Bella So Savvy » The Basics of Baking
by Bella So Savvy
“I’m not a cook, but I love to bake.” How many times do you hear that? Why are practitioners of the baking arts so fond of their subject?
Maybe it’s the alchemy factor. In all branches of cooking, the application of heat changes one thing into another.
In baking, this mystery is even more pronounced. You make a dough or a batter, put a wet, sticky thing into the oven and eventually remove a mouthwatering solid object that smells so good people will think Betty Crocker has been incarnated in your kitchen.
Baking is basic, but it can be tricky. It’s one of the more advanced kitchen arts, but you can learn it. Be forewarned right now: Baking can be addicting. I know. I’m a bread junkie. Baking is awesome. And it can be easier, once you learn the basics.
In baking, there is One Big Rule. You can’t fudge on it. Unlike other types of cooking, you can’t just add a little bit here or substitute a little bit there, until you are pretty advanced.
The One Big Rule is you must measure.
This is probably another factor bakers love. They are kitchen chemists, more than any other kinds of cooks, using measuring spoons and cups instead of test tubes and beakers.
You must measure accurately and have the right tools, for it all to work. You need different measuring cups for liquids and dry ingredients. Flat-topped measuring cups are made to be filled to the top with dry stuff. Liquid measures are usually glass, with more space at the top to eliminate spills, and a pour spout.
A 2-cup Pyrex liquid measure is more useful than the 1-cup; a 4-cup measure is handy because it can also be used as a small mixing bowl.
Add liquids to the cup, set it on the counter, and look at it sideways, on its own level. If you hold it up in front of your face, the liquid sloshes around and is hard to read accurately.
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