What ingredients will you only use a brand name? - Page 2

I only use top shelf for every ingredient. I have tried the store brands and I did not like the results.

Gosh Linda, I was going to say that. The very best I can get my hands on of everything... including top shelf spirits.

I've gone back and forth-first only brands, then tried generics, since costs are rising, some are definate NOWAY! And so back to brands.

Crisco brand-never will switch, tried a generic once, and opened it fresh and it was extremly soft, and it wasn't even warm out.
Duncan Hines-for my mix starter cakes, used to use good ole Betty-since she was cheaper to pick up, lol, but when baking larger cakes(which people want more and more) I found good ole betty wasn't getting done in the center even with heating cores without drying out on the edges.
Powder sugar-c&h, then price nearly doubled, tried generic for MMF-it screwed it up, went back to C&H, then Sm's opened up and had #25 bags of their generic-hesitated, finaly bought and it's fine-except it's raised $4 in the las year
butter-always generic-
nonstick spray-bakers joy, have tried many and that works the best, but sometimes the nozzle get plugged
Marshmallows for fondant found out from trial and err-kraft is the best-but there are a couple stre brands that I don't have issues with (but if they aren't on sale, I'l still buy kraft) and there are some store brands I'd just be throwing my money in the trash-because thats what I'd be doing with the fondant.

Powdered sugar. I only use C&H. And cake mixes. I prefer Betty Crocker but will use Duncan Hines if I can't find the flavor I am looking for. I don't like Pillsbury at all.

totally agree!

Indydebi - - you make me want to buy generic cheerios just so I can cut them in half. ha ha !! Agree with the Dawn dishsoap!

TerriLynn, it was actually my sister who discovered this. She was going thru an issue and she HAD to eat a bowl of cheerios every day so the oat fiber would kickstart her (clears throat) "system" each day. Without the cheerios, she became .... oh heck let's get it in the open..... constipated. She bought the generic ones in the bag and her system didn't work right. that's when she discovered she was only getting about half of the oat fiber because the generics were mostly air.

The things we learn in life, huh!

I have honestly not found a difference in powdered sugar....I use the big bags of Bakers n Chefs from Sam's. I also use the butter from Sam's.

If I'm using a cake mix, I only use Duncan Hines, and only Jello pudding mix.. For scratch cakes, and cake flour, its whatever the store has. I use mostly Ghiradelli chocolate, Polaner preserves, Libby's pumpkin....Tone's natural vanilla or Wilton clear...am working on steeping my first bottle of homemade vanilla, though. Should be ready in another couple of months. I only use Sweetex for shortening.

I have a friend who buys almost all her ingredients from Aldi...and she recently won a large cake competition against a bunch of other professional pastry chefs, and her CAKE won the best tasting award!!!! So.... I am not sure if brand names only taste best to US, or to everyone!!!!

What I will say about brands is that whatever brand you use...whether Aldi, or farm fresh butter and eggs....that is the flavor your work takes on. I have made frosting or cake at someone else's house before and nothing tasted right since I used their brand of ingredients!!!!! I wanted MY butter and MY vanilla and MY eggs and MY sugar. haha. So..your customers will get used to "your" flavor, no matter what ingredients you use....and that's what they will keep coming back for.

I know that some of my cakes AND fillings are easily replicated by ANYONE if they just go down to the local grocery store, pick up a few name brand items, and throw them all together. However, with the ingredients I use, and the way I do it, they'll not only never guess what I'm using, but they think its unique to me. Which actually it probably is, in a way...even my oven is going to bake cakes up slightly different than someone else's oven does.

Mine are:

All Purpose Flour: White Lily
Cream Cheese: Philadelphia
Eggs: Eggland's Best
Buttermilk: Malburger (it is gourmet and whole fat)
Sour cream: Daisy

Actually, come to think of it, I buy name brand on everything except butter and regular milk (I buy whatever is on sale for those) and haven't noticed any change in product taste of my finished cakes.

Oh yeah, Philly cream cheese here too...I can tell if I cheat and buy what's on sale...not as nice a flavor.

Ditto!

After trying generic gelatin and having difficulties with my homemade fondant, I will now only use Knox gelatin.

King Arthur Flour
Penzey's extracts and spices
Philly cream cheese
Breakstone sour cream
Domino sugar - all types
Prefer Duncan Hines over Betty Crocker but will use either in a pinch

Definitely not a fan of generics although some Stop & Shop items have been ok.
Also a fan of Dawn soap!

I don't use Crisco in icing, but when I do use shortening in anything else, it's Crisco. I bought the store brand once before and it turned dingy yellow in a very short time. Long before the Use By Date.
I use Sysco Hi-Ratio shortneing.

First Street (Smart and Final) brand butter, sour cream, and other dairy products. I find them to taste 100% as good as the name brands. I was fussy about the brand when I lived in NC (Breakstone everything). But they don't carry those brands here - so I had to start over figuring out what I liked.

Flour, Sugar, I'm not particular. I use whichever name brand is on sale.

Ghiradelli Chocolate.

Dawn soap all the way!

Rice Krispies name brand for RKT.

Real Extracts. No imitation.

Fresh fruit and veggies from a local farmer's market - never canned with the exception of pineapple - then it's Dole only.