Baking 101 December 2011
I am going to start doing some basic info posts not sure if I'll keep adding to this post or do new ones each time. Might split them up for the type of cooking.
But here is the first edition of Baking 101:
So when baking not only should you preheat your oven but I can almost guarantee you your oven thermometer will not be at the correct temp even if it beeps. You are better off having a internal thermometer you can check before putting your items in. This is not as important when cooking meats etc but when BAKING the right temp is crucial.
Also when using convection the fan makes it take much longer to reach the temperature and in actuality the temperature stays at about 25 degrees cooler than what you set it at. But when baking in convection this is not as bad as non convection and you can actually put the item in even if your oven only says 300 instead of 325 degrees or whatever your item need to be.
December 22, 2011
More Baking 101:
If a recipe calls for baking soda it is better to not try any kind of substitutions just go buy more if you are out! I do not taste it at all but Mom keep saying they is a bit of different taste to the peanut butter cookies. Also do not over mix your cookie batter when using an electric mixer unless you prefer cake like cookies over chewy. I think they taste fine, a bit less peanut buttery than usual and more cake like than we both prefer but this is why baking is such an exact science and why even if you something slightly different it can change the entire recipe's taste and consistency.
When baking cookies on ungreased cookies sheet never let them cool too long or they WILL stick!
And as just a common sense and good idea tip; clean up as you go along! How many times have you done a big baking or cooking project and been exhausted afterwards only to have piles of dishes, pots, etc still to be cleaned? Mom and I clean as we go along, if a batch of cookies is baking instead of going off and doing other stuff in the house we clean up items we no longer need.
When the last batch is cooking we cleaned up all the bowls and scoops and other items we were finished with. After the last batch had cooled on the cookie rack we put all the cookies in Tupperware containers and made sure everything from the counters to the cooling racks were clean and dry or drying. Now tomorrow when we get up to do more baking we start out in the clean kitchen!
Also if you are doing all the cooking yourself get your partner/roommate/kid(s) to clean up for you, if they get to eat what you just spent time preparing but they cannot cook themselves seems only fair they help out somehow! If you are by yourself you are on your own but look at it this way ,there is less mess as you are only cooking for one!
December 25, 2011
Cooking 101
Even if they say you can reheat hollandaise I do not recommend it! It looked lovely then all of a sudden and I do mean all of a sudden the butter separated from the egg and it looked hideous! Tasted fine but just make the stuff right before you serve it; no matter what Alton Brown says! Heh lesson learned folks.
But here is the first edition of Baking 101:
So when baking not only should you preheat your oven but I can almost guarantee you your oven thermometer will not be at the correct temp even if it beeps. You are better off having a internal thermometer you can check before putting your items in. This is not as important when cooking meats etc but when BAKING the right temp is crucial.
Also when using convection the fan makes it take much longer to reach the temperature and in actuality the temperature stays at about 25 degrees cooler than what you set it at. But when baking in convection this is not as bad as non convection and you can actually put the item in even if your oven only says 300 instead of 325 degrees or whatever your item need to be.
December 22, 2011
More Baking 101:
If a recipe calls for baking soda it is better to not try any kind of substitutions just go buy more if you are out! I do not taste it at all but Mom keep saying they is a bit of different taste to the peanut butter cookies. Also do not over mix your cookie batter when using an electric mixer unless you prefer cake like cookies over chewy. I think they taste fine, a bit less peanut buttery than usual and more cake like than we both prefer but this is why baking is such an exact science and why even if you something slightly different it can change the entire recipe's taste and consistency.
When baking cookies on ungreased cookies sheet never let them cool too long or they WILL stick!
And as just a common sense and good idea tip; clean up as you go along! How many times have you done a big baking or cooking project and been exhausted afterwards only to have piles of dishes, pots, etc still to be cleaned? Mom and I clean as we go along, if a batch of cookies is baking instead of going off and doing other stuff in the house we clean up items we no longer need.
When the last batch is cooking we cleaned up all the bowls and scoops and other items we were finished with. After the last batch had cooled on the cookie rack we put all the cookies in Tupperware containers and made sure everything from the counters to the cooling racks were clean and dry or drying. Now tomorrow when we get up to do more baking we start out in the clean kitchen!
Also if you are doing all the cooking yourself get your partner/roommate/kid(s) to clean up for you, if they get to eat what you just spent time preparing but they cannot cook themselves seems only fair they help out somehow! If you are by yourself you are on your own but look at it this way ,there is less mess as you are only cooking for one!
December 25, 2011
Cooking 101
Even if they say you can reheat hollandaise I do not recommend it! It looked lovely then all of a sudden and I do mean all of a sudden the butter separated from the egg and it looked hideous! Tasted fine but just make the stuff right before you serve it; no matter what Alton Brown says! Heh lesson learned folks.
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