[Sca-cooks] OOP Icing Question

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Apr 8, 2007, at 8:11 PM, Lilinah wrote:

> OK, i'm not much of a cake baker or frosting maker, but, well, i get
> this "frisson" when someone says "buttercream" and in the same breath
> says "make with Crisco". Now, i am not qualified to comment on the
> comparative qualities of frosting made with Crisco vs. made with
> butter. But, well, i'm just wondering, how can one call it
> "buttercream" if there's no butter in it?

I can sympathize with the frisson, but in a world where early  
Twinkies were filled with a buttecream substitute made with beef fat  
and sugar, nothing seems to matter much anymore.

The idea is that partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening produces  
a slightly more stable product in high-heat conditions, both when  
funky emulsifiers are added, and perhaps also because its lower  
moisture content makes fermentation just a little less likely...

Adamantius





"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la  
brioche!" / "If there's no bread, you have to say, let them eat cake!"
     -- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,  
"Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
     -- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry  
Holt, 07/29/04