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i like a lot of the american receipes but i am baffled by the ingredients i. e, crisco, shortening[i know is fat but also margarine] what is the difference. another is corn syrup are there english eqivalents i would also like to get meringue powder but its not sold here. Can anyone advise me?

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Jennifer if I'm not mistaken Crisco and shortening are the same thing, all of my UK books refer to it as white vegetable fat, corn syrup is liquid glucose. In South Africa we know merinque powder as Actiwhite made by Bakels, you can try Squires Kitchen for the liquid glucose and merinque powder, the white vegetable fat should be availlable at any shop!
Jennifer it is confusing. Crisco is a brand name for shortening...the white solid fat that comes in a can used for baking and frying. It s made from vegetable oil, no animal fat..that would be lard. Corn syrup is almost like Lyles syrup...I think you have that in the UK...it is also known as liquid glucose and is an invert sugar. That means that it tends to stay in liquid form rather than crystal form. Meringue powder is just powdered egg whites with some flavor and cream of tartar added. The cream of tartar is an acid and it keeps the sugar from staying in a crytalline state...so when you add it to a meringue it allows the egg whites to expand easier...all those sugar crystals tear up the air bubbles.....you can do the same with a little white vinegar or lemon juice....hope this helps a little.
Crisco is a vegetable shortening (fat). You probably have lard but is it animal fat? If so, that wouldn't work. Our lard is animal fat (pork, I think). Margarine can't be used as a substitute because it contains too much water. Although, you can use butter as a substitute in most cases. Butter has a lower melting point so this may cause issues in buttercream during hot and humid weather.

Corn syrup is a thick sugary syrup we get from corn (duh!) that can be either light (clear) or dark (like molasses). I think you have a golden syrup which is similar.

Meringue powder is made of dehydrated egg whites, sugar, a gum, corn starch, and a variety of stabilizers and flavoring agents. It can be convenient to use meringue powder, but most people use it to avoid any risk of eating uncooked egg. You should be able to purchase it online. Give Amazon a try.
thanx

Neryl Johnson said:
Jennifer if I'm not mistaken Crisco and shortening are the same thing, all of my UK books refer to it as white vegetable fat, corn syrup is liquid glucose. In South Africa we know merinque powder as Actiwhite made by Bakels, you can try Squires Kitchen for the liquid glucose and merinque powder, the white vegetable fat should be availlable at any shop!
hi use a heavy pot put in 1and 1/4 regular sugar and 1/3 of water bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, let the mix simmer over low heat until mixture gets syrupy . when you deep fry foods, what do you use. and what do you use when baking, one said sub butter or maragine in equal parts, i have a recipe for butter cream, but i'm not sure if it would crust for you.
When I deep fry I use Cannola oil or peanut oil...I never use margarine in baking because it has too much water and and throws off the recipe...I use either butter or shortening or both

diane kilgore said:
hi use a heavy pot put in 1and 1/4 regular sugar and 1/3 of water bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, let the mix simmer over low heat until mixture gets syrupy . when you deep fry foods, what do you use. and what do you use when baking, one said sub butter or maragine in equal parts, i have a recipe for butter cream, but i'm not sure if it would crust for you.

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