JeanneCake

Let me ask my AUI rep if she can get me some samples. Which ones would you want (in order of preference)? I can send them to you if she can get them.... will PM you with my email address. For compounds, I've used the orange, triple strength espresso, toasted coconut, Irish Cream, Amaretto, Frangelico, white chocolate (years ago, that was a big waste of $ but it was only a sample so not really a lot of $ wasted!), champagne (it's just sweet wine so what's the point); I used cotton candy once, and it was quite good - not fake tasting at all!; and mango. The mango compound was excellent and I'd buy it again if I need it. Over the years I've used banana (meh), gingerbread (very good) eggnog (also good), chai (ok) raspberry (also good), wild strawberry (good), strawberry champagne (good but I hate the way it smells). Amoretti also makes extracts - water soluble and oil soluble. Of these I've tried toasted marshmallow (don't bother with this one), maple (these are good, I've tried both OS and WS), Rose (I don't really care for Rose flavoring so I was neutral about this one); Hibiscus (which was good)

@Jim D. something like this? Chef's Essence Flavors https://www.aftelier.com/category-s/1820.htm I've never used them so I cannot say if they are good or bad; and I don't know anyone who does use this brand, but they look like they are cheaper than the Sosa essences from AUI though so maybe worth a try?

Yeah, you do have to buy 12 at a time for the puree. The Ponthier stuff is wonderful; I remember when Swiss Chalet brought them in; the blueberry and the coconut blew me away with how flavorful they were. The other thing is that Ponthier comes in tubs or in pouches and I always got either one and they always came in frozen when I was buying them from Swiss Chalet. AUI on the other hand, sells the pouches as refrigerated and the tubs frozen.

Thank you everyone! I already buy lots of things from AUI (Felchlin, Ponthier purees, tart shells, hazelnut paste - the Akacakoka is amazing; fondant, gum paste... sometimes my rep refers to my kitchen as her second warehouse ) but I'd been using Amoretti compounds before AUI introduced their compounds. Compared side by side; the AUI orange turns whatever you add it to a bright, day-glow orange that visually is not appealing; whereas the Amoretti orange is a more delicate color, a truer orange flavor and has little bits of zest in it for texture. I'm using compounds mostly in cheesecake batter, in amaretto panna cotta (so I don't have to use alcohol, although at the price Amoretti is charging it might be cheaper to use the booze!), sometimes in italian meringue buttercream (when I need a strong coffee flavor but I don't want to use so much coffee syrup that I end up changing the texture of the buttercream; or for when I want to boost the caramel flavor but don't want to add so much caramel sauce that the buttercream becomes too soft). I did get the OSA fillings from Felchlin when they started carrying them; I liked the coffee one and we still have some of the strawberry. I've never used the OSA fillings before so I'd love to hear what other pastry peeps do with them..... besides melting them and dipping the tops of cupcakes in it, or using it as a drip edge on an occasion cake (which is popular now!). I got some of the kracklin filling (with the feuilletine in it, so good!) but it contained nuts and I didn't want to start adding it to everything and then having to worry about nut allergies...

Update: On a whim, I emailed my former Amoretti rep, who is now located in Germany (I've been buying from them for at least 12 years). I told her what was going on and asked if there was someone I could talk to because I wasn't getting anywhere with the social media "messages" (they were polite but it was canned answers). I was able to speak to a management person in CA who agreed that the promotion should have had clear guidelines and was able to help me get the order processed AND to my shock and amazement, the shipping (for at least 30 pounds of stuff) was only $25. I was almost on the floor when she told me that. I fully expected shipping to be at least $150 for that much stuff (I had at least 13 2.2# jars). They will be clearer about promotions in the future so I won't have to worry about this next year LOL! I'm happy to say they did their best to resolve the issue and it worked out to the benefit of both of us (I am still a loyal customer and they got a big sale from one person

That's good to know about Sosa; AUI offers a 10% discount on orders over $750 and shipping is free with orders above $300 (I think. It could be $250, I'm not sure). If I don't go ahead with the Amoretti order I might just start getting the Sosa compounds from them. Amoretti's compounds are very good, but the arbitrary application of rules after the fact more than annoy me. It makes no difference to them, I'm a small business and my $1700 isn't appreciated and the lack of an order won't faze them in the least.

Hi ... question for professional pastry chefs .... Amoretti has been my go to for compounds for years, despite their rising costs over the last four years. They've got much more of an online presence now, and they are trying to push a lot of selling through their website. They are running a "Black Friday" sales promotion - you buy so much, you get so much off your order good through Nov 30. Since most of their compounds run between 70 and 100 for a 2.2# jar, I can really only afford to buy when there's a promotion. So I stock up once a year and get everything I will need for the next year. My order is currently up to almost 1,700 and when I asked if this qualified for free shipping, I was told no - because it was an online order. Free shipping was offered only for orders placed through a customer service rep and over $300. But, you can't use the promotion if you call in an order. I pointed out that the promotion does not contain any restrictions, nor does it say for online orders only but they are adamant that they will not allow me to place this order through a customer service rep and get the discount and if I go ahead with the online order, they'll give me a code for free shipping on my NEXT order. Are there alternatives to Amoretti out there with the same or better quality? I don't want to play this game with them any more. I'm a small business and to me, a $1700 order isn't chump change for such a specific product (I spend this on regular stuff like flour, sugar, dairy, etc on a weekly basis) and with so many other companies offering free shipping and sales promotions maybe it's time to explore other players in this space.

We didn't get a lot of cold cereal when I was a kid, either. I remember Kix and that's about it. Mostly we had the instant packets of oatmeal and I was allowed to boil the water for it myself from a young age (of which I was very proud. It was an electric stove - microwaves hadn't been invented yet - so my parents probably figured not much could go wrong). I did get the cinnamon frosted flakes but didn't really like them and no one else in house did either. My husband loves to snack on the flavored frosted mini wheats and the kid has been known to make an entire box of the blueberry ones disappear in a day.....I cannot keep enough Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds in the house either - and I'm not eating the cereal! LOL.. When I'm craving breakfast for dinner I want buckwheat pancakes or eggs in any way, shape or form.

I found them in the local Market Basket grocery store, but they weren't with the other Oreos in the cookie aisle, they were on a merchandiser up front with other holiday stuff. The package is small - smaller even than the usual specialty flavor packaging but I have to say I like these better than the mint ones At the rate I'm going, I'm going to need to buy several more packages in the next week!

If you like mint and chocolate, the peppermint bark oreos are quite good. Out of all the flavors they are throwing out there, this is the only one I've really enjoyed. (I like mint oreos so this isn't that far off; the mint in these is not as overwhelming).

Do you mean one cake that has three layers of cake in it? It would probably be anywhere from 4 to 6 inches tall in total. Or three stacked cakes? This would definitely need dowels in the bottom tier (to support the middle) and the middle tier (to support the top).... you can use bubble tea straws or the plastic dowels you can buy in the craft store. ETA: if you are doing a stacked cake, you also want to make sure the cake board (aka cake drum) is strong enough to not flex under the weight of the tiered cake. Each of the stacked cakes are built on a cardboard round that exactly matches the size of the round then you tape the bottom tier to the cake drum; etc...

I've made Black Cake a few times - it is *wonderful* and now I am wishing I had this thought a month or so ago so I could have started the fruit. Which brings me to a question for all of you seasoned fruitcake makers: how long can you macerate the fruit - maybe it would make sense to buy a pound or so of different fruits and just keep them in a glass jar with the alcohol year round so you can make the cake when you want to and with your favorite fruits (I am not fond of citron or the green cherries LOL) ?

Agree with pastrygirl; the springform pans aren't essential to the recipe (they probably use it so you can release the sides and get the cookie out more easily); you could probably use a small rectangular (quarter sheet) cookie or brownie pan if you lined it with a foil sling so you can remove the cookie easily.

She thought they were trying to fill the box too much; that seems like she thinks the problem was theirs? You can't fix a problem if you don't know about it and I would much rather a customer tell ME about a problem with my product than to tell everyone else online who can't help fix it! I'd be frustrated too, as a business owner.

There is such a wealth of knowledge here in the various threads and topics! Have you gone through some of the ones you are most interested in, as far as type of recipes? I'm not a chocolatier, yet I learn something every time I read a thread; people are very generous here with their time and knowledge.

cut down on the amount of gelatin and reduce the mixing by a minute each time to see where you want that product to be. I've been using Nightscotman's recipe for years and burned out two small KA mixers when I first started making it; then over the years I started to cut back on the gelatin and the mixing time. Now when I make a full sheet (pan, by doubling the recipe) of vanilla marshmallow; I'm using 1 5/8 ounces of powdered gelatin and beating for only 6 minutes. I get a firm enough set that I can still cut it (or pipe it in to a kiss shape) but sometimes it's still very soft (this happened a few times this summer and I suspect user error more than anything else and it was too "flabby" to cut into squares.)

@gfweb, I agree with your assessment! I really like the specialist I am working with now; but I feel like they nickle and dime you every possible step of the way. ADP is worse. I thought about doing Patriot Software but I really need someone else to handle this. I have too much on my plate and too terrified of mistakes!

What app or device do you )or your employer) use to track employee hours/schedule, etc. We are a small bakeshop (less than 5 employees) and use a clover device on a tablet for retail transactions. I'm looking for recommendations for a means to track employee hours instead of a paper system. I would like employees to be INSIDE the building to clock in (because I know someone would try to clock in from their phone while still in the parking lot) and I'd like to not have buddy punching. Paychex wants $55 per month (no contract) for their device, which I find outrageous considering what it is and what I am already paying them for payroll processing..... so I'm wondering what you use and would you recommend it?

FWIW I think the #18 cookie looks fine; I wouldn't reject it if I were buying. Sometimes I think we too often undercook pastry in this country - golden brown is appealing . I hope the rent you're paying takes into consideration the type and condition of the equipment there. The first kitchen I rented had ovens literally all over the facility - deck ovens, convection stacks and none of them worked right. When I said to the landlord how much I was wasting in figuring out what worked and didn't work, he shrugged and said he wasn't going to calibrate the ovens or do anything to them because they worked for what HE was doing (roasting stuff). If you decide to stay in this rental kitchen you might want to ask if they will consider rent relief if you calibrate the oven - but that might not solve the problem of an old oven... The incubator kitchen in this part of the state is fully equipped with brand new stuff and they are committed to keeping it in excellent working order because they are charging a kings ransom for it.

where are you located? Anywhere near Boston MA?

First: I am not trying to talk you into or out of buying a mixer. Don't spend money if there's no return on the investment! Having said that however ..... When I first started my business, I had the 20 qt hobart and ONE bowl. I'd have to wash it between batches which didn't seem to be such a big deal; I mean, it doesn't take that long, right? I didn't want to spend $200 on buying another bowl. I was cheap (I still am ) Then for some reason one day I DID buy a second bowl and it changed my production schedule OVERNIGHT! I could make two batches of buttercream one after another; I could get another batch of cake into the oven quickly. I still chuckle at how I thought I was saving $200 but spending by wasting my time . When you need it, you'll know. But keep an eye out for a good deal so you'll know it when it presents itself. I know next year I have to buy a bigger mixer; I cannot do 18 weddings in three days without a 60 qt mixer making buttercream.

@pastrygirl, if you have a choice, get the one that has the rocker switch and a timer dial like this one I've had both types and like this one. You can set to a specific time and walk away and it will stop (check the timing with a stop watch before you buy) which can be a big help if you are trying to multitask I hope I did this picture correctly.

I wonder about the size of the bowl; usually when there is an option to use a smaller bowl there's some kind of attachment that goes on the arms of the mixer to accommodate a smaller bowl but I don't see it pictured?

@pastrygirl - I have owed several 6 qt KA, a 7 qt KA, a 7 qt Viking, a 10 qt Thunderbird, and my old standbys at the shop the 20 and 30 qt Hobart. The little ones don't count; I've burned through three of the 6 qt KAs at the shop. I had to move my 7 qt from home to work and so far it's been fine for 2 years. We keep the 20 qt on a work table on wheels so we can move it if we need to; and not have to take up work table space. The 10 qt Thunderbird was the perfect size for cake batters (I could do a 4# butter batch of meringue buttercream in it) when I didn't want to use the 20 so I would say this 10 qt size might be perfect for you. But don't get the Thunderbird. It stopped working just after the warranty ended; my father thinks it's just the electrical switch but no one around here services this brand (they're in TX I think) and it is collecting dust in the basement. As much as I hate saying this; if there's a Restaurant Depot near you, check out what they have for 10 qt mixers.

Don't fall for the sales, discounts, coupons, what-have-you methodology .... do not train your customers to wait for a sale, or the end of the day or week (if you will close for multiple days in a row I mean) before you close for bargains. Don't let people try to tell you they want a discount because they are buying so much - your work multiplies with volume sales and that does not mean a discounted price. well, they will try, but don't go for it. And try to have something inexpensive that people on a fixed income CAN purchase. We use our cake scraps to make cake truffles - we make hundreds at a time in less than two hours but they last quite a long time in the freezer so we have them all the time. They are cheap to make (most of the cost is labor but we make them quickly and efficiently) and they are the least expensive thing we have in the case. Your product offerings are very different from mine, but perhaps you can make chocolate bark or something that can be priced so that you are not out of reach of the majority of your demographic if they are pensioners.