JeanneCake

The only "crumbs" I can get from my distributor is in a blue box that is labelled crumbled oreos for food service use (it says crumbs on the box, but they're really just broken cookies). I can't use them as is because the chunks are pretty big which is why I'm grinding them in the food processor. I've never tried anything else (like Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers) because of expense. I've thought about switching to chocolate graham crackers, but those aren't available from any of the distributors I do business with, which means buying them retail. What do the crumbs you're able to get look like? How are they packaged? Maybe I need to be getting something other than these crumbled cookies. It is very true that the walk in is humid (so is my two door True reach in) so I will keep the crusts I'm able to do in advance (always wishful thinking!) out on the rack. Thanks!

I've been using Oreo crumbs (the food service pack of crumbled cookies, which I grind in a food processor to make crumbs) to line the bottom and sides of a lightly buttered removeable bottom cheesecake pan for all of my cheesecakes that call for a chocolate crust. No matter what method I use, the crust is always way too moist after baking. My pecan-graham crusts aren't this wet so I've tried cutting down on the melted butter (from 1/3 cup to 5 cups crumbs to no butter at all) but still, the crust is wet. I can add dry crumbs to the side of the cake to alleviate the bare spots and make it look more uniform, but anything that adds time subtracts $ so I'd like to fix this. I don't bake the crust prior to pouring in the batter; sometimes I prep the pans the night before and chill them but I do not always have this much spare time so most of the time, I am prepping the pans right before making the batter. I press the dry crumbs onto the sides and bottom, then use the bottom of a 3" pan to compress the crumbs on the bottom of the pan. It's not a thick layer on the sides, more to mask the sides, but the bottom is a thicker crust. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or does everyone else who uses this product have the same issues? Any ideas for a substitute perhaps? Thanks, Jeanne

I chose the Viking over the Kenwood because the Kenwood didn't have a handle on the bowl. I'm stuck with it, I can't return it and feel like I wasted $500, which I sure can't afford to do. My father used to say never buy a new model car the first year it is out, and I feel like that applies to this Viking. Not that the KA 6 qt didn't (doesn't) have its problems but not like this. My 6 qt has never complained once and I use it almost every day for anywhere between 3-6 hours. I guess I got lucky with the KA and am paying my dues with the Viking.

You can also buy round cake rings from Parrish's Cake Decorating in Gardena, CA if that's closer for you (aka Magic Line pans). I bought several hundred 3x1" rings a few years back (aluminium) and the price worked out to less than $2/each.

I like Chefpeon's approach with the dome shaped cake and chocolate piped feathers with a leaf tip. Make, build and shape the cake. Use a fan shape of foam core (at craftstores, you can cut it with an exacto knife) for the rear tail feathers. Paint the foam core with some melted chocolate and then pipe on the tail feathers once the rest of the cake is assembled (this would be the last step). I would cover the turkey body with chocolate fondant (and I would also recommend Bakel's chocolate fondant for this, the SatinIce brand is a little too soft for what I'm suggesting) and place the cake on the presentation board; cut two wing shapes and apply them. Make a sausage shape of the chocolate fondant for the head/neck and shape the beak, etc. Press the sausage shape onto the front and smear (think pate brisee) the edges of the sausage onto the body to attach (wet the area with a paintbrush dipped in water). It won't matter if the edges show, you're going to cover this and the wings with piped chocolate as Anne mentioned. Add details to the head; then attach the foamcore to the body with toothpicks and pipe the feather details. My restaurant clients this year are buying pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin roll (spiced pumpkin biscuit rolled around a cream cheese/whipped cream/Grand Marnier filling - think buche de noel), cranberry walnut tarts (from epicurious.com), chocolate pecan and pecan tarts (these last ones from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pastry Bible). Idon't offer pies since there are so many local farms in the area but one client is interested in a rustic apple tart.

I second that! I bought a 7 qt (1000 watt) model about two months ago because I needed another tabletop - small enough for little jobs but big enough to mix up a half sheet cake without tying up the 20 qt. I already have a 4.5 qt KA which is older than the hills, and a 4yr old 525 watt 6q KA. I had been thinking to buy a 10 qt hobart, but when King Arthur had a free shipping deal on the Viking, I bought it instead. I hate it. The Viking is so loud you cannot hear anything (timers, telephone, other people talking to you right in front of you). It doesn't do a substantially better job than my 6 qt KA. I'm not crazy about the conical bowl design either but I wonder if I'm just too used to the wide open bowls of the KA. I haven't had any overheating problems but that is because I find myself not wanting to use the Viking - to the extent that I will interrupt the poor dishwasher to wash up the dirty KA bowls/whip/beater that I need just so I don't have to use the Viking. I wish I'd bought the Hobart, or another 525 KA. I was watching Food Network the other night and noticed a Viking on the set - and the host (I think it was Emeril?) always raised his voice anywhere near the mixer just to be heard! Sigh. Live and learn.