Anyone Else Notice Crisco..
Decorating By SweetConfectionsChef Updated 18 Feb 2013 , 5:31pm by dryerson
In this whole transfat / crisco debate - does anyone else agree that icing and cake were never intended to be healthy? That dessert is called fruit. Healthy buttercream is an oxymoron, eliminating the transfats is nothing more than pandering and will do nothing in the longrun. We will later find that the substitutes are just as harmful as the original.
YES! I believe that most of us think that way. Thank you for saying it so short and sweet and to the point.
Healthy Buttercream is an Oxymoron - lets get the word out!
Good Luck
Crisco is more than likely trying to keep up with government laws and regulations. Some states have already banned trans fats and other states are looking into it. It would be great if they could continue to make it the way "we" want it made however it soon won't be an option to them to change it. It's great that they're listening to us though - hopefully they'll find a way to make a trans fat free shortening that doesn't have these problems.
Debbie
People, I'm warning you ...... it's the food police on patrol! Now that smoking is down, these do-gooders need a new cause ..... and it's open season on what you eat!
I have a friend who came down with a number of things. The diseases and the medication caused her to gain over 100 lbs. Everytime a new doctor comes in, he tells her if she would lose the weight, she'd be fine. He doens't even stop to find out that it's her medical condition that caused the weight gain, not the weight gain that caused the medical condition!
My husband is a big guy! He goes the doctor for regular checkups. His blood pressue, cholestrol, heart, EVERYTHING is perfect!!!!!!!!! He's healthier than anyone on here.
I'm sick of people implying that he and my friend are the reason health care costs are up. In my never so humble opinion, insurance companies have the blame for a lot of it..... first, the top 10 guys at Wellpoint make over $50 BILLION dollars a year! You're telling me THAT doesn't contribute to the cost of health care? second, you can't just go get something taken care of anymore .... your insurance company rquires forty-eleven different tests first. You're telling me THAT doesn't contribute to the cost of health care?
I'm sick of "the public" looking around and deciding that people are fat just due to lack of control (as was insinuated in a very early post on here). There are so many factors that contribute, but it's now become open season on those people. Why are we not looking at the additives that make chickens bigger? Do you think those chemicals are not also affecting those of us who eat those chickens?
The Food Police .... they are lurking! Beware!!
I apologize for the rant..... I so agree with the other comments. It's cake! It's not SUPPOSE to be healthy!
Indydebi, I couldn't have said it any better. I am guessing that your friend must have been on prednisone for it to cause the weight gain. That and other steroids. Trust me. I know. I gained 90 pounds. Have been able to take off 19 lbs. the past two months but it is hard to do.
The idea of trying different store brands of shortening will only be a short time fix. All of them will eventually do away with transfat. As you said, "The Food Police" are lurking everywhere.
Diane
Sad thing is it's the government pushing all of this fake ~ more healthy stuff on us only to find out down the road that it's not as healthy as they told us it was. You can't get any better than mother nature so quit adding hormones and antibiotics to my food and let me eat the real thing!
Debbie
I use the Wal Mart brand "Great Value" all veg. shortening and it hasn't changed....maybe an option until Crisco gets things worked out. I also just ordered my first tub of "hi-ratio" and am anxious to try it!
I completely agree!!!!!!!! I have a birthday cake for this Friday and the only Crisco I could find in ANY of our stores was the new "0 Trans Fat" I didn't know if the store brand of Shortening would work just as well so I bought the Crisco. Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid the little Crisco Chunks I get with this new crap?? I made BC once before with this and had that problem. Thanks!
JUST SAY NO TO HEALTHY BUTTERCREAM!
I've been reading some of this post, don't have time to read all 19 pages, but I have found out that I actually had better luck with the Kroger brand then I did with the Crisco. Another thing, if you have a wholesaler around you, like a GFS(gordon's), a lot of these places carry the hi-ratio shortening, which doesn't break down like the crisco. For the original poster in this, this would definately be something to consider living in TX. Hi-ratio shortening holds up in the heat and humidity a lot better than the Crisco and other shortenings. Here's a link of a supplier I used to go to when I lived in Indiana. They have really good shipping rates, and are reasonably priced.
http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/mini.aspx?T=1&SubCatId=1069
I was just looking at some HiRatio shortenings (i sometimes use hi ratio shortening depending on which recipe i use) and some of them also contain Trans Fats. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is an ingredient and if I understand correctly - TransFats occur during the process of hydrogenating the vegetable oil. If these laws pass banning transfats - the hi ratio shortenings are going to change also. Just an FYI
Debbie
Every so often we are seeing a new recipe for fondant, a new way to smooth buttercream, or a new way to ice a cake - all courtesy of bakers and cake lovers who think outside the box and come up with new ideas for things. Crisco cutting trans fats from their product can't be the end of our baking world. With all the intelligence here, I'm sure we can and will adapt and overcome.
Let's not freak out about our shortening changing and start thinking of how to fix our frosting! I'll bet that if somebody posted a recipe tomorrow that was a bigger, better, trans fat free buttercream, Crisco's phones would stop ringing and the villagers would put out their torches.
Now let's think....
So glad I found this topic. I,too, thought it was me or the humid weather when I made a groom's cake in March. The icing never crusted as it should, it oozed out between the layers and for the life of me I could not get it as smooth as I always could on other cakes !! AND I USED A NEW-UNOPENED CAN OF CRISCO!! I had class 2 of Course 1 last night and made BC using MP for the first time--it made alot of difference--it crusted like "the ole days" and I was able to achieve smooth sides on my cake. I did have more air bubbles than before, but they disappeared as I worked with the icing. I have several graduation cakes coming up in May--glad I learned about Crisco--never heard they changed it.
We have a local food distributor who sells to the public. I buy a 50# box of baking and icing shortening for about $42.00
I wonder how much it would cost to ship this to Alaska. I am having trouble finding anything but the new crisco up here. If someone knows of some other here, pm me.
I completely agree!!!!!!!! I have a birthday cake for this Friday and the only Crisco I could find in ANY of our stores was the new "0 Trans Fat" I didn't know if the store brand of Shortening would work just as well so I bought the Crisco. Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid the little Crisco Chunks I get with this new crap?? I made BC once before with this and had that problem. Thanks!
JUST SAY NO TO HEALTHY BUTTERCREAM!
I experimented last weekend (pg 16 of this topic) and found that if you use corn syrup to thin instead of water or milk, the texture was much improved. I really think it is the ol' water and oil don't mix thing, since there are no transfats, that means the oils that formerly were solid to a higher temp are now breaking down sooner and seem to be causing 'separation anxiety' within the frosting ranks.... Sorry, some days I crack myself up even when no one else gets it
As far as sweetness (with corn syrup), cutting back a little on the sugar gives a nice creamy texture, just don't add milk or water.
Well, I just bought a 50# cube of Sweetex at GFS (here in IN) and it cost
$63.99. It has a shelf life of 190 days which is great "cause I just do cakes for friends and family and it could take me awhile to use that up. I suppose I will be crying with the rest of you when the food police decide to mess with the hi-ratio shortenings It has 3 grams of trans fat per serving and a serving is 1 Tablespoon. If you can find the 50# cubes and don't need that much, you could share it with another decorator and split the costs!
I'm thinking I might go ahead and return the Crisco that I bought since it is still unopened and buy the Jewel brand Container. It's bigger than the Crisco I bought and it still has the trans fats. I really wish they would quit messing with a good thing!
I found a tub of Crisco with 1.5 transfat. I'm thinking I will go with the hi-ratio shortening.
The air bubbles are going to be the end of me. I have been following the wilton recipe using the MP stuff and I'm not satisfied. Lumps, color problems, etc.
Thanks for the link to Country Kitchens web site. I will give it a go and check prices.
I will also try the corn syrup. What is the radio from corn syrup to water/milk that you used?
I will also try the corn syrup. What is the radio from corn syrup to water/milk that you used?
Here is the link to my 'report'....I used 3 - 4 tsp corn syrup/ 1 cup fats (1/2 butter, 1/2 crisco) I think you could decrease the pwd sugar also...
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-2455071-.html#2455071
Not sure about the fat ratio. I just looked on my box and all it really says is premium cake and icing shortening. It comes in a 50# cube. There are different brands, but lately I ve been getting one of my catering friends to order it through his wholesaler /food distributor. I use it in all my icings including my cream cheese. I just add butter flavoring. It also will not crack as bad as crisco. And by the way if you use as much stuff as I do Wal-Mart will order it by the case for You, the even load it and roll to the car. I buy 12 cases of cake mix and 12 cases of confectioner sugar at a time.As for adding milk i have not tried it but I see no reason why it would not work. I would think you would need to use it quicker than water.
I just ordered 2 3lb containers of Hi-Ratio shortening from Country Kitchens. With regular shipping (not overnight or 3 day) it came to $22. I guess that isnt bad. It was $7 something a piece for 1 3lb container and $6 or so for shipping.
Can anyone tell me how big the 50 lb cubes are of hi-ratio? I just can't imagine how big (size ) these cubes are.
Imagine one of those plastic milk crates, add about half more of that and that is about the size of the shortening, I think. I used to get shortening this way when I was in the cafe business but I don't think it was high ratio. I'm fairly sure it was 50# though.
Just reread this and I am probably making myself as clear as mud.
diane
You know I have been following this tread since it started. We were all confused at first. Then we got mad. It seems like the politics were called and then the cycle went a round a couple of times. It's been great.
I love indydebi's saying about the "food police" it got me thinking... Any treckies in this bunch? For the last 15 minutes, all I can think of is "The Next Generations" food replicators, how they prepare foods that are nutricious and good for them, that are suppose to taste good but apparently dont!
So I'm going to start another conspiracy! I am so good at getting people rilled up! Sorry it's a gift!
I think that once they take away all the bad stuff for us, we will be left with the "TNG" replicators. We will just punch in some #'s just like we do on our Microwaves today (I remember when the first ones came out) and then we will get a cake of some kind. Then another # and we will get some icing. So us decorators can still play and have fun with our favorite mediums. It might taste like the real stuff but it will be good for us!...
Ok back to reallity... but for the treckies out there, you know who you are and you know what I mean..... it's coming!
Good nigh!
Oh no! It's Soylent Green!
(ok, THAT comment will weed out the kids from us oldies-but-goodies!)
If all I have to do is punch a button, get food, and not have a huge mess to clean up - I'll sacrafice taste. I've fantasized about replicators.
Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.
Oh no! It's Soylent Green!
(ok, THAT comment will weed out the kids from us oldies-but-goodies!)
hah! Guess I am one of the obg's....
If all I have to do is punch a button, get food, and not have a huge mess to clean up - I'll sacrafice taste. I've fantasized about replicators.
Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.
Lana C. thanks I was looking for something to right and you got it just right. I'm too tired tonight!
Ah captain Picard's tea.. of course and now I'm thinkgin of Deanna's chocolate deserts. yum!
Good Luck!
I thought so too, CoutureCake. I worked for a company who made generic pharmaceuticals and I know that just changing the order of the ingredients, the timing, the mixing speed, anything in the process could change a product tremendously. But this is evident to anyone who cooks as well. There were lots of tests performed in every department when things were not right with our products. I also know that it can be a very lengthy process to get to the root of the trouble and to find a solution to the problem that will not create another problem with the product. (Which will most likely not be reintroducing the trans fat)
OK I went ahead and used my 0 Trans Fat Crisco for my Birthday BC. I thought about it and I let my butter come completely to room temp and then creamed my Crisco and my Butter (I made the Viva method Crusting BC-Double Recipe) I used 3 cups Crisco to 3/4 cups Unsalted butter and 1/4 cup Salted. My Vanilla and 1 TBSP Light Corn Syrup. Creamed it all together really well, low speed with my hand mixer (My KA went Ka Put!) Sifted my PS 1/4 of a bag at a time. Then added little bits of my room temp water (I used Baby water...No yucky chemicals from the tap!) at a time and continued to mix on low speed till well mixed. I upped the speed when it needed it. Every 1/2 a bag I would scrape and fold with my spatula. I got it all mixed together and low and behold....NO lumps and NO air bubbles! It's actually the smoothest BC I have ever made! I have it in a big container now waiting till I have to frost. Will let you know how it frosts.
Oh no! It's Soylent Green!
(ok, THAT comment will weed out the kids from us oldies-but-goodies!)
Oh I know that one but do you know this one?
"It's a cookbook! IT'S A COOKBOOK!"
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