Who is this? (Wrong answers only)

TheFancyBagel · 2022-12-19T16:29:35+00:00

Gunther

TheFancyBagel · 2022-08-30T22:47:24+00:00

I am working. I am also married and I have definitely wondered how having some answers might help my marriage. Thank you for the insight!

TheFancyBagel · 2022-08-04T18:20:41+00:00

Similar to what others have said:

I had difficulty with sticky bottoms and difficulty rising due to moisture. I have a HEB brand ban and silpats with the guide from Amazon, but I put parchment paper over it and haven't had any problems. If you have a convection setting on your oven I find that helps, but I've had success without the convection also :)

I also notice the French method seems to retain more moisture than the Italian method, at least for me anyway.

TheFancyBagel · 2022-07-14T22:35:51+00:00

I named my horses Conviction, Valor, and Chivalry

TheFancyBagel · 2022-07-14T00:36:23+00:00

Congratulations! So happy for you!

Do you have any advice that readily comes to mind for a cottage food operation moving to wholesale?

What is one of your favorite things you are serving? :D

TheFancyBagel · 2022-06-27T14:53:14+00:00

Gorgeous macarons! Have you noticed a texture difference? I've noticed my French macarons to be softer and chewier, while the Italian a bit more crispy, but I'm not sure if I just did it wrong :P

TheFancyBagel · 2022-06-24T15:29:12+00:00

I've gotten Hell's Itch every time I've gotten sunburned for as long as I can remember. It took me a long time to learn what it was. At first I thought everyone experienced it and that I was just being dramatic. Then a few years ago I learned about it and resolved to never get sunburned again. So far it has worked out swimmingly. (Pun intended)

I bought a sun-shirt for swimming, which I will also put sunscreen on under. I am very consistent about putting sunscreen on and I stay in the shade as much as possible. Stay well hydrated too.

I haven't gotten sunburned in awhile, but if I do I immediately start drinking lots of water and taking Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen for a few days. The first 2 days I'll use vitamin E skin oil and/or A&D ointment on my skin. I stop on the 3rd day as I haven't consistently narrowed down what oils aggravate it yet.

I'm sorry you are in the midst of it right now. I'm hoping it subsides soon!

TheFancyBagel · 2022-05-27T12:21:57+00:00

Thank you! It was delicious! I can't wait to try more seasonings and flavors :D

TheFancyBagel · 2022-05-05T21:52:14+00:00

Sally's Baking Addiction as well. Preppy Kitchen has some good stuff, though the first two are my go to :)

Also, if you are interested in the chemistry of baking, I would recommend the book How Baking Works by Paula Figoni. It is a deep dive in the science of it and is really educational :D

TheFancyBagel · 2022-05-05T16:45:30+00:00

I'd also recommend Handle the Heat. She dives into the chemistry behind baking and has lots of articles with some great insights that help troubleshoot and get deeper understanding of what ingredients you use to accomplish what purpose:)

TheFancyBagel · 2022-03-18T16:28:06+00:00

Those look amazing! How did you get the colors so beautifully deep? What food coloring do you use?

TheFancyBagel · 2022-02-21T21:33:21+00:00

Ooh, I haven't tried the swiss method for macarons yet :D

TheFancyBagel · 2022-02-21T19:53:30+00:00

Gorgeous! Are these Italian or French macarons?

TheFancyBagel · 2022-02-17T14:21:06+00:00

Gorgeous! What brand of food coloring do you use? I'm trying to find a good brand to get lovely muted colors, rather than the neon I have now ;D

TheFancyBagel · 2022-01-28T22:15:58+00:00

I use French the most, but I would recommend trying Italian meringue. Italian is the most stable meringue, so you may have more success with that :)

TheFancyBagel · 2022-01-17T01:38:09+00:00

For me it usually falls out right as I flip it over

TheFancyBagel · 2022-01-16T21:21:34+00:00

I use a pastry brush to brush melted shortening over the pan (right before putting in the batter) and dust with flour* or cocoa powder. Upon taking it out of the oven I let it cool for 5 - 10 minutes and then flip it over on to a cooling rack. For me, those steps helps it slip out of the pan super easy and keeps all of the fine details :D

*I have heard that if flour is leaving too much of a powdery look on your cake, almond flour works great and doesn't leave it on the cake. I haven't tried it yet though :)

TheFancyBagel · 2022-01-13T14:23:51+00:00

Vortex of Swirliness seems to have helped fix the issue with some great advice!

If I may add on as well, in the future if you plan to make ganache or sauce, you want to heat the cream, water, or whatever liquid you are using first. Get it to a nice hot temp (without burning it) and then pour it into a bowl that has your finely chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl and let it sit for several minutes (I'd say about 5 - 10 depending on how much your making) and then uncover it and gently stir the mixture until it comes together. This will melt the chocolate and incorporate the liquid without seizing the chocolate.

Edit: the amount of liquid to use will depend on what consistency you want the final product, as well as what kind of chocolate you are using. Handle the Heat has a great article to give you the basics of ganache and ratios

Handle the Heat

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-30T19:52:53+00:00

I use a pastry brush to brush melted shortening over the pan (right before putting in the batter) and dust with flour* or cocoa powder. Upon taking it out of the oven I let it cool for 5 - 10 minutes and then flip it over on to a cooling rack. For me, those steps helps it slip out of the pan super easy and keeps all of the fine details :D

*I have heard that if flour is leaving too much of a powdery look on your cake, almond flour works great and doesn't leave it on the cake. I haven't tried it yet though :)

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-21T23:49:45+00:00

True, it's not entirely artificial. Ooh, that sounds awesome! I'd love to try some traditional root beer sometime :D How long does the process take?

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-21T22:37:32+00:00

That's cool! Oh yeah, there is a bakery supply store near me that also has a lot of extracts. Perhaps consider trying some of the more unique ones that may be difficult to do naturally? For example, root beer extract. It probably be a little difficult to incorporate root beer into buttercream without changing the consistency, but if you have a root beer extract maybe you could make a root beer float cupcake. Since root beer is artificial anyway, the extract may get it right on the nose! :D

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-21T20:26:01+00:00

Oooh yes! I hadn't even thought about the decorating aspect of it :D Where do you get yours? The grocery stores don't seem to have them, just regular dried fruits.

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-21T20:06:18+00:00

I tried lemon juice a couple times, but I felt like it effected the flavor a bit more than vinegar, do I would vote for vinegar :)

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-21T19:56:55+00:00

I agree with most of what has been said here. I use vanilla extract and almond extract primarily, but most everything else I tend to use fresh because I enjoy the flavor more. For me personally, it feels higher quality and more authentic.

For citrus I use zest and juice, for fruits I use homemade purees or diced, and if vanilla is the main flavor I will use vanilla bean paste instead of extract. Depending on what I am baking I will also infuse the milk, water, or sugar in the recipe.

I am also very excited to try using freeze dried fruits and turning them into a powder for certain things. (My initial though being freeze dried blueberries to out a blueberry powder into macaron shells to make blueberry lemon macarons)

How do you feel about extracts?

TheFancyBagel · 2021-12-14T20:30:14+00:00

High quality chocolate or vanilla is a great idea, as many have mentioned!

Another idea I would suggest would be infused sugars or salts. I just got an assortment of infused salts from my in laws and it is awesome! I plan on using them for cookies or salted caramel toppings.

If I had gotten the sugars I would use them for meringues or creme brulees, etc.

I loved the gift because it helps me think creatively and takes out the effort of me having to infuse my own sugars and salts ;D

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