Baking is the art of preparing food using dry heat, which most commonly implies the use of an oven. Some traditional bakers will also use hot ash or hot stones. Baked goods are a kind of soul food, and they’re typically made in kitchens with a lot of love and passion.
The kitchen is one of the most beautiful places in the home, where you can spend a lot of time busy preparing wonderful meals. It’s a great place to sit down, chat, and do some baking. Baking is an art form that requires a lot of attention, knowledge, and skill. This, however, doesn’t mean that you should leave it to the professionals.
Professional baking is a much more difficult road to take. You need to master many different techniques, which teach you innovative ways to elevate your dish and make gourmet food. Whether you’re making a cute birthday cake or trying out cookie recipes, here are a few professional tips to make your home-baking a little easier and – hopefully – a little better.
3 Professional Tips For Baking at Home:
1. Prepare All Your Materials
Materials will vary depending on what you’re going to bake. You can’t just start baking at the drop of a hat. Thus, before you actually begin baking at home, make a list of what you’ll be needing.
This includes the ingredients, measuring cups and spoons, parchment paper, spray, etc. Having all the materials ready will make your day in the kitchen an easier one, and your oven will be spewing top-quality cookies in no time. Preparing your materials doesn’t have to be expensive, but what’s more important is finding the right measuring tools that offer precise measurements. Basic baking tools and equipment like wooden spoons, spatulas, whisk, scissors, mesh sieve, hand mixer, and baking pans might be already present in your kitchen.
Watch this video for some more tips:
It’s also important to get acquainted with the things that you’re going to be using. If you’re new to baking, do some quick research and study up on the various utensils. This way, when you’re in your kitchen, you’ll know what you need for every part of the process.
2. Invest in Good Equipment
There are three important things that you need to make sure that you have before baking: a thermometer, a kitchen scale, and an oven. First, you need to invest in a thermometer so that you can see if something is too hot or if you need to turn the heat a bit higher. There are many elements involved in perfecting a good cake, or any other food produced by baking, and the temperature is one of the most important.
Secondly, you need to invest in some good weighing scales. Whereas your baking at home activities could just be a hobby today, you might want to take it up a notch in the future or even monetize it.
You should get into the habit of being accurate with your measurements as early as possible; a single dash in the wrong direction can leave your finished goods too sweet, too salty or just not how you expected.
Lastly, you can’t bake a cake without an oven, unless you plan on doing a simple cake in a jar using your microwave. Make sure to choose from reputable brands like Samsung and Whirlpool, but before you even get to that stage, you’ll need to know what kind of oven you need. Oven types can vary from conventional through microwaves all the way to oven toasters.
If you’re going to do a lot of decorating the cakes, you’ll need to learn the basics, so either take a course or read some online guides on cake decorating.
3. Read and Understand the Recipe
To experts and newbies alike, recipes are an essential ingredient behind a good meal. Those who have been in the field long enough can wing it and make innovative versions of an old recipe. However, for those who are still trying to get comfortable in the kitchen, it’s best to follow tradition first.
One cannot simply scan over a recipe and expect to arrive at its end result perfectly. The recipe needs to be carefully understood, and checked back on throughout the baking process; you’ll need to know the right portions when to whisk when to sift, etc. Recipes serve as guides to ensure that you are doing the right thing at the right time and that your baked goods are top-quality.
Bonus Tip: Know What Pastry Or Confectionery You’re Working On
Flour is a vital foundation of many sweet and savory treats, particularly baked goods that need flour to create a pleasant structure. Before planning your baking sessions, it’s important to learn the background and basics of baked goods. What makes a cake? How is a custard different from a mousse? What modifications should you add to your baked goods for a vegan consumer?
Essentially, baked, flour-based goods like bread, cake, cookies, brownies, and pies, to name a few, differ due to the ratio of their ingredients. Most of them are made from the same ingredients: flour, eggs, butter, and milk, but the measurements and techniques used in recipes will set them apart from one another.
Along with learning different types of baked goods, this is the perfect time to find the perfect recipe to follow. You can search from websites and online communities focused on baking arts, as well as recipes from baking professionals.
Parting Words
Every baker is different. He or she is allowed to have a different style of cooking. Professional bakers have distinct styles that set them apart from the crowd. As a beginner, you can do the same and experiment on your own palette. Knowing your pallet will allow you to easily identify your preferences and to realize when you’re not doing something right.
Baking at home is something that a lot of people want to learn. However, not everyone is privileged enough to experience the beauty of it. So, make sure that you pour your heart out when you’re in the kitchen, and transfer that love into whatever it is that you’re baking. To other people.
Your baked goods should feel like home. And to you, it will be a whole new life.
