Spices and seasonings in .NET framework

Drawer Code 128 in .NET framework Spices and seasonings

You should have an array of spices and seasonings at the ready to either heighten an existing flavor or incorporate a new or complementary one Keep the following ingredients in your pantry:

Cinnamon, ground Cocoa Espresso powder Ground cloves Ground ginger Ground nutmeg Salt Spices can be expensive, so you may be tempted to buy them in bulk at a warehouse store But unless you plan to bake many cakes regularly with the same spices, stick with smaller quantities Dry spices lose their potency after time, and some can even go rancid, so you don t want them sitting in your cupboard for years on end Keep track of the purchase dates of your spices by labeling the bottles, jars, cans, or tubs with permanent marker

Recipes for both cakes and frostings call for dairy products galore In each case, be mindful of expiration or sell-by dates Pull fresh, perishable dairy goods out of a cold case in your grocery store, and, of course, if you notice a foul odor, curdling, or mold, get rid of the product even if the stamped date says it should be fresh!

You may need whole milk for your cake batter or heavy cream for a chocolate ganache Some cake batters rely on the smooth tang of buttermilk, and some fillings need a splash of half-and-half I generally recommend steering clear of reduced-fat, lowfat, or fat-free milk when baking or making frosting Particularly if you substitute a fat-free product for a full-fat one, the taste and overall result is disappointing However, reduced-fat buttermilk is fine if that s all you can get your hands on

Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are thicker and richer than regular milk due to their manufacturing processes that remove water Also, sugar is added to produce sweetened condensed milk Both kinds of canned milk are delightful additions to frostings and fillings

You can determine the shelf life of canned milk by checking out the expiration date printed on the top, bottom, or wrapper of the can

Depending on the recipe, you may use such other dairy products as cream cheese, sour cream, or yogurt In all cases, stick with full-fat versions (unless a low-fat recipe calls for otherwise) Particularly in the case of cream cheese, don t substitute reduced-fat Neufchatel; it tastes fine but doesn t hold up volume-wise to cream cheese s fluffiness

Color undeniably plays a vibrant, fun, and impressive role in cake decorating Although other ways to color including sprays, markers, and even airbrushing exist, you re most likely to use gels and pastes to tint your frostings They generally don t carry expiration dates, but you can t hold on to food coloring gels and pastes forever Over time, they can separate or change color, either lightening or darkening your intended shade I recommend not keeping gels and pastes for more than a year after purchase Use a permanent marker to write the date you bought the product on its label And keep the gels and pastes in a cool, dry area of your pantry or an area that s not exposed to heat, moisture, or harsh light

Food coloring gels often come in 3 4-ounce plastic squeeze bottles Typically, the color of the gel is marked by a round dot in that color on the bottle s flip-top Some gels in popular colors come in larger quantities Cake decorating kits usually include a combination of 8 to 12 of the most popular colors, such as black, blue, sky blue, red, pink, fuchsia, green, violet, brown, orange, teal, and yellow Food coloring gels are readily available on the Internet as well as in cake decorating supply stores You may not find the colors you want in larger chain craft stores, which tend to have limited stock of gels but plenty of pastes to choose from