Do you feel like less if you use box mixes in your recipe? - Page 6

Okay, here it is for me, yes, I have been lied to. Went for a cake tasting, told from scratch from a few bakers, it was a mix. But here on this very site there have been many threads that asked "What do I say if I am asked if I bake from a mix", many times. They baked from a mix and didn't know how to respond to customers who asked if they baked from scratch. My response was to tell them the truth. I can not tell you how many people one here said,"Say you can't tell, cause of trade secrets" and etc., etc, etc. And when asked why not just the tell them the truth, the response to that is "Well does coca cola reveal their trade secrets". Really? I don't find that to be the same thing at all. I know I am drinkng an artificial drink when I drink a Coke. If I ask if you bake from scratch, it's cause thats what I am looking for, so, please just tell me. It may be that I end up liking your cake just fine, but I still want to be told the truth. I know this is something you would never do Cakelady, but you would be surprised how often I have seen on here in the past years, people tell others not to tell that they bake from a mix. Be proud of what you do.

And no, I don't think all people who bake from a mix lie, I've just seen it happen and suggested on this site.

I tend to be honest in my endeavors. I never thought anybody would feel they needed to fudge the truth or mislead. The few times I've been ask I've always been up front. In addition to the basic box mix flavors I offer my specialty/dessert cakes that are scratch. Either way they are gonna get a great cake from me. I was surprised by the number of people that believe chain grocery stores bake their cakes in house. Those cakes come by truck, frozen and are icing with icing from a bucket.

As for me personally, I don't eat much cake. I am however a unrepentant breadoholic.

Most brides have shot their budgets by the time they get to me so they are looking for basic white or butter cake, no frills (fruits, nuts, fillings) that will be well received by their guest. For the extra expense and time of a scratch white or butter cake I would just about have to double the per serving price.

cakelady, I was referring to those who deceptively advertise that their cakes are from scratch or contain fine gourmet ingredients, and they are not, and those who, when asked, will not give the customer a straight answer. In both cases, this is deceptive and none of us appreciate a company that misrepresents its products. You are right, most will not ask. But even on this thread, posters have said that if a customer asks if it is scratch, it is a trade secret. That is a lie. Many more people read these threads than post. It's something that aspiring business owners should think about.

[quote="CalhounsCakery"]





I know of a food service store that carries 6 lb cans of vegetables and something tells me that is not for home use. There are people that dont care about what goes in their food as long as it tastes good. Others who care more about what goes into their food and prefer not to eat premade food products, look for places that cater to that notion.




I see that you must have misunderstood what I was saying. It wasnt to bash the methods or say that all three methods were equal to each other; it was just point out that if you feel comfortable buying other premade foods, then you should feel just as comfortable using the mix. I do know of one mix that says that are all natural.

Love this

I love this too!

You can love it all you want, but it's not true. You won't find these as comparatives on an IQ test. More likely a question on opposites. Belittling the art is insulting.

[quote="cakelady2266"]As for me personally, I don't eat much cake. I am however a unrepentant breadoholic.

quote]

I'm with you there, sister! ...as I eat my homemade cinnamon roll I made yesterday, slathered in, and I mean SLATHERED, cream cheese frosting. I'll eat the bread I made at snack time.

QTCakes1, they say man can't leave by bread alone, maybe not. But this woman would take on that challenge.

I honestly do not know why you should feel less nor why a scratch baker would try and make one feel like you were. Do these same ppl use commercial fondant? Does make them less then too? Like most consider it to be a matter of preference and what you feel comfortable using.

I NEVER allow myself to be pulled into this type of debate/discussion but the above posts made me laugh out loud....and not in a good way.

If you actually believe the key to scratch baking is to "dump a bunch of stuff in a bowl, mix and bake"...well there's no wonder so many people fail when they attempt it.

That has to be the one of the most insulting posts I've ever read on this site...and I've read some doozies.

I'll say this...if scratch baking is so easy, why doesn't everyone do it? I'll answer that for you...it's not easy, it's a skill and an art and everyone can't do it.


There are a lot of things I can't do...I can't play piano, crochet, knit, ski or speak German, but I can bake from scratch.

We're not all good at everything. I don't see why this discussion comes up so much.

It's not the end of the world if you can't bake a cake from scratch successfully, but at least have the common courtesy to not insult those of us who can by comparing it to "dumping a mix in a bowl and bake".

That's so not cool.

cakestyles, I agree. There is obviously a hierarchy on CC in designers, from beginners to pure artists. But do we debate it's just fondant and buttercream? No we don't. Because we respect the art.

Successful scratch baking is also an art. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's open game for putting it down. It's pretty obvious on this site who can and can't scratch bake. You can see it in the posts.

And remember, the scratch bakers didn't start this one.

I am still maintaining that there is room for everyone. At my prices, most of the market is knocked out of this type of cake. And for those of you who are stagnated in your baking skills, remember that on any day, a new baker can come to your town and put a big dent in your business. So like every type of business, always try to keep perfecting your skills, whether you bake by mix or scratch. It is aways best to have that cushion when competition appears. Another thing to consider is that most box bakers, the majority of the business, compete for the same, many times saturated, market. The scratch bakers are not only a smaller group, but the market is untapped in many areas, leaving the most affluent clients to the fewest bakers.

First bold: Yes it is debated and they have gotten heated as well. It might not be as often but threads have "discussed" whether buttercream made with shortening is real buttercream. Similar debate (artificial versus real), similar comments (do what you customers like, I can taste the difference, premium quality) with similar results. And while it may be fairly uncommon there are those that disdain fondant and have argued the only real skill in decorating is buttercream. So yeah they are "discussed" as well.

Second bold: Who is putting who down? Look I bake solely from scratch. I believe that makes me better than someone who does not. Whether or not I can beat Blake in a cooking competition is irrelevant as I would say we are not competing on a level playing field.

Doctored mix makers please do not take this as me trying to insult you--if I wanted to do so I would have posted this much earlier. It is simply designed to illustrate the point I am about to make. That point is when I invoke the idea of scratch baking as an art I am fully aware that that is a shot at non-scratch bakers--which is why I did not make that point earlier in this thread.

Yes by invoking the idea that scratch baking is an art you implicitly insult non-scracth baking. You are automatically making a value claim about what you do versus what they do. The only reason to invoke I bake from scratch is to say I am better because I bake from scratch. Saying I market myself as a scratch baker is not simply a means for differentiating yourself from the competition.

It says purchase from me I am better because I bake from scratch (no matter how good my product might be). But it has to be better right? Because I bake from scratch. My process is superior so my products are superior. How is that not insulting?

So it is more than a little disingenuous for someone to say hey what I do is an art but hey do not feel inferior with what you do baking from a mix. Because hidden in there is you really are inferior because what you do is not an art. Describing only scratch baking as an art by definition means baking from a mix is not.

And please do not state there is nothing hierarchical about describing scratch baking as an art. Artistic practice is valued above non-artistic practice. If it was not, why all the investment in characterizing scratch baking as an art? So yeah when you invoke scratch baking as an art you implicitly say non-scratch baking is not an art and hence inferior--it is inferior because it is not an artistic process.

If you are going to claim what you do as an art then own up to the idea that every time you do you are claiming baking from a mix is inferior.

Gatorcake: Thank you so much for your response. I always wondered why I felt inferior to someone that bakes from scratch. It's comments like this; saying that baking from scratch is an art, therefore implying that those that do not bake from scratch, are not artists.

I think that maybe there should be separate categories under the "How Do I?" section. One for "Scratch Baking" and one for "Cake Decorating". Some of us are more interested in the baking aspect and think that's more important and some of us are more interested in the decorating aspect and think that's more important.

Think of it this way though... we'd make a great team! A bakery with an awesome scratch baker AND an awesome decorator would make some kick-butt cakes!!!! Both are important. It's where our interests lie, for me it's about the decorating. For someone else it's about the baking and that's cool! Let's all get along, lol!