Post by Micams on Feb 21, 2008 9:56:25 GMT -5
When baking, or cooking for that matter, always rely on your senses to help prevent tragedy.
For baking something like cookies, trust your nose. If the cookies smell like they are burning, then they are. When the cookies are close to done, you will have that wonderful aroma of baking cookies in the kitchen.
I like to always peek at the cookies a couple different times while they are baking. If the time required is ten minutes, then look at the cookies halfway through and about two minutes before timer dings. Cookies such chocolate chip or peanut butter, should have a nice golden brown color to them. If they are darker, then try cutting down the baking time by about two minutes. Baking cookies tends to be trail and error for the first one or two pans, after that you should have figured out the proper baking time needed for the rest of the batch.
Sound isn't really a sense that is needed so much for baking, but it does come in handy while frying things like eggs. If while frying eggs the frying sound is loud and very crackling, then your heat is too high. A frying egg should have a soft crackling noise. Some foods such as hamburgers will have a louder crackling noise due to the nature of the product being cooked. Remember, just because the skillet you are using is big, you don't necessarily need high heat.
Touch is a seldom used sense for cooking or baking. I use touch mainly for when I bake cakes or brownies. When baking a cake, if you touch the top of the cake with a "clean" finger, the spot where you pressed should come back up and you shouldn't see the depression.(or at least barely see it) However, it is more advisable to use either a toothpick or small knife to check if a cake is done. For this you will poke the pick or knife into the middle area of the cake and it should come out clean if the cake is done. Smell is another good sense to use while baking a cake.
Remember, if what you are baking smells, looks or feels like it is burning, then it is. Always trust your senses while baking or cooking.
For baking something like cookies, trust your nose. If the cookies smell like they are burning, then they are. When the cookies are close to done, you will have that wonderful aroma of baking cookies in the kitchen.
I like to always peek at the cookies a couple different times while they are baking. If the time required is ten minutes, then look at the cookies halfway through and about two minutes before timer dings. Cookies such chocolate chip or peanut butter, should have a nice golden brown color to them. If they are darker, then try cutting down the baking time by about two minutes. Baking cookies tends to be trail and error for the first one or two pans, after that you should have figured out the proper baking time needed for the rest of the batch.
Sound isn't really a sense that is needed so much for baking, but it does come in handy while frying things like eggs. If while frying eggs the frying sound is loud and very crackling, then your heat is too high. A frying egg should have a soft crackling noise. Some foods such as hamburgers will have a louder crackling noise due to the nature of the product being cooked. Remember, just because the skillet you are using is big, you don't necessarily need high heat.
Touch is a seldom used sense for cooking or baking. I use touch mainly for when I bake cakes or brownies. When baking a cake, if you touch the top of the cake with a "clean" finger, the spot where you pressed should come back up and you shouldn't see the depression.(or at least barely see it) However, it is more advisable to use either a toothpick or small knife to check if a cake is done. For this you will poke the pick or knife into the middle area of the cake and it should come out clean if the cake is done. Smell is another good sense to use while baking a cake.
Remember, if what you are baking smells, looks or feels like it is burning, then it is. Always trust your senses while baking or cooking.