Cooking for Kids

Go Fly A Kite: Serious Cake Decorating Ideas For This Spring

Spring will be here shortly! As I am writing this, an extra 18 inches of snow has fallen. While business is a little slow currently, there is no better time to plan in advance and organize for the forthcoming spring time of year. What better cake design for the spring than a kite flying cake? The materials that are mentioned in this article can be found at any store that sells Oasis rolled fondant.

A fun spring activity is kite flying, which makes for an idyllic cake design. Base ice a quarter sheet cake with white icing, and airbrush the top and sides blue for the sky , leaving a few areas white for clouds. Construct kites using Oasis Gumpaste trimmed into kite shapes. Buttress the kites on supports while drying to achieve a curved shape. Place the kites on the cake using dollops of icing as glue. In the corner of the cake, add a suitable Edible Image® design that says Happy Birthday. Use a pastry bag with a tiny opening tube and black icing to pipe the kite strings and outlines of the kites. Add top and bottom white borders using star tip No. 18.

Easter is a widespread decorated cake celebration in the spring. Let’s make a pink bunny cake. To begin, base ice a quarter sheet cake with white icing and airbrush the top two-thirds of the cake blue for a sky and the bottom third brown and gold, creating a fence. Use a pastry bag and brown icing to outline the boards of the screen and add the wood’s details.

Situate a plastic bunny face Pop Top® and paws along the top of the screen so it looks like a bunny is peering over the fence. Place edible molded sugar flowers from Lucks the length of the bottom of the screen and adjacent to the bunny. Use a pastry bag and green icing to pipe stems and leaves. Add a few other fine points, such as edible molded sugar butterflies and ladybugs. Use star tip No. 18 to outline the bunny face and pipe top and bottom borders. Overpipe the bottom border with tip No. 4 and green icing.
An additional major Easter design is the basket cake. Base ice a round cake with white icing and airbrush half of the cake top green for grassland and the other half blue for the sky. Use gold color to airbrush the sides of the cake. After that, use an icing comb to add grain to the sides of the cake, pipe tufts of lawn on top of the cake using tip No. 233. For the top and bottom borders, use star tip No. 16, and stripe an icing bag with brown, tan and gold icing. Outline the top border of the cake with a stripe of icing. Next, overpipe the stripe of icing by piping little ‘c’ strokes to seem like a basket rim. Use a rolled stroke for the bottom edge.
To make the basket on top of the cake, use the same tube and tip as you used for the borders. Pipe a curved shape for the top edge of the basket. Pipe two curved sides that narrow down as you get nearer to the base. Add a line of icing linking the two sides, forming the base of the basket. Set a thin, wedge-shaped piece of cake in the center of the basket outline to produce the basket curved. Fill up in the basket with slack, basket weave strokes.

Add a basket handle that begins at the back center of the basket, loops up and above slightly to end at the front midpoint of the basket. Use rose tip No. 103 and pink icing to add a bow to the basket handle. To make the bow, pipe a sidelong figure-8, add streamers, and pipe a circular knot. Conclude the design by stuffing the basket with sugar eggs, and rest a few plastic figures or Pop Tops on top of the cake.

We are pleased to help you, so please feel free to go to see our Oasis cake decorating supply website for additional information.

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The Top Ways To Add Color To Your Chocolate Candy Molds

Molds are colored by painting particular areas of the mold with a brush. Use a small brush for painting small details and a large brush for larger details. Melt various colors. Dip your brush into desired color and apply to an area of the mold. Continue to do this until preferred areas are painted.

The last and biggest area you will ladle the color in and fill the mold. Tapping the mold will trigger running of the colors. An additional way to color molds is with a small 2 ounce squeeze bottle. This bottle was designed for the reason of coloring and filling small molds. Fill bottle and use #1 cake decorating tip. When you turn the bottle up-side down and squeeze, the candy coating will run out. When you end squeezing and release the pressure from the sides of the bottle the candy coating will draw recede into the bottle. Be careful not to use too much force. Further, excessive candy will cause the colors to flow.

The bottles must be placed in warm water between uses to keep the candy in a fluid state. Clean, dry and store bottles until subsequent use. The top candy coating to use is the Merckens® variety of melting chocolate candy coatings.
An additional way to paint molds is by using parchment paper cones. Fill up cone 1/3 full of melted candy coating. Shape the sides of the parchment bag into a pastry bag shape, and then apply pressure.

Suggestion; tape the bag so that it does not un-roll. Bags are stored in the dry top of a double boiler with hot water under. When prepared to use, lift cover remove color needed, cut small hole in end of bag and you are all set to use it like a crayon to color. Once done, replace the bag to top of double boiler with cut end up. Put back double boiler cover. The double boiler acts as oven to keep bags warm so your candy coating will remain melted. Be certain to keep hot tap water under double boiler when coloring bags are in use.

This is a way to paint molds for larger projects where you need to do lots and lots of candies at a time. Use a towel and a heating pad with mold painters. Mold Painters are bottles that are used for painting little particulars. Mold painters can be used with any ordinary-size decorating tip. When purchased they’ll contain plastic tips and lids. Put down the bath towel on the counter folded in half. Melt chocolate in the microwave, an adequate amount of to fill each mold painter with colors needed.

Use the decorating tips provided, as a substitute of a brush. (These products can be bought at any Oasis cake decorating supply store that sells candy making supplies, Fondant and other handy things) This goes a lot quicker since you can have sufficient chocolate on hand to finish each paint job. Let the painted piece set until it is no longer fluid before you paint one more section. Lay the squeeze bottles on the towel and cover them with the heating pad. Use a big squeeze bottle to fill with the last color.

It is suggested that you use the lightest color to fill. When completed for the day, merely unplug the heating pad and let the bottles cool down. Afterward plug back in to start again another day.
For added details about painting candy molds or other chocolate ideas please make contact with us for further information.

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Gas Grill Buying Tips For Barbecue Enthusiasts

Gas grills are a popular choice among barbecue enthusiasts. Mainly because compared to charcoal grills, gas grills are easier to clean. In addition, there are lesser accidents related to the use of gas grills and in ten minutes it is ready to barbecue. For those thinking of buying a gas grill or upgrading to a gas grill for grilling, there are a number of things to consider before purchasing one. Taking these few tips into consideration will make the search faster and easier, and in the end the grill you purchase will be more satisfying for you to use.

1. Three Levels Of Gas Grills

Entry-level

Thesegas grills are the most basic gas grills available in the market today. They are reasonable priced starting at $ 150 to $ 300. Entry-level gas grills don’t need wood or charcoal and produce their own heat. With regards to this type of gas grill, it is best to choose one made of stainless steel for the frame and main body.

Mid-Range

These gas grills on the other hand are a bit more expensive but also offer more features than the basic gas grill. Prices for mid-range gas grills range from $ 350 to $ 1150. For these types of gas grills it is best to choose those made by established manufacturers in order to get a quality product.

Deluxe Models

These gas grills are the cream of the crop with prices starting at $ 1500 and most models going for more than $ 5000. High-end gas grills often make use of big BTU ratings as a selling point for them. However the brand name and materials of the gas grill should be the main concern when buying a deluxe model gas grill.

2. Basic Elements Of A Gas Grill

The basic structure of most gas grills sold in the market is fairly straightforward. The burners generate heat and some type of heat dispersal system is above the burners. On top of all this are the cooking grates where the food is placed. The equipment underneath the hood is what separates a typical gas grill from an excellent gas grill. A gas grill that has at least two or more individual burners allow for greater heat control. This provides for even heat over the cooking surface thus producing better tasting food. Drippings cannot be avoided when barbecuing, however this causes flare-ups. Certain gas grills are equipped with systems to control flare-ups and turn it into flavorful smoke to enhance the flavor of the food.

3. Understanding BTU (British Thermal Units)

Most gas grills sold in the market use BTUs as the main selling of their product. However most people don’t understand the relevance of BTUs to a gas grill, let alone the meaning of BTU. BTU stands for British thermal unit, which indicates the amount of gas that a gas grill is able to burn. With gas grills, sometimes less BTU are better since it allows for food to cook more efficiently. Too much of it can damage the burners and cut short the life of the gas grill. However for larger grills, having higher BTUs is best in order to cover the larger cooking area.

4. Check For Solid Construction

It is important to select a gas grill with a stable and solid construction. A poorly built gas grill has the tendency to wiggle and may fall apart once set in place. Avoid buying a gas grill that is not displayed on the sales floor, make sure that there is a display available to be able to check out the stability of the gas grill before purchasing it. Select a gas grill that is crafted of high-grade U.S. Steel and also go for a gas grill with a baked-on, porcelain enamel finish. Check that the grates are made from either cast iron, porcelain-coated cast iron or aluminum and stainless steel.

5. Gas Grill Maintenance

When buying a gas grill it is important to consider the amount of maintenance required to keep it running for years to come. Select a brand of gas grill that provides uncomplicated yet comprehensive product information and offers a toll-free customer service line. Check if the brand provide trouble-free access to parts and services along with a reliable dealer network.

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