Baking

The secret to being a great baker is not just in the great taste of the baked goods. You do need to have the proper tools and know how to accurately measure the ingredients. It is not enough to use an ordinary cup and estimate how much you think is ¼ or ½ cup called for in the recipes. Not all measuring cups are the same. A liquid measuring cup is either made of clear glass or transparent plastic and is available in 1, 2, 4 and 8-cup sizes. A dry measuring cup is usually made of metal or plastic and has a handle. These come in ¼, ½ , 1/3 and 1 or 2-cup measurements. You can also use measuring spoons to make sure you have the proper amounts when a recipe calls for ½ teaspoon or a tablespoon of ingredients.

The bakeware you use is also important. Aluminum baking pans with dull finishes are the best to use. Pans with a dark finish will tend to burn the food, so you may need to either cover them with foil or adjust the baking time. There are also glass baking dishes and if you prefer to use these, you will need to reduce the temperature by at least 25º to make sure the food doesn’t bake or brown too much.

Flour is the most essential ingredient in baking, but there are other ingredients that you will need for various recipes. Chocolate is one of the basic baking ingredients that you will need when baking. Baking cocoa is dry and is very bitter. Chocolate chips come in a variety of flavors and are used in baking and as garnishes for the finished product. Baking chocolate comes in squares and does need to be melted before you add it to the rest of the ingredients. Sometime you may also have to melt the chocolate chips. The best way to do this is to melt the chocolate in the top of s double boiler so that it doesn’t burn onto the pot.

Dairy products add moisture to your baked goods. Some of the dairy products you will need for certain recipes include buttermilk, evaporated milk, fat-free milk, half-and-half cream, heavy whipping cream, sour cream and sweetened condense milk. Eggs are an important part of baking and there are very few recipes that do not call for eggs. When buying eggs make sure that the shells are not cracked or broken and you need to keep them stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.

Separating eggs is often one of the most difficult parts of baking. You can use an egg separator to make this chore easier. Place the separator mover a cup and crack the egg over the separator. The yolk will stay in the separator and the white will pour into the cup.

Along with knowing the basic ingredients, there is a whole list of terminology associated with baking.