Baking is a treasured past-time in the kitchen. Mothers, daughters, friends, coming together in the kitchen to create the perfect pie, frost a decadent cake, and mix-up a batch of gooey cookies. With fall in full swing, ovens are on full blast as families fill their homes with cozy baked goods.
Successful baking is all about the basics – and patience. Here are 9 secrets for successful and delicious baking:
- Read the entire recipe before you begin. Make sure you understand the cooking techniques.
- Check to see that you have all the ingredients for the recipe.
- Prepare the ingredients before you start mixing. Let the butter soften, toast the coconut, chip the nuts, etc.
- Measure the ingredients correctly, using proper techniques and measuring utensils.
- Prepare the recipe according to directions. It’s best to use the baking pan or dish called for in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven before baking.
- Use a kitchen time to accurately time the recipe. If you use a pan size other than the one called for in the recipe, you may need to adjust the baking time.
- Use an oven thermometer to verify the accuracy of your oven. To check the accuracy of your oven, preheat it to the desired temperature. Place an oven thermometer on the center rack. Close the oven door and leave the oven on at the set temperature. Keep the thermometer in the oven for 15 minutes, then check. If the thermometer does not agree with the set oven temperature, the oven temperature is inaccurate. Adjust the oven temperature accordingly.
- Cool baked goods on a wire rack to allow air to circulate around the food.
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How about adding high altitude directions to your baked good especially cakes.
If magazines and cook books are sold at high elevations it would be nice to include us in the directions.
Hi Linda – Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll work with our Test Kitchen to see if I can put together High Altitude baking best practices.
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