Today I was making a large order of cupcakes and deciced to use my pancake batter dispenser, WOW WHAT A GREAT TOOL...Just though I would share ....What is your favorite baking shortcut/timesaver?

Glad you started this thread... Not sure what mine is -still trying to find ways to shorten my time... but I do like to store my BC in gallon zip lock bags. They are so easy to snip off the tip, and squeeze into a pastry bag when i am ready to use it. Other than that... I'm still looking for timesaving tips!

Putting spices in larger-mouthed containers (to be fair, I think indydebi also came up with this too!).

Having multiples of measuring cups.

Buying another set of KA bowls and beaters.

Putting all cake supplies -- even the small ones like baking powder -- together on the same shelf.

Make a white-board/dry erase board to list all fillings, icings, and cakes for the week.

Typing up recipes so they are all in the same place, in a clear-pocket binder. (CarolAnn also does this too, I think).

Hope this helps. Thanks for the thread!

My best tip is the way I organize my tips -I bought a tackle box painted it pretty then labled each drawer for each type of tip and assorted cake supplies-I loooove it ! Here's a photo....

I forgot! I store my flavorings and colors in the large coffee containers -they sit well in the corner of my cabinets and can be stacked.

I also like to put a copy of recipes up on the wall behind my mixer where I am using them. When I am done, I just toss them and can print what I need from my computer the next time.

I keep several measuring spoons/cups as well... makes it easier having multiples.

I make a tub of frosting at a time, that way I have it on hand when I need it. I use a rubber band to "close" the end of a decorating bag and a piece of plastic wrap between the coupler and the ring so I can store the icing in my bags and I won't have to prepare a bag every time, it's also very helpful when I have icing in different colors. I usually use them by the end of the week and then start over. I bought a package of baking paper similar to parchment paper but it comes in 18"X26"sheets so I just change them when I'm baking cookies.
Having several sets of utensils I use the most like beaters, bowls, spatulas, measuring cups/spoons, baking pans.
I use an ice cream soop to pour batter into my cupcake cups.

Saving this topic!!! I don't know if this is time saving or just organization but I have three different colored stackable storage bins. One's labels cookie cutter/stencils another one is labeled basics (for bags and tips and such) and the third is labeled fondant/gumpaste (all the tools for fondant and such). So easy to find what I'm looking for!

I make my icing and fondant ahead of time that way I can pull it out when its needed! Also I have med. sized baskets on my shelf that I have labelled what is in them, on the front, its saves me looking through everything!

I use a silverware tray for keeping my paint brushes, gum paste tools, exacto knife, etc. I set it on my work table when doing a project and have them all handy when I need one.

This is probably no-brainer, but when my cakes are baking, I'm mixing up more batter, getting it ready in the pans, so when the first cakes are done, the new ones are all ready to get popped in the oven! If I don't need more cake, when cakes are baking, I'll mix up my buttercream, fillings....

I don't know if this is time saving or lazy... but I buy shortening or high-ratio in large qty's anduse my pampered chef measuring cup (the one that will push out the sticky stuff) to measure out. I pull the inside down so it is at a cup and then put a sandwhich bag in (think like a baby bottle liner) and then measure out my shortening.

When I have 1cup measured out I pull out the bag, zip it up and toss it into a large tub (I currently use empty 1 gal. ice cream buckets) Then when I need shortening for icing I just pull out a bag and toss it in the bowl to mix.

I don't have to clean my measuring cup this way either!! Only my spatual that I use to fill the bag.

leily!!! OH WOW!!! Great idea!!! I SO need to do that!! Another thing that I WANT to do, is to make up cake mixes...mix up all the dry ingredients into ziplock bags, so when I need em, just pour them in. Would save TONS of time!!

I do something similar to Leily except I use plastic wrap on my scale, and then just wrap it up.

I use the WASC cake, and it's many variations most of the time so I have started sifting my 2 cups each of flour and sugar and put them in ziplocks... Working about 10 hours a day with the commute, this saves me a LOT of time when I want to bake when I get home from work.

If I am making different flavor tier's for a cake, I will measure out my "wet" ingredient - one set into the mixer, and one set into a bowl so I can put away the oil, eggs, flavoring, etc. all at once.

Can I just say Petit-four you are my new favorite person! I am such an idiot! I was actually going to buy another stand mixer but it would be a whole lot cheaper just to buy an extra bowl and beaters. Holy smokes! I can't believe I never thought of this before!

What an awesome thread!

Checking the archives on CC for information before posting the same question which has been asked a million times before. It saves everyone time - me because I get the answer right away, and all of you because you don't have to post the same answer you did yesterday, or last week, or last month, etc.

Theresa

Charging what I'm worth.

That way, my orders are limited, and I'm not freaking out trying to make 50 $20 cakes in a week.

Dee-lite, I love your organizer! I was seriously considering it, but now that I actually have a visual, I am going to do it!

For cupcakes, I went out and bought 4 more 12 cup pans, I can fit 4 in the oven at a time, so I constantly have 4 in their, when the 48 are baking, I'm lining and filling 48 more. Love it!

Ok, you're gonna hate me, but I think my biggest timesaver will be my new bakery that's being built onto the back of our garage. I will no longer spend a total of a couple of hours and many trips back and forth to the "cake closet" in the back bedroom, the "pan shelves" in the basement and the "boxes of cardboard under the bed" every time I do a cake -- then do everything in reverse when I'm done. At the moment the bakery is a big wooden box, but the electrician and plumber should be ready for inspection this week or the beginning of next and then the insulation and drywall can begin. As horrid as the drywall process is it is, at least, the beginning of the end. Yeah!! I'm hoping to be in before heading off to the ICES convention in July.

Yep, hate ya

For every recipe I try I write notes on it so I can remember little things about it. Like needs to bake for 25min., would go great with..., should try this next time, etc.

For every cake/cupcake/etc. that I decorate I write down what tips I used, colors, icings, how long it took etc. Then I put all of that in a binder with a picture of the finished product. So, if I ever need to duplicate a cake I know exactly what I did.

My grandmother taught me that, she was the best!

It seems like more than half of my orders are for sheets...11X15 in particular. When I buy the 19X13 cardboards for them, I go ahead and cover them all with freezer paper. Then they're ready to go when I need them.

I also purchased an extra bowl and paddle for my KA.

I use a long handled wooden spoon to get my couplers in place. I just put the coupler on the spoon handle, put that through the disposable bag opening, push the handle through the coupler, then pull firmly on the handle until the coupler is where it needs to be. I'm probably the last person to figure that one out!

I use cooking spray instead of shortening/flour to grease my pans. It saves me time.

One more thing, if my recipe calls for flavoring and also calls for milk, I add the flavoring to the milk when I measure it out. Not such a big time-saver in the grand scheme of things, but it does save me one step.

All great ideas, Thanks

BrandisBaked -

I run into that also. I know that we lost some threads from Oct '07 to Mar '08, but sometimes I can't get to page 2 of the unanswered posts or threads, or even my own watched topics.

We had that problem before, but it was only a few of us who mentioned it, so it took a while before the solution was found.

Theresa

"Can I just say Petit-four you are my new favorite person! I am such an idiot! I was actually going to buy another stand mixer but it would be a whole lot cheaper just to buy an extra bowl and beaters. Holy smokes! I can't believe I never thought of this before!"

Thank you so much,yelle66. I'm been having a "rough" time on CC.

Anyway -- I got the bowls for less, since they were reconditioned (and they looked just fine to me, you know how strong they are). I got the one without a handle, so it nests in the other, and the whole things takes up no more room than before. The paddle I got new.

Here's the KA site: http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/index.asp?.

And here's the re-cond. stuff: http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/sub_category.asp?HDR=OUTLET&CAT=outletrefurb

Thanks -- you made my day! And yes, thanks for starting the thread!

This is kind of a wierd one-If you need to "level a pan like a character pan that tou can't use even bake strips on or don't have any or don't really need precision leveling do this....As soon as the cake comes out use a clean kitchen towel and lay it (double it) across the cake and smoosh down the dome level...I do this all the time for cakes that dont really nee an exactly flat surface.Works like a charm l

I have duplicate pans and tips, that saves me time. And mixing my icing while cake is baking. My biggest decorating time saver is the cake icer tip.

OMG!!!Leily! I love taht idea! I just got my Pampered chef measuring cup and used it for sour cream...I can't wait to do this w/ shortening! Thanks!!!!

Just echoing a few tips that have been mentioned:

Pampered Chef measure-all cup for shortening
ice cream scoop for filling cupcakes batter
multiples of commonly used tips

I use a dishwasher cage for baby bottle parts for my couplers and tips - just rinse a little to get the big blobs out then toss in on the top rack - come out perfectly clean and grease free.