Thanks HollyPJ, I'll give the violet a try!!

I thought I was crazy! And I'm sure I still am but not about my icing. I didn't realize Crisco had made the change over and couldn't figure out why my icing was more "gloppy." I looked in our local store and couldn't find any of the "old" stuff. Maybe BJ's or Sam's has it? Don't they get the leftovers?

I went to another grocery store today. I had to pull out around 12 pkgs of the sticks of crisco before I found 3 old criscos. I never thought I would be searching around the shelves of a grocery store looking for old products. I must be a store managers dream come true! I have not heard from crisco yet, I emailed them yesterday.

I bought some Giant brand shortening today. Checked it and it has the trans fat, so I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be ok. Glad to know that I wasn't the only one having icing issues!!

I sent my letter of discontent to Smuckers/Crisco. As others have said before; I don't know if it'll make any difference, but they're sure going to know we're unhappy!!!

OK....i just fin my first cake and i am takeing it the the party of 40 friday! lol GO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but i got the crisco i mad the first batch which tasted horrible but then i decide to take a long shot i added more butter and hey it worked mine was the PERFEACT butter cream a lil exstra stiff actualy but with the exstra butter my bc came out like a smoth dream like never befor!

BTW i used this recipe i got it memorised

1/2 (crisco) what evedr you use
1/2 butter (i just took a little on my spatula probly a bout 4 table spoons mabe a little less)
1 table spoon of vanella
(i put )2 table spoons of milk it helps with the creamness
and 4 cups of confectionary suger!
AD SLOWLY!!!!!!!!!!!!
mix well and you have a dream in a bowl well atleast i thought so!

Hi, I started reading through all the pages BUT...man there is alot of posts.
So, I will just let anyone know, yesterday I emailed crisco/smuckers and today while I was at work someone called me which was very nice and quick, she said that she is passing the message through but at this time they are not offering the original formula just the new formula. BUT she did say they have been receiving comments about it. I have not had a chance to call her back yet. I will call tommorrow .

aka ladefly... you got the call to say "This is the make everyone Feel Good call from Smuckers to tell you that we're getting inundated with calls from cake decorators and other consumers who are having issues with the New Crisco complaining about the change from our consistent product to a vastly inferior one for both icing and other baking products, similar to Coca Cola introducing "New Coke", but we aren't smart enough as a company to actually LISTEN to those nasty people known as CUSTOMERS and DO something about the problem, like allowing them the CHOICE of which to purchase because the green cans collected dust on the shelves. Instead, we're listening to special interest groups whose mission in life is to be the Nannies of society and the research THEY are telling us says people want Crisco to be Trans Fat Free instead of being a product trusted by the consumers. Your only hope is to stop purchasing our product and for our sales to plummet before we'll even think to take you seriously. Please continue to purchase Crisco while we work out any problems you think we might have, not that we have any problems because all of our recipes came out the same to your inferior home recipes. Thank you and have a nice day!"... Of course, that's the translated version that takes out the fluff and language patterns they're reading from their script.

Sorry, majoring in Psychology and Marketing Communications made me a bit cynical about this type of thing (I got that call too, I think it's on page 19 or so), yet at the same time that I read through it, I also know it's a very good technique for fostering good will towards a company in the feeble attempt to keep our product or brand loyalty.

So I haven't lost my mind!! I thought it was just my bad luck that was causing all my problems with the icing. I too have noticed alot of air bubbles. Guess I'm gonna have to shop around for another brand of shortening.

I boutht a can of great value brand, which has 3 grams of trans fat and I am using 1 cup of great value and 1 cup of crisco. It is better but still not as good as it was. It will crust a little better, at least I can smooth it with a paper towel. I still can't lay a parchment pattern on without it sticking some. Bubbles not as bad either. Taste is the same. Hope crisco does something!!!!

Everyone keeps seeming to skirt the issue of the fact that eventually they will all have to go to no trans-fat. I've heard it mentioned a few times and no comments come back on it. I don't work for the company or have any ties to it I think they were just trying to get a jump on what's coming. Unfortunately they will pay the price and get the problem fixed before everyone else is forced to make the change and make it easier on everyone else to make the switch. I don't agree with the gov telling us that we can't have a little trans fat in our Crisco but with states banning trans-fats I think Crisco was just trying to get ahead of the game. At least they are contacting people back "feel good" or not - how many times have you tried to contact a company with a complaint and it falls on deaf ears?! I'm sure they didn't make the switch because the no trans-fat way was cheaper or they'd have been making it that way all along. Since it's affecting their bottom line - i'm sure they're working hard to find a fix - one the gov will let them make.

just my 2 cents
Debbie

I bought my first zero trans-fat Crisco this weekend. Just enough to try my favorite buttercream. I didn't notice the air bubble problem several have mentioned. It did seem to make a difference in crusting, however. I can usually do a final smoothing in a half-hour to 45 minutes. It was two or three hours before my hand would come away without icing stuck to it. It was actually the next morning before I got what I'd call a decent crusting. I use a very light crusting recipe in the first place, so I may rethink my choices when I am in a time crunch. Once it crusted, I was happy with it.

Next, I'm going to make my pie crust recipe - which I've had for nearly 40 years. The recipe was given to me with the note "Do not substitute...use ONLY Crisco!" I always have. It'll be interesting to see if that recipe is changed. If so, they're going to hear from me!

In the meantime, I'm buying several cans of the "good" stuff! Sheesh!

I was at Kroger this morning and their brand of shortening still has 3 grams of trans fat per serving!

All right, admittedly I only read page one of this thread (and currently there are 26 pages - yikes!), but I, too, have had problems with the "New" Crisco.

I have previously tried other shortenings, but they never came out as smooth or tasted as good as with Crisco. The "New" style seems DRIER to me when I scoop it out of the can; it's almost as if it doesn't have the creaminess of the old formula. While I haven't noticed any more or any less bubbles in my icings, they seem to taste more like "store-bakery-bought" icings now ... yukk! My Clients are not going to like this!

My understanding is that Canada has gone (or will be soon) completely to this "zero-trans-fat" type of shortening already; it's supposed to be "healthier" for us. All I have to say to that is "OH, COME ON!" Why don't the politicians just GROW UP here. We ALL know shortening is not really all that good for us humans, but I grew up with the theory that "all things in moderation" is a good rule of thumb. So why do I have to have my favorite shortening changed just because it's supposed to be more "healthy" for me? It's still not the most healthy thing I could put in my body, whether it has NO transfat or A LOT of trans fat!

Sorry, everyone, I'm just ranting here, but darnit, I'm angry! The idea that we could somehow demand that the recipe be changed back is great, except for one thing: the recipe was changed because a group of people got together and decided for us what is best for us without our input.

Seems to me it's just like voting: if you don't vote, you shouldn't complain when the politicians make stupid decisions on your behalf because they think it's "right" for you.

So much for "healthy" ... I can see the time coming when our businesses might dry up because cake cannot be classified as "healthy". But like Cliff Huxtable says, chocolate cake for breakfast can't be all bad ... it's got eggs, flour, milk ... all healthy!

Just my 2 pennies' worth!

Odessa

The problem is NOT the fact that they went trans-fat free by any means. The reality is, and was reported in "Women's Health" this month that the substitutes used in "Trans-Fat Free" are worse than the original amount of trans fats combined with saturated fats were in the first place (SURPRISE!), so health issues asside (yea, healthy grease, that's a new one)..

The problem comes in as a COMPANY, that they didn't test it enough to know that the consistency of their product suffered GREATLY because of the switch using the recipes their customers use crisco with. The lab setting is not the same as in-home. That's why we have how many hundred posts here because they changed the consistency without really taking input from their loyal customers (the ones who watched the Green cans collect dust since they were first introduced). It's Crisco's version of the "New Coke" fubar of years past, and economics is the only market research that will make a difference at this point, not a product boycott, just a temporary switch until they get their bugs worked out.

It comes down to two things, even leaving the Gov't out of it because they find a new food evil every week yet still only manage to inspect 1% of all imported food to this country which is a little scarier than trans fats..
1) The target market research was off because they didn't poll enough of the population of home cooks and small business who USE Crisco Shortening on a regular basis.
2) There was not nearly enough product testing done on a very diverse product to know if it was going to produce exactly the same results with the new as the old did.

I've always used transfat free shortening, though I use Smart Balance rather than Crisco. It has always worked well. The only thing I ever notice was that is was ever so slightly more sensitive to heat. So when I made roses, let say, I would have to throw my icing bag in the frig now and again.

On the up side, I thought the frosting tasted much better. I tasted Crisco based frosting of folks that I took cake classes with and their icing left a coating on the roof of my mouth, never got that with the Smart Balance.

Though these days I use butter except for special circumstances. Can't beat the taste and it is a real selling point to my customers.

I missed the return call back from Crisco because I was out at the grocery store emptying all the crisco off the shelves to find the old ones in the back that had not been reformulated. The message from crisco said that they would be forwarding my concerns on regarding the new o trans fat crisco. If you haven't emailed crisco yet, this would be a good time since they are gathering information on concerns for their new and IMPROVED product. Thank you again for this thread, it is nice to be a part of a community and be an informed consumer. We may all bake in our home or our bakery but we are all interested in putting forth the best porduct possible and it is always a let down when quality of a product changes our results.

I know that the lady who called me back from crisco was probably just reading me a PR thing that was written for her. And she was probably saying in her mind, please please please let me get the machine.
BUT it was nice that they got back so quickly.
Well, I did ask if they needed a petition of sorts to make the company realize that us decorators are serious..... I didnt hear back about that.... but like i said, when i get home from work today i am going to call her back.
We will see. !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I used a Westcott All-Vegetable Shortening I purchased at save-a-lot this past weekend and it didn't change the taste at all, still had the 3g Trans Fat. Crusted and smoothed nicely.

OMG. I just made up another batch of crisco and after I had frosted the cake with it and let it crust, I came back and it was nothing but a big oil slick@!

I had to take paper towels and lay them on top to absorb some of the oil! And there was so much of it, that I had to use the towels not once, but several times before I delivered the cake@!

Is this caused by the new Crisco??? I HATE IT!

Well for me, the last couple of batches of buttercream that I have made worked fine. I reduced my liquid a little and started by creaming my crisco and butter with a little water before adding any powdered sugar. In the past I have always put everything in the bowl at once and mixed with no issue. This seems to be working for me for now, I hope you all are having some better luck now too.

I just tried the new Crisco and had a horrible time working with it! I've used the same recipe for 10 years and this was the first time that I had a hard time smoothing a cake... mixing the color etc... It is the blue can, they stopped making the green can because they've made all Crisco 0 trans fat now.

I guess I'll have to try some of these tips. I haven't read every page yet but just wanted to share that I also had a tough time.

I finally switched to high ratio since I was having such a hard time with my buttercream and I love it! It's even better than my buttercream with the old Crisco! IMO!

Well, I just ran in to this problem Wed night, but thought it was something I did. Air bubbles were terrible, but I mixed my color in w/ the mixer to save time b/c I was just icing cupcakes for my dd's bday at school. I did notice color not blending in as well, but can't comment on the stiffness b/c I'm icing the cakes today. Oh, please don't let me have a flop b/c there are going to be a lot of kids from her school coming to her party & what worse than parents looking at a failed cake from someone who would like to start getting orders.

I guess we'll see how things go this afternoon. (Crossing my fingers)

Nearly one hour and 20 minutes after I started reading this thread, I've just finished all posts on all 27 pages at this point. WHOA baby! My eyeballs are bugging out!

I sent in my complaint by email today too. I saw the title of this thread when it was first posted but never read it until today. ( seeing how many replies finally got the best of me)

Having the same problems as most of you with the super soft, non crusting, air bubblely and white residue in the colored frosting. UGH! What a mess! I tried the Melvira Method to smoothe my frosting and couldn't figure out why the heck it wouldn't crust. Now I know.

KimAZ

I used it for the first time yesterday and also had a HORRIBLE time with it! I called the 800 number and the lady took all my info. She said she would be sending me replacement coupons for more Crisco...what good is that going to do? I want my old Crisco back. Boo Hoo!!!

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE BECAUSE I HAD JUST BEGAN THE WILTON CLASSES AT MICHAELS 2 MONTHS AGO AND HAD ONLY BEEN USING THE BLUE CAN OF CRISO.