tmriga

My turn. I love my pizza stone. It's long, and rectangular, and works like a deck oven for me. I do not bake pizza, and rarely bake breads - my specialty is cakes. When I lived at my previous residence, the oven racks would bend from expansion due to the heat (I would actually hear them give off a low ding when it happened), therefore giving me cakes that leaned. I bought a 16x14" pizza stone at my local restaurant supply store, hoping it would keep the racks from popping. It not only gave better results in the dimensions of the cake (not perfect, but better), but I also found that I didn't have to spin the cake pan around to promote even baking on all sides. Now that I'm in my new residence, with a much newer oven, I still use the stone, and now it gives me cakes that come out superbly level, right from the pan. Rarely do I have to take a knife to the end results before I fill and frost them. Theresa

You could also pour some lemon juice or white vinegar on it and see if it foams up. Theresa

I am sure they are very nice people, and from the sizes of the crowds that gather in the store, they certainly are passionate and knowledgeable about their products, but the show couldn't keep my attention. I gave it two chances, but it just didn't grab me. I admit that I am not into "day-in-the-life-of" reality TV, and prefer reality shows that I can learn something from or have a goal at the end, e.g. Top Chef, Project Runway, etc.

The nice thing about these books, as was previously mentioned, is that you only need to buy one of the subject matter, no matter how many publishers have them on the shelves, because the recipes are almost all the same. They are written in simple language and are easy for novice cooks to understand.

Toba Garrett's book, The Well-Decorated Cake,has a scratch recipe for her moist yellow cake in a large quantity, useful for wedding cakes. I have used this recipe. It is fabulous, and I highly recommend it. Theresa

I use the leftover syrup to make liqueurs. I cook it down to about half the quantity, then add an equal amount of vodka. Theresa

I use Bake-Clean spray and parchment. I spray sides and bottom edges well, collar the side with parchment and just line the bottom with a square that fits without overlapping the side. I do not spray the inner side of the parchment paper. The dry collar gives me more rise. Theresa

Someone teach me if I'm wrong, but sugar/sucrose is crystal in it's natural state, and always strives to return to that state during or after manipulation. This is why we are taught to use very clean tools and to not stir cooking sugar for use in candy or decorations. My best guess is that since honey is an invert sugar, or a sugar that is a liquid in it's natural state, it may not be that it is more hygroscopic but that it also strives to return to it's natural state after manipulation. Theresa

I also purchase most of my nuts at a Middle Eastern market, and the prices are insanely great as compared to regular markets. But while we're on the subject of online purchases, may I please segue a bit and ask if anyone has ever bought from www.bulkfoods.com ? Their prices seem reasonable for retail, and shipping is free after a certain dollar amount, so my only concerns are quality of product, customer service, and shipping time. Thanks! Theresa

You can make pate a choux shells for mini eclairs or creme puffs ahead of time, then fill the day of the event. Theresa

You could exit interview her before she finishes her apprenticeship, and ask her how you could improve your program. As far as the difficulty in teaching someone who is left-handed when you are not, I taught a left-handed niece of mine how to make sugarpaste flowers by sitting directly across from her, and had her mirror what I did. That may be an option for you, if you can set up a spot in your kitchen that way. And about your formulas, I agree with you on not teaching your own. When someone asks me to teach them how to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream, I decline from teaching them my recipe, which took me two years to develop. Instead, I teach them the "Martha" method, which is probably the easiest set of instructions I have ever read for making it. Theresa

How about whoopie pies? They can be made in different flavors, they're eaten with the hands, and can be made into 2-3 bites size. Theresa

There's already one in Easton, PA, on Route 248, near the Wal-Mart. Allentown will be getting one on Airport Road in the near future. They have not broken ground yet, but the sign is up. Oh, and Whitehall has been considered for a White Castle, in front of the Home Depot, where the abandoned Sunoco station now stands. Theresa

Gotta have brownies. I have a couple of guys who work in construction, and they'd rather have brownies than cake or cookies, any time. As for savory, how about some bacon-cheddar muffins? Theresa

One of the gifts, that is always a favorite, is tassies. Recipes for all kinds can be found on the Internet. I use the pecan tassies recipe from the Kraft website. A basic pie dough can be used in place of the cream cheese dough they have in their recipe. They're like little pecan pies. I make 2 kinds, with white and brown sugar. Which I like more is a toss-up. They keep very well, but are better stored in a tin, to stay dry. Theresa

Do you think it would work if you beat the whites separately, then folded them in before baking? Theresa

We use silica gel at room temperature, as we can not risk the condensation when figures are brought back to room temperature. We strive to keep the room at aroun 65-70 degrees F, because we use Swiss Meringue Buttercreme for our frostings. The abstract I have was written with examples from museum use, within an exhibition case. I am going to assume that temperature is similar, and airflow is minimal to prevent disintegration of the display. Theresa

Sugar is highly hygroscopic, so as a sugar artist, I use silica gel to store decorative items made from gumpaste, fondant, pastillage, marzipan, pulled/blown sugar, or chocolate modeling paste. I pour the silica gel into the bottom of a plastic tote box, then lay parchment paper over it. I place a grid on top of all that, then lay the flowers/figures on top of the grid. I live in a 4-seasons area, and I have never had a problem with storage. I do take the time to recondition my silica gel after each use. Theresa

Thank you for that information. It always pays off to double check before ordering online. I feel comfortable now, knowing that I've heard the same thing about them from different sources. Theresa

Thanks, feedmec00kies. It tells you how long it's been since I was in any sit-down restaurant in the City. Theresa

Two weeks ago, I took one of the grandkids to NYC for the day. Being a teenager, he wanted to go to that music-themed restaurant which shall remain nameless (mostly because the food, service, and atmosphere have declined dramatically since they moved from their old location to Times Square). I noticed that the calorie count for each selection was printed beside the title. Is this a required or common practice in the City now, or is this something the restaurant is voluntarily doing? I rarely get past the pastry coach outside my destination when I'm there, so I have no knowledge of what is required or not. Thanks! Theresa

Let me know of your experiences with this company, their service, speed of delivery, and quality of product. I know a few people on another forum, mostly inexperienced in the packaging industry, who praise their products and service. I would like to hear from someone on another forum, to learn if there is consistency in what I've been told. Thanks! Theresa

My French is as rusty as the 110-year-old iron fence at my front yard, so please bear with me. I read through the recipe in the link that mostlylana posted for, and I have two questions. Is creme liquide heavy cream or light cream? And would I be correct to say that sucre cristal is granulated sugar? Thanks! Theresa

I don't boil my pumpkin anymore. I now bake mine in a low-temperature oven, about 275 degrees. I cut it into halves or quarters, depending on size, clean the all the strings and seeds out, rub some canola oil on my palms, then rub it on the flesh. Then I put it in the oven, open side up, and bake it until it collapses on itself. It bakes out the water without burning the outside, making for a more concentrated pumpkin flavor. I guess you'd call it more of a roasting than a baking, since the oil is involved, but no matter what I call it, my family likes it a whole lot more. I do the same thing with sweet potatoes when I make those pies, too. Theresa

Jaymes - I live about half an hour from where the outermost Amish farms start. I had told a friend of mine who lives here, but grew up in Brooklyn, about this thread. As we were waxing nostalgic over the foods of NYC that are not available here, she mentioned that she knows of, and will show me how to get to, a farm not too far from here, where they churn their own butter and make their own cheeses for public sale. She said the butter is as white as snow, and has no salt, coloring, or preservatives. She also said that they sell bulk items (flours, grains, sugars, beans, spices, etc) inexpensively, so be prepared to spend some big money there. I can't wait to get there. Theresa