For a superior bc try european butter; it has less water then American made.
This is the preference of French Pastry Chefs who would never use other then butter in bc. Just a little factoid; I can always taste the crisco in a frosting and it leaves a film in my mouth which I do not like. Ptooey!

I don't have any thing to add, I just can't believe how many post this thread has gererated.

OK, so I was beginning to think I could handle this Crisco change until I just read the last 10 or so pages of this thread. My icing has been having a few issues like everyone else, but nothing drastic. Now, I have a wedding cake for Saturday and I'm getting paranoid. I've tried reducing the liquid and my buttercream comes out almost too stiff to pipe, then a short time later it's softened up in the bowl. I am worried about what will happen to my wedding cake after I set it up and leave. I did a 3-tier cake last friday and it seemed ok and I got rave reviews from the customer, but still paranoid. I guess I'll attempt the corn syrup idea and see how that goes. Again, thank you all for your comments, suggestions, and ideas.

I did not get a phone call but I did get an email response. Here is a copy of it.


This letter is in reference to your recent contact with Smucker Foods of Canada Co. We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us.

Feedback from our consumers is always valued and assists us in future activities. You may be assured that your comments regarding the new Crisco Shortening have been forwarded to our Marketing Group in charge of this product for future consideration.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. If you should have further questions or need additional information, please contact us at 1-800-567-1897, Monday to Friday, between 8am and 7pm EST.


Sincerely,

Thérèse Hachem
Consumer Services Representatives

That movie really creeped me out

Melody25...please let us know what happens with the consistency of your frosting after it has sat for a bit....this seemed to be the real key issue for most people. I think we can deal with the air bubbles, simply by folding the frosting a few times but the change in consistency is what is the real 'cake' killer

indydebi....I don't consider myself old but I still think about Soylent green every so often. My parents took us to see it when I was younger (actually, it was at the drive-in and I think I was supposed to be asleep by that time ) I had dreams about that movie for weeks! Not bad dreams, just weird.....I'm into the gross stuff (science teacher....Nothing is gross to us!)

Gateaux......Trekkies Unite!! I so remember that episode! And yes, I can just see us being there in the not too distant future! Altho', more along the lines of Planet of the Apes!!

I e-mailed Crisco and They did call me back and said it would be passed on to the manager or something like that.


The only good thing is I found a can of crisco in the cupboard (It had transfat) and I just used it to make icing. Wow!!! What a difference. I wish I had some older sticks of Crisco. I like the sticks soo much better. But at least my icing came out a lot better. The cake actually smoothed nicely

The last couple of times I made frosting, I noticed the difference. Could not figure out what was going on. The BC just would not crust and I had the hardest time smoothing the cakes - I did not notice a different label on the Crisco can, but you can rest assured that when i get home I am going to check the label. My recipe calls for equal parts Crisco and butter, and I still had problems, I guess I will try the Merinque powder.

I am so happy to read this and see that it isn't all me! I thought I had lost my touch. I mean, maybe I have, but it's the stinkin' crisco too! lol. I kept thinking, well, maybe it was too hot in the house or maybe I have forgotten how to make EVERY SINGLE FLOWER in BC!!! Thank you for helping my sanity!

Can you put cans of shortening in the freezer? After reading this forum yesterday I went to Wal-Mart and found their brand--Great Value All Vegetable Shortening--has a listing of 2.5g of Trans Fat. I bought 5 cans!!
I have several cakes to do in the next 3 months but it will not take 5 cans. So, what is the shelf life of an unopened can??? Can I freeze some of these or just put them in the back of my frig, or will they be OK in the back of my pantry for several months?
TIA
Marcia

On the Crisco site it states that an unopened can on shortening has a shelf life of 2 years from the manufacturers date. 1 year after opened. I realize that you didn't purchase Crisco, but at least this gives you a guideline.

Thanks delaware....didn't think of going to the Crisco website.

You are very welcome. I think everyone is on the prowl for something that is going to work for us!

To Serve Man, wasn't that an episode on Twilight Zone? Good ol' Rod Serling in black and white. Loved it!!

Eme, again I love your thinking-I had to catch up on some reading of these posts and your "separation anxiety" still has me laughing. I have a science/chemistry minor and you are just killing me with your need for research and to figure it out!! ROFL

I have "exhibit A" sitting on my counter right now. The new Crisco batch has yellowish oil separating out from it, and the whole mess slides easily back and forth in the container. A batch made with Holsum brand shortening from the restaurant supply store--same recipe, same method--is behaving itself nicely and doing what icing is supposed to do. Both batches were 1/2 shortening 1/2 butter.

I hate this! Just when I finally figured out how to get my cakes to smooth out, they change the product! I, too, emailed the company and got a phone call. I just hope they are really trying to fix it! In the meantime, I've been going store to store looking for the old stuff and buying all they have! So far, I have 8 huge ones and 5 little ones. Wow, that's alot of Crisco! At least I won't have to buy any for a while, a long while!

what I want to know, Eme , is have you pulled out your trusty black & white lab journals to document each step thoroughly and have you drawn pictures of the apparatus used for future reference. Oh lord, I'm being taken back to my college days and too many hours spent in Chem labs!

Ok I'm wondering here, If Crisco was made to stop the trans fats are they going to make the resturants high ratio change too? I just learned from my brother that he can get me the bakery high ratio by the 50lbs but I wonder if they are going to change that to. Any ideas?

I would say that before the "food police" get through, there will be no transfat anywhere to put into our sacred bodies. Today the transfat, tomorrow no telling what. I'm so glad my government is watching out for me. I'm only 57 years old. I don't know how to do it myself, obviously.

Diane

This is bad.......really bad. I can just see all these mad scientists in their kitchens figuring out the formula for these icings and colors. Where is Einstein when we need him?

I have been looking at all the shortening cans when I go into a store. I beginning to feel like I have a shortening fetish or something.

As yet, I have not tried the new Crisco. It is sitting patiently in my cabinet waiting for me to bake a cake.

Diane