Basic Baking Hints

• Read the Recipe – Always read the list of ingredients and recipe directions from beginning to end before you begin baking, especially if this is the first time for making a recipe. Make sure you understand all the directions and have the basic plan in your head. You still want to follow the written recipe as you prepare your baking project, but knowing the directions beforehand helps prevent errors.
  
  
• Check Ingredient List Before – Make sure you have all the ingredients before beginning. You do not want to get to the middle of your baking project and realize you are out of eggs!
  
  
• Check Ingredient List After – Before putting your creation into the oven, read through the list of recipe ingredients one more time to make sure an ingredient has not been left out. Even if you missed an ingredient the directions called for in the beginning of the preparation, go ahead and add it now. Better late than never! 
  
  
• Prepare the Ingredients - It is helpful to set out all the ingredients you will be using before you start a recipe. Give the butter time to soften to room temperature, toast and chop the nuts, sift the flour, and so on. Also have ready the measuring cups, measuring spoons and baking pan before you start.
  
  
• Select the Right Baking Pan – Use the size baking pan called for in a recipe to help ensure good baking results. Pan size substitutions can be made if necessary, but remember you may need to adjust the baking time.
  
  
• Measure Accurately – Use liquid measuring cups for liquid ingredients, and dry measuring cups for dry ingredients. It also helps to count out loud if you are measuring three or more of an ingredient, then if you are distracted by something it is easier to remember how many you already measured. For example when measuring three cups of flour, count out loud: one, two, three.
  
  
• Preheat the Oven – Turn the oven on, and select the temperature called for in the recipe at the beginning of your baking project. Unless a recipe’s directions call for a cold oven, always have the oven hot and ready to go as soon as the baking pan is ready to be put in the oven. It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to preheat an oven.
  
  
• Use a Kitchen Timer – Do not guess at how long something has been in the oven. Use a kitchen timer to accurately time the baking time. The kitchen timer’s handy bell is also a reminder that something is baking in case you get distracted. I like to use my microwave’s built-in timer.
  
  
• Limit Substitutions – Substituting ingredients can affect the texture and taste of your finished baked creation. Limit food substitutions in a recipe, but do not be afraid to be creative; that is how new recipes are born.
   
• Visit the Bulk Foods Section of Your Grocery Store – The bulk foods section carries many baking ingredients and can be less expensive than buying pre-packaged. If you only need a small amount of an ingredient it may be easier to purchase from the bulk section rather than buying a larger pre-packaged amount.
  
  
• Don’t Burn Your Fingers – Use a good hot pad or oven mitt to remove hot baking pans from the oven. A kitchen towel may be handy but does not offer good protection. The silicone non-slip pads are wonderfully heat resistant and give you a good grip. I once dropped a beautiful apple pie on the floor when taking it hot from the oven and learned my lesson about using a good pad. Keep some Aloe Vera handy for small kitchen burns.
  
  
• Cool Before Serving – Most baked goods are cooled before you eat them. Placing the hot baking pan on a wire rack is best for cooling as the air is allowed to circulate completely around the food as it cools. Foods such as cookies and breads can be transferred directly from the baking pan to the wire rack to cool.