Duncan Hines going dairy!
…and while we’re on the topic of changing kosher certification in the hopes of improved quality, this week’s Kosher Today newsletter reports that Pinnacle Foods will be changing its Duncan Hines cake mixes from pareve to dairy. While I was never very perturbed about the potential Stella D’Oro switch, this would deter me from making my grandmother’s delicious (and pareve) rum cake, so naturally I’m miffed!
To contact Duncan Hines, use this form.
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From what I’ve heard, the Stella D’Oro changeover was averted due to a letter writign campaign from the Kosher public (thereby keeping good cookies at meat kiddushes all over the US). Losing our ability to have a good Pareve brownie after a fleishig shabbos lunch would be tragic.
C’MON PEOPLE LETS WRITE TEH COMPANY!!!!!
Do you know for sure that the change will affect the brownie mixes, too or just the cakes? Because if the brownies are becoming dairy also I’d be more motivated to write the company.
I’m more concerned about the yellow cake mix, than the brownies. My wife makes amazing pareve brownies from scratch, but this would seriously hurt our Pineapple Upside-Down Cake recipe – which (IMHO) tastes best made from the mix.
Before anyone brings it up – we all know that there are any number of pareve cake mixes from the jewish companies – none of them can touch Duncan Hines.
I read w/stella d’oro that when the company’s reps went to Bklyn to restock shelves, they noticed the shelves were full of swiss fudge cookies.
write to DH
Why can’t you make these cakes from scratch, instead of using the mixes? Generally speaking, it’s not that much more work (just a few extra minutes measuring). You can tweak the flavors with a bit of trial and error.
I don’t make mine from scratch mostly as a time issue, I am one of those “crash into shabbos” people so that extra 5-10 mins spent getting together the “mix” could be better spent doing other stuff…
Anyway, off to stock up on cake mix.
Obviously since there is a demand for pareve cake mixes, there will still be pareve cake mixes even after DH goes dairy. If not from Duncan Heinz, it will just create an opportunity for a Jewish company to do their own private label of pareve cake mixes – maybe even manufactured at the same Duncan Heinz plants. Maybe we’ll have New Duncan Heinz and Classic Duncan Heinz :)
It does however show poor market awareness at Duncan Heinz if they don’t realize that 1-2% of their consumers buy the product because of it’s non-dairy status. In the low-margin grocery world of today, that 1-2% of market share makes a big difference in profits.
The WHOLE POINT of having the mixes was that they were the quickest thing around. If we wanted to make things from scratch, there wouldn’t be such an uproar. And as someone who was never exposed to home baking growing up and therefor has no personal experience, these cakes were lifesavers for the baking inept like myself.
The company is using dairy equipment, not changing the recipe of the cakes. The OU qualified that as being dairy.
ALL Duncan Hines mixes will be affected by the changeover.
I suggest a letter-writing campaign? And stock up now, while you can.
We stocked up on the parve DH Frosting before it went dairy, and had to throw most of it out because of limited shelf life. Make sure you understand the shelf life of the cake mix before you stock up.
we went to the grocery store yesterday to stock up, and it was too late–looks like our rabbi’s wife cleared out the shelves. I tried to call the company but now their phone tree is switched around so they don’t have to talk to you.
Anyway, I wrote the company, because (like others) since my husband and I both work and we have a baby, we really do have to “crash into shabbos” and having a parve mix is the difference between having shabbos dessert or ending the meal right after the baked chicken.
I need this cake mix to remain parve. I use it every week for shabbat. It makes my life very easy & it tastes delicious. I don’t know what I will do without it.
We have limited quanities of 4 pareve Duncan Hines mixes in stock:
Dark Chocolate Fudge
Butter Recipe Golden
Lemon
Fudge Marble
Each costs $6.50 and includes shipping.
The more you buy the cheaper shipping will be. We will credit it to your card.
http://www.koshergourmetmart.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=34&sort=3a&filter_id=120
Alyssa Kaplan
Byt the way, I have seen the dairy mixes with OUD and there is whey in the ingredients.
Seems like late to post. Still no pareve cake or brownie mixes on the shelves. Yes, I keep a kosher home PLUS my daughter is unable to absorb dairy products of any kind. Lactaid and Dairy Ease are not even an option for her. My stock pile is just about finished…scratch baking? I guess it’s an option, however where to fit the time in..the mixes were so convenient and simple! I am one perturbed person!!!! :/
I have to say, despite not being able to make that rum cake as easily, it hasn’t been so hard to adapt to other really easy (and far healthier) dessert options.
Forget the corn syrup and processed wheat — most often, we enjoy fresh fruit after our Shabbat meals, or some excellent Double Rainbow soy cream, or fruit sorbet.
We have also changed to mostly sorbet and fruit. Sometimes I will take two flavors (coconut & lemon, for example), soften them, swirl them together in a bowl, and refreeze.