Baking is a relatively easy activity and mistakes are easily avoidable. Here are a few general tips that will help to make baking a clean and successful experience.
1.) Make sure you properly measure all ingredients.
- Baking is a chemical reaction and most be done precisely. As all chem students know, if the products of a reaction are not properly combined, the reaction can be disastrous. When measuring dry ingredients, simply scrape the top of the measuring cup with the back of a butter knife to make a flat, smooth, and even measurement.
2.) Read the recipe ahead of time.
-Read ahead to be well prepared. Make sure that you have all of the needed ingredients
and the right amounts. Some doughs need to chill or rise before being baked. By
reading ahead, you can plan your schedule accordingly to the amount of time required to make the recipe.
3.) Utilize the down time
-While something is in the oven baking or in the fridge chilling, take the time to clean the dishes, do laundry, or study.
4.) Preheat and check the oven.
- Preheating capitalizes your time in the kitchen by ensuring that you will be able to stick your pans into the oven as soon as they are ready. When preheating, first check the oven to make sure that the racks are properly aligned and that nothing else is in the oven.
5.) If a recipe produces a large amount, cut it in half.
6.) Crack eggs into a separate dish.
-this prevents any egg shell from falling into the dough.
7.) Make dough ahead of time.
-To maximize time, you can make the dough and bake it on different days. If stored tightly in a tupperware, dough can last up to two weeks in the fridge.
8.) Set a timer
-It is easy to become distracted while waiting for your food to bake. To avoid forgetting your pans in the oven and burning your food, set a timer to remind you when to take your pans out of the oven.
9.) Turn pans around
-Half way through the baking time, turn your pans around so that your food bakes evenly
10.) Always follow the recipe the first time
- Follow a recipe exactly as it says the first time because you never know how it will turn out. If a recipe is not to your taste, you can make the adjustments you think are needed to make it a good recipe.
11.) Make it healthier
- Use margarine instead of butter, non-fat milk, or a sugar substitute to make recipes more healthy12.) Bake with friends
-Not only is it more fun to bake with friends, but baking with another person makes it a much faster process
