By Caroline S. Baking can be a fun hobby, but when ingredients don’t combine and cakes don’t rise it can turn into an all day project. Here are five baking tips to help you avoid the baking blues. 1. Use room temperature ingredients: It’s really easy to just take the ingredients right out of the fridge and start, but many baking recipes will actually be easier if you let your ingredients sit out for about 30 minutes. Eggs, milk, and butter are some of the most important ingredients you’ll want to let sit. If you try mixing cold butter and sugar I guarantee you will spend more time mixing it than you hoped. When you add a cold liquid to a batter you will probably find other ingredients hardening up again, like coconut oil or butter. 2. Let cakes cool: How tempting they are, but if you don’t want a mess, cakes should be cooled for twenty minutes unless otherwise stated in the recipe. 3. Get to know your flours: If you are new to gluten free baking, you’ll want to find what kind of gluten free flours you like best. Try a pancake or waffle recipe with a certain kind of flour and see what you think. You will be able to see what kind of texture and flavor different flours can contribute to a recipe. You will be able to analyze the flavor and texture of a certain kind of flour easily in a waffle or pancake. 4. Don’t only use a toothpick to check if a cake is baked: A toothpick is a very accurate way of knowing if your cake is finished baking, but don’t let it fool you. A cake should spring back if you place your hand on top of it. A nice golden brown top is another key for a baked cake. 5. Don’t bake with old ingredients: If you don’t bake frequently buy small amounts of ingredients such as baking soda and baking powder. If they are very old they probably won’t help cakes or muffins rise. To know for sure put ¼ teaspoon of baking powder or baking soda in ½ hot water. If you are testing baking soda also add ¼ teaspoon of vinegar. If it fizzes it is still good to use. References: http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cake-baking/cake-baking-pans https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-gluten-free-baking-tips-from-a-celebrated-chef-113793053258.html http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/mary-berrys-top-10-baking-tips http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-test-if-baking-soda-or-baking-powder-is-expired-tips-from-the-kitchn-111759 http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/make-baked-good-better http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/baking/baking-ingredients Leave a Reply. |
~COLUMNIST~
Alexia E. B. |