Can someone tell me why I chose this profession? I mean really? Was it the being surrounded by sugar and butter on bake days that appealed to me or what?

Sigh. Last order for the next 6wks going out right now.

You are good at what you are good at...that's the draw. I was a baker/cake decorator most of my working life...I always wondered how many calories were absorbed thru my skin.. I know for me, being surrounded by baked goods all the time made me not want much to do with them. I wasn't the "finger licker" type. I tried to get in the mind set that the goodies were bad and how can ppl buy so much of it. Kinda helped. Not that i didn't have my weaknesses... first batch of pumpkin pies for the season is the main one. Good luck.

That would be torture for me right now! Just focus on how wonderful it is to have a job instead of how wonderful all that stuff looks and smells.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! I have a home-based business making decorated sugar cookies and I *am* a licker/taste-tester. I was sleeved last Friday and have to start working on a 5 dozen order here shortly that's due Thursday. Dreading it! The kitchen smells so heavenly when the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla go flying!

As sole proprietor I have always felt it my "duty" to make sure my cupcakes and icings tasted good LOL. Guess I'll just have to trust my brain and bakers intuition now eh?

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! I have a home-based business making decorated sugar cookies and I *am* a licker/taste-tester. I was sleeved last Friday and have to start working on a 5 dozen order here shortly that's due Thursday. Dreading it! The kitchen smells so heavenly when the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla go flying!

I think it would be pretty impossible to be a good chef or baker or have any other culinary profession without tasting the food. You have to know what you're feeding the customers right? I don't think that doing the finger test to check the batter and icings for the cupcakes is going to hurt you, but you obviously need to have self control when tasting the final product. As long as you can limit yourself to a tiny sliver to make sure it's a quality product, I think you'll be just fine. Your livelihood and reputation are on the line so you have to be confident with what you're putting out.