An industrial size can.

[rikibeth]

Dear Counter Staff,

If I come in again and find more than ONE of EACH KIND of pie cut into, I am going to add some large cans of WHUP ASS to the next supply order.

And I have the can opener.

Thanks,

Riki

My boss actually okayed me leaving that note taped to the counter out front. There were THREE partial very berry pies in the case, and two each of blueberry and peach, and one or two whole pies.

Guess who had to bake fifteen pies on a day when she was only supposed to have to do breakfast?

I'm normally out of there by 9 AM on Sundays. Today, I was there until 2:30.

It wasn't a total waste. Since I had to be there to bake the pies anyway, I backed up some other things, so that I'll only be swamped tomorrow, instead of completely bulldozered. Baked off chicken breasts, roasted off a couple of trays of eggplant, made a batch of hummus, and planned out tomorrow's menu. If I'd been really ambitious, and wanted to stay longer, I'd have doctored up some Caesar dressing and sliced the chicken into it, chopped leeks, and maybe even diced up the remaining cantaloupes. But I was not feeling that ambitious, and Sunday is the dishwasher's day off, and I wanted to get out of there.

The sad part is, I know that tomorrow I'm going to have to back up scones and brioche dough as well as getting all of the produce put away and the regular lunch things done.

At least I've got my raise.

Comments

[justsonya.livejournal.com]

Every time I read your posts, I get hungry. Scones. Yum. I may have to kidnap you and make off with you into the night. ::nods::

[alchemine.livejournal.com]

The counter staff sound like a bunch of kids who open the new milk before the old one's used up. Brats!

BTW, would you mind if I asked you a baking question?

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The counter staff ARE a bunch of kids, mostly.

The best one (who wasn't responsible for all the partials) is a fellow fangirl. Mind you, a Sirius-lover and Snape-hater, but we get along OK despite that.

Go ahead and ask!

[alchemine.livejournal.com]

Mind you, a Sirius-lover and Snape-hater, but we get along OK despite that.

*g* I like both, but prefer Snape.

Go ahead and ask!

Thanks! OK, here's my problem: whenever I bake cakes or cupcakes (whether from mix or from scratch), they come out all dry on the bottom. My first thought was that I was overbaking, but if I take them out sooner than the recipe says to, they're still kind of gooey in the middle. Do I have the wrong idea of what constitues "doneness," or is my oven wonky?

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Huh. That's an odd one. Do you have a separate oven thermometer or are you just going by the dial? You should definitely check to see if your oven temp is running high.

Another possibility is that you are using thin pans that conduct heat too rapidly. If you don't want to buy new heavier pans (I think very well of Chicago Metallic) then you could try either double-panning your cakes & cupcakes, or putting them on a baking sheet to diffuse some heat at the bottom.

That'd be what I'd try, if it happened to me.

Oh, and if it's a layer cake, you can always just slice off the bit that's too dry. If it's a cupcake, TC and her friends are going to lick off all the frosting and eat two bites of the cake part, so you really don't need to worry further about it.

Staunch professional advice. :)

[kcarp.livejournal.com]

Both of Rikibeth's ideas were among my top ideas...

I'd also experiment with putting the cake on a higher rack position, and making sure there's lots of air circulation space (you aren't making 200 cupcakes at a time, are you?)...

Really, though, an oven thermometer is our friend. And WHO is going to turn down an excuse to get better bakeware?

Katy, professional amateur

[number42.livejournal.com]

It being West Hartford and all, could a customer have asked for a slice from a 'fresh' pie? Just being the Devil's Advocate here...

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Oh, my God, you're probably right. I will mention that to the boss tomorrow, so she can tell the counter kids how to phrase "get stuffed" to the goddamned yuppie twits so they don't throw a conniption fit.

Goddamned yuppie twits.

[ceilidh71.livejournal.com]

i wish i lived near you! reading these posts makes me hungry! :)