December 22, 2011

Where I shop

Sometime in 2008, my favorite baking supply catalog folded. Sweet Celebrations had been cited as a resource by cookbook authors since the early 80s. They sold everything, from obscure decorating tips through eight-pound containers of almond paste. The catalogue had the graphic charm of a mid-century American hardware catalogue. The website listed a small set of items, but customers still needed to call to place an order. As a web programmer, how I wanted to drag them into the 90s and code them a clean, minimalist web storefront! Since then, I've forced myself to order from other web sites — just to try them out, you know.

Marsha at Hot Water Bath pointed out Bake It Pretty, which caters to the "cute and accessorized" segment of the baking population -- cupcakes, mini cakes, decorated cookies, packaging. It does make one want to lovingly craft scenes of sylvan bliss from plastic reindeer and drifts of white icing. They also offer a variety of single-use, cardboard, mini loaf and cake pans, which are perfect for baking and giving small loaves of fruitcake. (However, having gone back to find a link to the mini loaf liners, I find they are no longer listed. I've noticed their inventory is not consistent.)

I haven't tried Confectionary House yet, but, ooh, isn't that a pretty site? On the other hand, Sugarcraft desperately needs a makeover, but the selection is amazing, and you can actually order on line from them! The order form is a little flakey, but wow, they have almost everything under the sun.

One thing Sugarcraft doesn't have is Viennese spatulas, which are just so darn useful. KitchenDance does have then, and you can order them by the tens or hundreds.

Last but not least, my favorite general kitchenwares store is Fante's, in Philadelphia's Italian Market. They too have a web catalogue, which also really needs to be pulled into the 21st century. On the other hand, perhaps out-dated web design means great selection as reasonable prices, as you know they aren't spending tens of thousands of profit re-designing every year.

For Springerle molds, it's House on the Hill, which was just a mom and pop operation with one catalogue a year, and now has the largest selection of molds I've ever found. They also sell flavorings, Speculatius molds, cutters, Hartshorn (aka, Baker's ammonia), and dough, but really, just make your own.

Penzeys is the best place for spices, on line or off. Their turnover is so high that you really do get the freshest, most flavorful, longest-lasting spices. If you buy it from Penzeys, you can keep it for years before it loses flavor. If your only other option for spices is the grocery store, switch to ordering on line; the difference really is that great. Plus, they have four different flavors of cinnamon!

When your trusted appliances start losing parts to wear and tear (rotted rubber rings on blenders, cracked food processor lids), Culinary Parts Unlimited can prolong the life of your equipment. As someone who can't bear to throw anything away, this makes me very happy.