Baking for Dummies Read online

  Kitchen Kapers

  1250 Marlkress Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003; 800-455-5567; www.kitchenkapers.com

  Kitchen Kapers is a regional retail store that offers well-priced baking equipment and ingredients, plus many other kitchen supplies. Although you can only go in person to stores located in the New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware area, you can experience the great goods, prices, and customer service via the catalog and Web site (check out the nice sale items, too). If you live in the New Jersey/Philadelphia area, Kitchen Kapers also offers cooking classes at select retail stores.

  Meadowsweets

  173 Kramer Road, Middleburgh, NY 12122; 888-827-6477; www.candiedflowers.com

  If you’re looking for crystallized flowers, which are very special accessories for your cakes and cupcakes, call this company. The quality is second to none. Meadowsweets sells by mail order and has a great selection. Although you won’t use this source often, you’ll be glad you know about it when you need it.

  NY Cake and Baking Distributors

  56 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010; 800-94-CAKE-9

  This store has just about every baking supply and ingredient known to man. That may be a small exaggeration, but it is an amazing place. It sells all the usual baking supplies, plus it has special decorating supplies and equipment, including edible gold and silver decorating dust and paste, a variety of quality chocolate supplies, a variety of coloring pastes and powders, videos, books, and more. If there were a candy store for bakers, this would be it.

  Parrish Cake Decorating Supplies

  225 West 146 Street, Gardena, CA 90248; 800-736-8443

  For extraordinarily superb supplies, this is the place to go. You’ll find bakery-quality cake-making and cake-decorating equipment (including custom-made cake pans), custom chocolate molds, beautiful cake accessories (for wedding or special event cakes), and much more. Shopping at this store is a bit of a splurge, but it’s a great resource if you need to make something very special and need the supplies.

  Sahadi

  187–189 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-SAHADI-1

  Near and dear to my heart, Sahadi is a great resource for well-priced baking ingredients. I used to live about five blocks from this store, and it was packed with shoppers at every hour. You can’t beat the selection or prices of spices, seeds, flours, nuts, and other bulk items. Although Sahadi will ship anywhere in the United States, it’s well worth a trip to the store if you live in the area.

  Williams-Sonoma

  P.O. Box 7456, San Francisco, CA 94120; 800-541-1262; www.williamssonoma.com

  Chances are, you’re acquainted with the Williams-Sonoma catalog — and you also can find its stores in shopping centers across the U.S. Williams-Sonoma offers an assortment of higher-end cooking and baking supplies (plus, the catalog offers you recipes to use with the equipment). It sells a host of seasonal baking supplies and ideas. Although you may find lower prices elsewhere, Williams-Sonoma does offer nationwide retail stores, so you can go in and shop around for what you need. Plus, it’s a good source for specialty ingredients.

  Wilton

  2240 West 75th Street, Woodbridge, IL 60517; 800-772-7111; www.wilton.com

  If you’re looking for any baking supply (including specialty shaped pans), sign up for the Wilton catalogue. Or log on to its Web site for recipes, ideas, or decorating tips. Wilton has been in the baking business for many decades and is a name well trusted for quality products.

  Appendix A

  Glossary of Baking Terms

  For the most part, baking recipes is pretty straightforward. You’re probably familiar with terms such as beat, whip, and bake. But from time to time, you come across words like scald, flute, or macerate, which set your head spinning and make you want to put down this book and head straight for the local bakery. Here is a list of commonly used baking terms to clear up any confusion in the kitchen.

  bain-marie: See water bath.

  bake: To cook in a hot, dry environment in a closed area (your oven!). Foods are baked uncovered for dry, crisp surfaces and covered for moistness and to prevent excess browning.

  batter: An uncooked semiliquid mixture containing flour and other ingredients used to make a cake or bread. Generally a batter contains more liquid, and sometimes more fat and/or sugar, than a dough does.

  beat: A mixing method in which ingredients are vigorously agitated to incorporate air and develop gluten, a protein that is found in wheat and other varieties of flour and that, when beaten, becomes more elastic and gives a cohesiveness to doughs. Beating requires the use of a spoon, beaters, or a mixer with a paddle attachment.

  bind: To add an ingredient that holds other ingredients together. Most commonly, binding occurs when an ingredient is added to a hot liquid (flour, eggs, cream, cheese), causing it to thicken.

  blanch: A technique in which food is plunged into boiling water for a short time (about 30 seconds) and then sometimes plunged into ice water to stop the cooking, followed by draining well. This technique preserves the color, taste, and texture of the food. Blanching is also used to remove the skins of harder-to-peel fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

  blend: A mixing method in which two or more ingredients are combined just until they are evenly distributed; a spoon, rubber spatula, whisk, beaters, or mixer with a paddle attachment is generally used.

  boil: To heat a liquid until bubbles rise to the surface and break, and steam is given off. Water boils at 212 degrees. A rolling boil means the bubbles are forming rapidly and cannot be stopped when stirred.

  broil: To cook foods directly under a very hot heat source. Generally, this technique is used for quickly browning tops of dishes or cooking meats and fish with little or no added fat.

  caramelize: To cook sugar over medium heat until it liquefies and turns a rich caramel brown.

  chill: To place hot or room-temperature foods in the refrigerator or freezer. Gelatin and puddings change from liquids to solids when chilled. Creams also thicken upon chilling.

  chop: To cut foods into coarse or fine pieces using a large chef’s knife, food processor, or blender.

  coat: To cover food evenly with flour, sugar, a crumb mixture, or a sauce.

  come together: A term used in pastry-making. When small amounts of water are added to the crumbled mixture, it “comes together” and forms a rough dough.

  cool: To allow hot foods to come to room temperature. Putting food on a wire rack allows air to circulate around it; stirring hot liquids cools them faster because it allows the steam to escape. You can also cool liquids in the refrigerator.

  core: To remove the center of fruits, usually apples, pears, and pineapples.

  cream: A mixing method in which a softened fat and sugar are vigorously combined to incorporate air; used for quick breads, cookies, and some cakes. Creaming can be done with a wooden spoon or electric mixer, and the fat becomes lighter when you’re finished.

  crush: To press into very fine bits.

  curdle: The separation of milk or egg mixtures into solid or liquid components; caused by overcooking, high heat, or acidic ingredients (such as lemon juice or vinegar). If you add lemon juice to milk, the milk thickens and curdles. This is fine if you’re making sour milk or buttermilk.

  cut-in: A mixing method in which solid fat is incorporated into dry ingredients, using a pastry blender, two knives, or a fork, resulting in a coarse texture, as when making piecrust, biscuits, crumb toppings, and so on.

  dash: Less than 1/8 teaspoon of an ingredient.

  dough: A mixture of flour and other ingredients used in baking; it has a low moisture content and is often stiff enough to hold a shape.

  drain: To remove excess liquid by placing the food in a colander or strainer that has been set over the sink, or over a bowl if you have to reserve the liquids you are draining.

  drizzle: To pour a liquid (such as a sauce, frosting, or topping) in a thin stream over food. Usually, this is done quickly with a small amount of liq
uid.

  dust: To sprinkle lightly with flour, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and the like.

  egg wash: A beaten egg (sometimes mixed with a little water or milk), brushed on top of pastry or dough before baking. It gives a sheen to bread, piecrusts, pastries, and so on after they’re baked.

  finely chop (mince): To cut into very small pieces. Done with a knife or in a food processor or blender.

  flute: To pinch pastry edges with your fingers to make a decorative edge and extend the height of the crust edge, helping to hold in juicy pie fillings.

  fold: A mixing method used to gently incorporate light, airy products into heavier ingredients (for example, mixing beaten egg whites into a cake batter). Usually a rubber spatula is used. First, you cut down vertically through the mixture, and then you slide the spatula across the bottom of the bowl and up the other side, turning the mixture over. You continue this down-across-up-over motion while rotating the bowl a quarter turn each time. Continue this motion just until the ingredients are incorporated. Do not use a stirring motion.

  garnish: Any food used as an attractive decoration. Popular garnishes for baked goods include chocolate curls, whole strawberries, edible or sugar flowers, chopped nuts, and orange halves.

  glaze: A shiny coating applied to food or a thin, sometimes flavored, coating poured or dripped onto a cake or pastry.

  grate: To shred food (such as cheese) by rubbing it against a serrated metal plate known as a grater.

  grease: To rub the inside of a baking pan with a thin, even coating of butter, margarine, or shortening (or to spray with a nonstick cooking spray) to prevent foods from sticking to the pan while baking. Generally used for cakes. Use shortening, not butter, if baking sheets need to be greased for cookies.

  grind: To pulverize or reduce food to very small particles by using a mechanical grinder, mortar and pestle, or food processor.

  hull: To remove the caps from strawberries. This can be done with a small knife, an inexpensive tool called a strawberry huller (short, fat tweezers), or a straw. With the knife or huller, just pinch off the green cap. To use the straw, insert the straw in the narrow end of the strawberry and push it through to the top of the strawberry. The green cap should pop right off.

  knead: To work dough to develop the gluten present in the flours. During kneading, the gluten strands stretch and expand throughout the dough, enabling the dough to hold in the gas bubbles released by the leavener (usually yeast). You can knead by hand by repeating a series of steps: pressing into the dough with the heel of your hand, folding the dough in half, and giving a turn. You can also use a large mixer with a dough hook or a food processor equipped with a plastic blade. Well-kneaded dough becomes smooth and elastic.

  macerate: To soak foods in a liquid (often juice or liqueur) to soften them, absorb the flavor of the soaking liquid, and release its flavor. Both liquids and solids are used for the dish, as in a dessert fruit topping.

  melt: A process where certain foods, especially those high in fat, gradually soften and then liquefy when heated.

  mix: To combine ingredients by hand or with an electric appliance so they are evenly dispersed.

  nonreactive: Used when talking about cooking equipment. Nonreactive equipment is made of a metal that will not react with acidic foods. Examples of nonreactive materials are stainless steel, Teflon, and glass. Reactive metals are aluminum and copper. When foods and metal equipment do react, generally the foods turn an undesirable brown color. Tomato sauces, red wine sauces, and lemon juice are examples of foods that will react with metals.

  pare: To peel. A paring knife is a small, short knife.

  pipe: To force a softened mixture (frosting or whipped cream) through a pastry bag in order to decorate a cake.

  pit: To remove the hard seeds from the center of fruits.

  preheat: To allow the oven to reach its proper baking temperature before food is placed in it. An oven takes between 10 and 20 minutes to properly preheat.

  proof: A test given to yeast to determine whether it is alive. The yeast is dissolved in warm water (wrist temperature, not above 115 degrees) with a pinch of sugar and then set aside for about 5 minutes. If the mixture becomes foamy, it is alive.

  pulse: Short on-and-off bursts of a food processor. Pulsing is generally used to chop or mince foods.

  punch down: To firmly push your fist into risen dough with your fist to deflate it so it will become more tender and even-grained.

  puree: To process food to achieve a smooth pulp. Usually done by using a food processor or blender or by pushing softened foods through a fine mesh strainer or food mill.

  reduce: To cook a liquid until its quantity decreases due to evaporation. Typically this is done to intensify flavors and thicken the liquid.

  rest: To allow dough to stand for a certain period of time before shaping it into a shape such as a roll or braid. The dough will relax and be easier to work with after a rest.

  scald: To heat a liquid, usually milk, uncovered, to just below the boiling point.

  score: To cut very shallow slits across food before cooking. Scoring can be decorative, as when making French bread. Scoring also can be functional: It helps loosen skin in preparation for peeling foods such as peaches or tomatoes, and it helps marinated foods absorb flavors.

  seed: To remove the seeds from a fruit or vegetable.

  set: To chill a custard or gelatin, transforming it from a liquid to a solid.

  shave: To cut in very thin layers with a vegetable peeler (usually done with chocolate).

  shell: To remove the hard outer casing of nuts.

  shred: To cut into thin but irregular pieces. Often done with a grater or food processor with a shredding disk.

  sift: To shake a dry ingredient (such as flour or sugar) through a sieve or sifter to remove lumps and incorporate air. Sifting also is used to combine dry ingredients.

  simmer: To maintain the temperature of a liquid just below the boiling point. Small bubbles continually but gently break the surface of the cooking mixture.

  slice: To cut an item into relatively broad, thin pieces.

  soften: To allow food, usually butter, cream cheese, or margarine, to stand at room temperature until it is no longer hard. Perishable foods should not stay at room temperature any longer than 30 minutes.

  sprinkle: To scatter something, usually a garnish, lightly over the surface of food.

  steep: To soak foods in a hot liquid in order to extract flavor or to soften the texture, such as when you make tea.

  stir: A mixing method in which ingredients are gently combined until blended.

  strain: To pour foods through a sieve, mesh strainer, or cheesecloth to separate or remove the liquid or smaller particles from larger particles.

  toast: To brown food in an oven or broiler. Nuts and spices are toasted by cooking them in a dry skillet over very low heat for several minutes, stirring often, until they brown slightly and become aromatic.

  unmold: To remove food — usually a cake, custard, or gelatin — from its container and place it on a serving plate.

  water bath: Also called a bain -marie , a large baking dish filled with hot water in which food in individual cups is gently baked. Usually used for custards and baked puddings.

  whip: A mixing method in which foods are vigorously beaten in order to incorporate air. A handheld whisk or an electric mixer with a whisk attachment is used.

  whisk: A wire whip used to beat foods to incorporate air into them.

  work in: A mixing method in which an ingredient is incorporated into other ingredients, resulting in a uniform mixture. For example, butter is worked into flour to create a delicate pastry.

  yield: The total amount of a product made from a specific recipe or the number of servings a recipe will produce.

  zest: The outer skin of citrus fruits that contains the fragrant oils. You want to avoid the white underneath (the pith), which tastes bitter.

  Appendix B

  Metric Conversion Guid
e

  Note: The recipes in this cookbook were not developed or tested using metric measures. There may be some variation in quality when converting to metric units.

  Common Abbreviations Abbreviation(s) What It Stands For

  C, c cup

  g gram

  kg kilogram

  L, l liter

  lb pound

  mL, ml milliliter

  oz ounce

  pt pint

  t, tsp teaspoon

  T, TB, Tbl, Tbsp tablespoon

  Volume U.S Units Canadian Metric Australian Metric

  1/4 teaspoon 1 mL 1 ml

  1/2 teaspoon 2 mL 2 ml

  1 teaspoon 5 mL 5 ml

  1 tablespoon 15 mL 20 ml

  1/4 cup 50 mL 60 ml

  1/3 cup 75 mL 80 ml

  1/2 cup 125 mL 125 ml

  2/3 cup 150 mL 170 ml

  3/4 cup 175 mL 190 ml

  1 cup 250 mL 250 ml

  1 quart 1 liter 1 liter

  1 1/2 quarts 1.5 liters 1.5 liters

  2 quarts 2 liters 2 liters

  2 1/2 quarts 2.5 liters 2.5 liters

  3 quarts 3 liters 3 liters

  4 quarts 4 liters 4 liters

  Weight U.S. Units Canadian Metric Australian Metric

  1 ounce 30 grams 30 grams

  2 ounces 55 grams 60 grams

  3 ounces 85 grams 90 grams

  4 ounces (1/4 pound) 115 grams 125 grams

  8 ounces (1/2 pound) 225 grams 225 grams

  16 ounces (1 pound) 455 grams 500 grams

  1 pound 455 grams 1/2 kilogram

  Measurements Inches Centimeters

  1/2 1.5

  1 2.5

  2 5.0

  3 7.5

  4 10.0

  5 12.5

  6 15.0