Monday, June 3, 2013

Baking BASICS!

Baking, to me, is relaxing, fun and (usually) delicious... But I know, many people see it as time consuming, stressful and difficult. It doesn't have to be!

Here are a few tips I live by:

- Before embarking on any journey, whether it's a trip or a project, I like to plan everything out. Very carefully and methotically.
  • Take a look at the recipe and make sure you have EVERYTHING you need (preferrably more than enough, just in case).
  • Make sure you have allotted yourself enough time. This will prevent stress and potential mistakes that could ruin your project!
  • Get out what you need. If you've ever watched a cooking show, the chefs always have their materials readily available (this can also be helpful to realize beforehand if you are running low on something essential).
- Read through the entire recipe once before starting. If there are any terms used that you are unfamiliar with, look them up! There are an abundance of YouTube video tutorials to rely on.

- Be sure to pre-heat the oven ahead of time. It's pretty inconvenient to wait, wait, WAIT.

- Speaking of pre-heating, when you put something in the oven, don't open the oven to check it! Trust your timer and only open it when absolutely necessary! Opening and closing your oven will allow heat to escape and this can cause the temperature in your oven to fluctuate. This can be detrimental to your baking.

- Be sure not to over fill your cake pans and cupcake liners. Filling them about 2/3 full will yield a cake that won't be overflowing out.

- To ensure cakes come out nice and flat, cut up a towel into strips, dampen a strip and wrap it around the pan (safety pin it to keep it on). This will help the cake to bake evenly and not leave you with a domed cake!

- Last, but not least, HAVE FUN! This should be an enjoyable endeavour. Whether it turns out perfectly or not, it could be a fun activity to eat up some spare time and hopefully yield something tasty!

If there are any specific questions, let me know! I'm always happen to impart my little bits of knowledge on others:)

xoxo-S