Caking with Grace -- I want to learn how to work neatly and efficiently!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tierra Spencer on September 14, 2010 at 8:27pm

I feel the same way also.....the only thing I have come up with so far is to cover the mixer with a towel when making the icing so that powered sugar does not go everywhere......learned this the hard way :)

Permalink Reply by mary hnatyszyn on February 22, 2011 at 3:36pm

this sounds like my kitchen ,every time i say i'm gonna just work on one work top,i get carried away ,spreading all over the worktops,and then i have to stop tidy up and start again ,i think its like an artist creating (a mess) a masterpiece lol !! ihave learned after having multi-coloured hands to put rubber gloves on,but help to organise would be great  

Permalink Reply by Les Brown on March 6, 2011 at 2:40am

oh to be tidy, I decorate my cakes in my dining room as its the only space in my little flat where i have the space to spread everything out, but always end up looking like either a world war 3 disaster zone or looking like the place has been ransacked by robbers lol. But because it usually takes me several weeks to finish making all my flowers fitting around working full time at least I can shut the door on the mess and then have a grand slam clear up when I'm finished.

Permalink Reply by Julie Eckles Zurek on March 10, 2011 at 11:03am

Hi!  I am a busy mom of two crazy little boys with a full time job so my time is the most precious thing I have.  I split my baking, frosting, and decorating into several days. First, put on some comfortable running shoes and comfortable clothing or apron...I found out the hard way to not have a baggy t-shirt on because if you lean too close to your cake, you end up smudging your work with your loose shirt fabric.  I MUST start with a clean kitchen so  I make sure all of the supplies I need are clean and out of the cabinet ready to be used.  I pull all ingredients out of the pantry and place them in one spot near supplies within arms reach.  I too use a damp towel to cover my mixer so I am not inhaling flour or powdered sugar.  I also keep a towel on my shoulder for my hands, loose paper towels on the counter to wipe my hands of grease, a container of lysol wipes near for egg or milk spills, and a couple of empty bowls to place my dirty spoons and spatulas on. I put on music and take my time.  While my cakes are baking, I wash all of my used supplies, put all ingredients not needed anymore away,  get my cooling racks ready, and cover my cake board if needing to be done.  Once the cakes are done, I set them out to cool and wash my pans.  Next make frosting then crumb coat everything and place them in the fridge.  At any point, I could just wrap them up and put them in the fridge if I don't have anymore time but if I have time....I will make fondant decorations, color all of my frosting if needed and put everything away until needed.  The day before the cake is needed, I pull everything out and let the cakes come to room temp and the frosting warm up so it is easier to spread and begin to decorate.  I have found that having everything ready so all I have to do is decorate makes me enjoy the whole process so much more.  Usually by the time I am done baking cakes, making fondant, and making frosting I am sort of sick of messing with it.  It also makes me feel a little Martha Stewart-ish.  It also depends on your kitchen layout.  I just rearranged mine so my mixer and frequently used books are all next to each other.  I also bought a cheap plastic rolling cart with three drawers from Michaels, some cheap plastic drawer organizers, and put all of my cake supplies, tools, food colors, dust, and anything that is cake specific inside. I can now roll it right in and out of my pantry into the kitchen next to me while I am working. It cleared out alot of my pantry shelf space and drawers and made me feel much more streamlined.  I am new to this type of cake decorating too but I do so much better if I have the proper supplies, take care of them, and know where they are. 

Good luck and I hope this helps!!!

Permalink Reply by Michelle Williams on March 18, 2011 at 8:40am

thanks for that tip....I always have more powdered sugar out of my mixer than in my mixer....lol

Tierra Spencer said:

I feel the same way also.....the only thing I have come up with so far is to cover the mixer with a towel when making the icing so that powered sugar does not go everywhere......learned this the hard way :)

Permalink Reply by Michelle Williams on March 18, 2011 at 8:41am

LOVE EVERYTHING YOU SAID HERE!!!  Gotta get a little rolling cart, ASAP!

Julie Eckles Zurek said:

Hi!  I am a busy mom of two crazy little boys with a full time job so my time is the most precious thing I have.  I split my baking, frosting, and decorating into several days. First, put on some comfortable running shoes and comfortable clothing or apron...I found out the hard way to not have a baggy t-shirt on because if you lean too close to your cake, you end up smudging your work with your loose shirt fabric.  I MUST start with a clean kitchen so  I make sure all of the supplies I need are clean and out of the cabinet ready to be used.  I pull all ingredients out of the pantry and place them in one spot near supplies within arms reach.  I too use a damp towel to cover my mixer so I am not inhaling flour or powdered sugar.  I also keep a towel on my shoulder for my hands, loose paper towels on the counter to wipe my hands of grease, a container of lysol wipes near for egg or milk spills, and a couple of empty bowls to place my dirty spoons and spatulas on. I put on music and take my time.  While my cakes are baking, I wash all of my used supplies, put all ingredients not needed anymore away,  get my cooling racks ready, and cover my cake board if needing to be done.  Once the cakes are done, I set them out to cool and wash my pans.  Next make frosting then crumb coat everything and place them in the fridge.  At any point, I could just wrap them up and put them in the fridge if I don't have anymore time but if I have time....I will make fondant decorations, color all of my frosting if needed and put everything away until needed.  The day before the cake is needed, I pull everything out and let the cakes come to room temp and the frosting warm up so it is easier to spread and begin to decorate.  I have found that having everything ready so all I have to do is decorate makes me enjoy the whole process so much more.  Usually by the time I am done baking cakes, making fondant, and making frosting I am sort of sick of messing with it.  It also makes me feel a little Martha Stewart-ish.  It also depends on your kitchen layout.  I just rearranged mine so my mixer and frequently used books are all next to each other.  I also bought a cheap plastic rolling cart with three drawers from Michaels, some cheap plastic drawer organizers, and put all of my cake supplies, tools, food colors, dust, and anything that is cake specific inside. I can now roll it right in and out of my pantry into the kitchen next to me while I am working. It cleared out alot of my pantry shelf space and drawers and made me feel much more streamlined.  I am new to this type of cake decorating too but I do so much better if I have the proper supplies, take care of them, and know where they are. 

Good luck and I hope this helps!!!

Permalink Reply by Michelle Williams on March 18, 2011 at 8:43am

You ladies are too funny...and just when I thought I was the only one with this dilema....whew...I feel so much better.

 

I have laughed here until I've started crying.

 

Blessings to you all!

Permalink Reply by Julie S on April 15, 2011 at 11:45pm

I've been decorating for about a year. My kitchen is TINY (I have about 5' of counter space), but I have a very sizable pantry.  I've found a few tricks that work for me to optimize my space, have less mess, and stay organized. Maybe one will work for you.

 

1.  I start with a 5-subject notebook. I have section dedicated to specific tasks (orders, supplies <on hand & needed>, drawings of ideas, etc. Find what works for you.

 

2.  I use cheap plastic rolling carts with drawers (from the dollar store) to organize my materials for specific tasks. (Ex. One has all of my flavoring, coloring, gum paste, & tools in it.  One has all of my sprinkles, decorator bags, cupcake papers, decorating tips, etc. in it.) When I am working on a specific project, I roll the corresponding cart into my kitchen. This way I have everything handy, yet off my counter. Plus, I can put it right back in the cart when I am done with it.  It alleviates a lot of cleanup time.

 

3.  I refuse to pay for a chef's jacket ($45 around here). I chose another item that closely resembles the fabric of a chef's jacket - usually no lint, hair, etc. will stick to it. I chose scrubs & button/snap up vests/dusters (like your grandma use to wear in the kitchen). I found them at a local dollar store for about $5. I really like the vests because they have pockets.

 

4.  I keep a towel tucked in my belt/waistband. The towel is never removed so I don't get ends confused. This is great for wiping up spills, a quick swipe to clean a mess of my hands, cleaning tips, etc. Be sure to use thin towels, not the fuzzy ones as they tend to harbor hair, dust, et.

 

5.  To keep from making a mess when pouring, I put everything in containers that have a spout - measuring cups, bowls, small pitchers, etc.  

 

6.  To keep the powdered sugar dust cloud from forming, I really cheat. I stop my mixer and lift the top. I DO NOT wipe the beater off before I add the powdered sugar. I pour the sugar under the beater, scrape the sides down over it, then scrape & replace my beater and restart the machine.

 

7.  Before I begin a cake project, I empty my dishwasher. When I finish with a tool, bowl, etc., I immediately rinse it and put it in my dishwasher. 

 

8.  I have a small cup with very hot dishwater in it. When I am done with a tip, it goes directly into that cup. I also put my couplings and flower nails in the water.

 

When I am done with the cake, the only thing I have left to do is scrub my tips, wipe my counter, and sweep.

 

Happy Baking (with less mess and cleaning, of course)!!!

Permalink Reply by zeeniya zulfikar on September 17, 2011 at 4:43am

Thank you so much for the useful tips on this topic.  Yes, I too need to get a rolling cart!!! julie

 

Julie Eckles Zurek said:

Hi!  I am a busy mom of two crazy little boys with a full time job so my time is the most precious thing I have.  I split my baking, frosting, and decorating into several days. First, put on some comfortable running shoes and comfortable clothing or apron...I found out the hard way to not have a baggy t-shirt on because if you lean too close to your cake, you end up smudging your work with your loose shirt fabric.  I MUST start with a clean kitchen so  I make sure all of the supplies I need are clean and out of the cabinet ready to be used.  I pull all ingredients out of the pantry and place them in one spot near supplies within arms reach.  I too use a damp towel to cover my mixer so I am not inhaling flour or powdered sugar.  I also keep a towel on my shoulder for my hands, loose paper towels on the counter to wipe my hands of grease, a container of lysol wipes near for egg or milk spills, and a couple of empty bowls to place my dirty spoons and spatulas on. I put on music and take my time.  While my cakes are baking, I wash all of my used supplies, put all ingredients not needed anymore away,  get my cooling racks ready, and cover my cake board if needing to be done.  Once the cakes are done, I set them out to cool and wash my pans.  Next make frosting then crumb coat everything and place them in the fridge.  At any point, I could just wrap them up and put them in the fridge if I don't have anymore time but if I have time....I will make fondant decorations, color all of my frosting if needed and put everything away until needed.  The day before the cake is needed, I pull everything out and let the cakes come to room temp and the frosting warm up so it is easier to spread and begin to decorate.  I have found that having everything ready so all I have to do is decorate makes me enjoy the whole process so much more.  Usually by the time I am done baking cakes, making fondant, and making frosting I am sort of sick of messing with it.  It also makes me feel a little Martha Stewart-ish.  It also depends on your kitchen layout.  I just rearranged mine so my mixer and frequently used books are all next to each other.  I also bought a cheap plastic rolling cart with three drawers from Michaels, some cheap plastic drawer organizers, and put all of my cake supplies, tools, food colors, dust, and anything that is cake specific inside. I can now roll it right in and out of my pantry into the kitchen next to me while I am working. It cleared out alot of my pantry shelf space and drawers and made me feel much more streamlined.  I am new to this type of cake decorating too but I do so much better if I have the proper supplies, take care of them, and know where they are. 

Good luck and I hope this helps!!!

Permalink Reply by zeeniya zulfikar on September 17, 2011 at 4:56am

Thanks for the very useful step by step instructions Julie S.

Julie S said:

I've been decorating for about a year. My kitchen is TINY (I have about 5' of counter space), but I have a very sizable pantry.  I've found a few tricks that work for me to optimize my space, have less mess, and stay organized. Maybe one will work for you.

 

1.  I start with a 5-subject notebook. I have section dedicated to specific tasks (orders, supplies <on hand & needed>, drawings of ideas, etc. Find what works for you.

 

2.  I use cheap plastic rolling carts with drawers (from the dollar store) to organize my materials for specific tasks. (Ex. One has all of my flavoring, coloring, gum paste, & tools in it.  One has all of my sprinkles, decorator bags, cupcake papers, decorating tips, etc. in it.) When I am working on a specific project, I roll the corresponding cart into my kitchen. This way I have everything handy, yet off my counter. Plus, I can put it right back in the cart when I am done with it.  It alleviates a lot of cleanup time.

 

3.  I refuse to pay for a chef's jacket ($45 around here). I chose another item that closely resembles the fabric of a chef's jacket - usually no lint, hair, etc. will stick to it. I chose scrubs & button/snap up vests/dusters (like your grandma use to wear in the kitchen). I found them at a local dollar store for about $5. I really like the vests because they have pockets.

 

4.  I keep a towel tucked in my belt/waistband. The towel is never removed so I don't get ends confused. This is great for wiping up spills, a quick swipe to clean a mess of my hands, cleaning tips, etc. Be sure to use thin towels, not the fuzzy ones as they tend to harbor hair, dust, et.

 

5.  To keep from making a mess when pouring, I put everything in containers that have a spout - measuring cups, bowls, small pitchers, etc.  

 

6.  To keep the powdered sugar dust cloud from forming, I really cheat. I stop my mixer and lift the top. I DO NOT wipe the beater off before I add the powdered sugar. I pour the sugar under the beater, scrape the sides down over it, then scrape & replace my beater and restart the machine.

 

7.  Before I begin a cake project, I empty my dishwasher. When I finish with a tool, bowl, etc., I immediately rinse it and put it in my dishwasher. 

 

8.  I have a small cup with very hot dishwater in it. When I am done with a tip, it goes directly into that cup. I also put my couplings and flower nails in the water.

 

When I am done with the cake, the only thing I have left to do is scrub my tips, wipe my counter, and sweep.

 

Happy Baking (with less mess and cleaning, of course)!!!