocolate mousse I've EVER HAD!!"

Now, no need to shout, young man! But yeah, I sorta thought, if you're folding chocolate into a creme anglaise and piping it into a glass, it would be kinda pudding-y instead of mousse-y. Kinda confusing.

Do you know if your cupcake liners are silicone treated? I have parchment liners that are silicone treated....they may treat cupcake liners also. That might explain the problem.....or not. Man, I can see how frustrated you must be!

Hey WTG! I like your sense of humor!!! Also, a perfect way to remember all the mousses!

What a puzzler! The only thing I don't see that you've tried is changing brands of liners.......if you can even do that. You may not have much of a choice as far as that's concerned. I definitely think anything that causes "lubrication" like spraying the liners with pan spray would definitely make them pop off, since you want the cake to stick to the liner to keep it on. What's your humidity like there? Would humidity moisten the liner enough to make it pop off? Do you think your problem could be climate related?

Now please explain each style, its preparation method, and application. Then use it in a sentence.

Boy, I guess I missed that quiz question in school. Is that the one that comes after "name all the mother sauces?" As far as I'm concerned there's only two chocolate mousses....mine....and everybody elses.....

Actually, dry melting sugar is amazingly easy, quick, and even a fool could do it. I think it's actually easier and more foolproof than using the sugar/water method, because you don't have to worry about washing down the pan with a pastry brush in the early stages of boiling to prevent recrystallization. You simply put your sugar in the pan, and once it starts to melt, stir it around a bit to make sure all the sugar gets to the heat. It caramelizes immediately. You add your water (or whatever), cook out the lumps and voila! Nothing could be easier. I agree with that. Especially since it was only a 1/2 cup......doesn't take much to evaporate enough of that off to make your sugar hard again. You should try making it again the same way, except use 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. That will make it more "foolproof". I always say that if you fail at something, you should at least try again to get it right, rather than abandon it and go to something else. Don't let it defeat you.

Ok, I'll shut up now.

If you dry melt the sugar you don't have to wait nearly as long for it to caramelize, since you don't have to wait for any water to evaporate.

Wasn't trying to create a controversy really. Just wanted to make a good thing better. My personal feeling is that when one person is challenged it puts them on the spot. I thought if a general challenge were issued and people who wanted to join in, did so, then we'd get a lot more out of it. More finished products made and posted. More ideas, more fun, and best of all no one feels pressured.