4: Stocking Your Pantry in Visual Studio .NET

Encode ANSI/AIM Code 128 in Visual Studio .NET 4: Stocking Your Pantry

These bottles of coloring gel are different from write-on gels available in the baking aisle of your grocery store You use that type of gel, which is more translucent than frosting, to write messages on a cake Write-on gels have little effect in adding a hue to a white frosting I m partial to using food coloring gels rather than pastes to color frostings Squeezing the coloring gel into the frosting a drop at a time makes for less mess and easier maneuvering than adding pastes to a mixture

Food coloring pastes, which usually come in 1 2-ounce pots, are more concentrated in color than their gel counterparts Pastes are widely available in larger chain craft stores as well as cake decorating supply stores in individual pots or in sets of 8 to 12 popular colors (see the preceding section for the most common colors) Pastes sometimes yield a truer color than gels for the hue you re trying to achieve However, you need some utensil such as a toothpick to add the paste to the frosting And, needless to say, you shouldn t use the same toothpick twice or you may get mixed colors or bits of buttercream or royal icing in your paste pot (an unsanitary proposition at best)

You need several liquid accoutrements for your cake making adventures to add flavor, make gum paste and fondant, and accent batters

On the flavor front, pure vanilla extract and almond extract are must-haves Depending on the favorite tastes in your household, you also may want to include lemon extract, orange extract, anise (which has a licorice flavor), and peppermint extract When it comes to extracts, use pure extract rather than the imitation counterpart The flavor of pure extract truly tastes more pure and intense than that of imitation extract, and it doesn t include any artificial ingredients However, if you re eager to use a flavor that you can t find in the pure form, the imitation is okay

If you re preparing white frosting with vanilla extract as one of its ingredients, know that the frosting will turn slightly ivory in color If you want the frosting to remain true white, you have to use a clear vanilla extract, which is only available in the imitation form In addition to extracts, you have a wealth of other flavorings also known as candy oils to pick from to satisfy a recipe s needs or to fulfill someone s special request The possibilities really are endless and exciting For instance, these are widely available on the Internet and through specialty kitchen stores: Black walnut Blueberry Butterscotch Caramel Cherry Coconut Cream soda Eggnog Hazelnut Macadamia nut Passion fruit Peach Peanut butter Pi a colada Root beer Violet But be mindful in using flavorings because they re more concentrated than extracts, so a little goes a long way If you re adding flavoring to a batter or frosting, begin with as little as 1 8 teaspoon, take a taste, and gradually add more to your liking (You can always add more flavoring, but you can t take it out after the fact!) Additional flavorings are in the form of soaking syrups, such as those you see in a coffee house, and liqueurs Both liquids may be used to moisten layers of cake while adding flavor Occasionally, you also may need a liqueur to flavor a cake batter

In your cake-filled escapades, these last few staples are good to have on hand: Corn syrup: A common sweetener that comes in both light and dark varieties and lends a subtle caramel flavor (light) or a more dramatic one (dark); called for in fondant and gum paste recipes Honey and maple syrup: Ingredients that add depth and also shade flavors with a different, rich sweetening effect Fruit juice: Contributes both liquid and flavoring to a recipe; use freshly squeezed for best results Vinegar: Interacts with other ingredients for both taste and leavening purposes