A repurposed bakery case

So when it came time for us to look for a case for our bakery, we looked everywhere. Many of the cases we saw were old, scuffy, had broken glass, and were expensive. We were in the local architectural salvage store one day and the light bulb went on. Windows. We could build a case of windows. We could use shelves from the closet section of the Home Depot and an unfinished table. Jim had the smarts to order glass to protect the top. The price? Around $200!

This is the case being put together in our basement. We added the legs to the table once we got it to the shop. We also added casters to the legs so we could move it easily to clean.

Welcome to Pastry Props!

In the world of baking, things are calculated, precise, and accurate. It is how we get chocolate chip cookies to be either chewy or crunchy and how to make them come out the same way twice.

The flip side of the restaurant industry is improv. Don't have the right tool you need? You'd better find something quick or you're in trouble. Pastry especially. Ice cream melts, the creme brulee gets curdled in the oven, you get the picture.

There are few average folks out there that can afford new equipment for one task at hand. Some tools can be used for only one purpose. Well, there are many options out there for improv- and I'm gonna share those tricks I've picked up over the years, many of which can be purchased in a local hardware mega store, many of which I use every day in my bakery.

Feel free to send along your own inventions!

In the words of Keny Shopsin, "I love candy ass"