Not so common tools???

[fontzmark]

Could some of the pastry chefs give me some ideas on not so common tools that you use for creating desserts?
What is it, how do you use it, where did you get it?
I use a syringe(not my idea)to inject chocolate covered strawberries with Grand Marnier, works great and people love them.

[m brown]

tool box for carting equipment around, a paint spray machine for chocolate work. pvc pipes cut for cold and frozen mousses.

[Kimmie]

If you live near a bookstore, check out Chocolate Passion. Nifty tools used for chocolate are featured.

Author: TISH BOYLE | Co-Author: TIMOTHY MORIARTY
ISBN: 0471293172 | Publisher: JOHN WILEY & SONS

[W.DeBord]

O.k. ....not common items in the pastry department...I use copper plated or tin fish molds (or anyother shaped ones)to bake in and mold mousses in, like cake pans.

I collect the coated cardboard from between layers of tart shells to cut my own stencils from....for special items instead of bought shapes. I also use stencils from the craft store to make items, like leaf stencils and make hippen leafs from them. Or I use them to sprinkle xxx sugar or cocoa thru on my plates.

I have bought soap molds at the craft store to mold chocolates in, their made from the same plastic as candy molds....

I have a couple cheap plastic hats that I use as molds. Even plastic serving trays and boxes.

I also use a large plastic egg decoration I bought to mold an enormous sugar panoramic egg out of. I found these things at the grocery store in the seasonal decoration section. You can also use plastic holloween masks to mold desserts in.

I have a couple clear hard plastic molds that I mold sugar in that I got at a card store. Like a santa's boot, train and toy soldiers.

The metal grill sheets you can buy for grilling fish on the barbie work great as a dot pattern for joconde.

Lot's more...........

[bakingpw]

For not so common tools to use for decorating (cakes, desserts, chocolates, plates...you name it!) go to your local hardware store! Wood grain tools are a cheap buck or two and are excellent for chocolate. A small foam paint roller 2", 4" or 6" are great for "painting" on sauces for plate design. A power spray gun with compressor can be used to spray chocolate over cakes, centerpieces, plates, etc. Just take a good long walk up and down the aisles and you'll find many useful tools at a fraction of the price of "specialty" tools.

[oli]

What inexpensive method do you guys use to make the stripes on the sides of cakes (jaconde)? I know you can buy a pastry comb for about $41 - $75 but I am curious to know what inventive ideas someone has come up with.

[Anneke]

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: Anneke ]

[Anneke]

Oli,
Got mine for $1.99. Never got to use it because my pastry teacher thinks the combed look is cheesy and cheap looking. Go figure..

[monpetitchoux]

Oli: A pastry comb shouldn't cost that much.

Anyway. We got one of those cheapy combs that cost about $4. But we didn't use it because we wanted something a little more interesting than stripes. So we colored some cigarette batter and used our fingertips to smear it onto a silpat. Then we froze it. Then we made the joconde batter and spread it on the silpat. The freezing keeps the cigarette in place. The design we got looked a lot more interesting than the stripes. Plus we didn't worry about matching up the seams as much. That was a real bonus.

I've been trying to figure out how to transfer the restaurant name on a silpat with cigarette batter so that we can spread joconde on top of that. Any clues anyone?

[isaac]

i think if you take a silpat and divide it into strips and write the name of the restaraunt backwards and then freeze it and spread the batter over it and bake it, i think this will work. not to sure though

[bakingpw]

For decorator jaconde - again I say go to the hardware store! Buy aluminum (meant for radiator protectors) for $4 a sheet (24" X 36"). They come in many different designs and work great. The specialty stores will charge at least $35. for the same thing, only plastic!

[Isa]

In The Pie And Pastry Bible Rose Levy Beranbaum use bbble wrap to make the Honeycomb Chiffon Pie. She press bubble wrap on top of the filling, then putting the pie in the freezer for 3 hours or until the bubble wrap can be remove without sticking to the creme.

[isaac]

putting chocolate on bubble wrap works great. we also bought something similuar to bubble wrap at home depot but it was hard plastic. both will work great.

[Kimmie]

I guess I need to redeem myself...

How about a piece of perforated aluminum lattice from the hardware store and/or bubble wrap (plastic wrapping material) to form interesting chocolate shapes as part of a centerpiece. Dark and white chocolate. I can fill you in if you want!



[ September 01, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

[W.DeBord]

Have any of you tried that technique with putting chocolate on bubble wrap? I haven't, chicken for some reason...just wondered if you'd have a problem with it breaking as you peel it off the plastic?