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Photo on the right was shared with me by my sister, Carol Arroyo, and her
website called
The Baking Pan.
It doesn't take having a special gift or a magic touch to work wonders in the
kitchen. The secret is practice, practice, practice. Some people seem to be
able to toss things together and achieve wonderful results. This is a skill
they achieved by many years of cooking and baking. Skill and confidence come
with practice.
Basic Rules of Baking
(1) Read your recipe carefully before starting: Be sure you have all the
ingredients called for and that you understand the recipe clearly.
(2) Cultivate the do-it-right attitude
and habit. Remember: If it is worth doing, it is worth
doing right! Baking demands accuracy and care. Unlike other kinds of cooking, such as soups
or stews, you cannot improvise or substitute ingredients.
(3) Never carry on another activity while you are mixing a recipe.
Distractions,
no matter how small, lead to mistakes. Let the telephone ring!
(4) Use good tools and utensils: Assemble all the bowls, pans, and
utensils you will need on your counter or work table before starting. Use
standard measuring cups and spoons (see below).
(5) Use Correct Pan Sizes: Use the type of pan specified in the recipe.
Recipes are carefully calculated as to yield and changing the pan size also
alters the baking temperature and time. Larger, more shallow pans need increased
heat; smaller, deeper pans need decreased heat. The size of a baking pan or dish
is measured across the top of the container from the inside edge to inside edge.
The depth also is measured on the inside of the pan or dish from the bottom to
the top of the rim.
Prepare the pan carefully according to the recipe. Place pans as near the
center of the oven as possible. Do not place pans directly over another and do
not crowd the oven (this makes for uneven baking).
(6) Use top-quality ingredients and assemble the ingredients before
starting: You can't expect a first-rate product using second-rate ingredients. Be sure
your ingredients are fresh and of the finest quality. If your recipe says the
ingredient must be room temperature, be sure it is room temperature before
proceeding.
(7) Measure the quantities correctly: This is a baking must! One common
cause of cooking failures is inaccurate measurement of ingredients. You can use
the best ingredients in the world, but if you do not measure correctly, the
recipe will not come out properly. Also always use level measurements (all
measurements in a recipe are level).
Measuring Liquids:
Use a glass measuring cup. The glass permits you to
see the level of the liquid being measured. The cup for liquids should have
additional space above the one-cup line, so that a full cup can be
accurately measured without spilling. Check the measurement at eye level.
Measuring dry ingredients:
Use standard individual cups. Lightly spoon
dry ingredients into correct cup size, heat up, and level off with edge of
spatula by cutting across the top. Use measuring spoons in this way too.
Flour need not be sifted before measuring unless recipe specifies it. Sifting
flour onto a sheet of wax paper instead of into a bowl cuts down on dishwashing.
Measure brown sugar by packing it firmly into a measuring cup or into a
measuring spoon.
(8) Mix Carefully: Each type of baking has difference methods of
performing the mixing. Follow the recipe carefully.
(9) Use correct oven temperatures:
Never increase a cooking temperature
because you are in a hurry. Make sure the racks are placed properly before
heating the oven. If the recipe calls for a preheated oven, preheat it! Preheat
at least 15 minutes before baking. Don't open the oven door prematurely. A draft
may cause your baked product to fall.
You can ruin a cake with a slow start in a cool oven because the cake can rise
too quickly and then fall when the oven heat takes a spurt upward.
|
Fahrenheit (°F) |
Celsius (°C) |
Gas Number |
Oven Terms |
|
225 °F |
110 °C |
1/4 |
Very Cool |
|
250 °F |
130 °C |
1/2 |
Very Slow |
|
275 °F |
140 °C |
1 |
Very Slow |
|
300 °F |
150 °C |
2 |
Slow |
|
325 °F |
165 °C |
3 |
Slow |
|
350 °F |
177 °C |
4 |
Moderate |
|
375 °F |
190 °C |
5 |
Moderate |
|
400 °F |
200 °C |
6 |
Moderately Hot |
|
425 °F |
220 °C |
7 |
Hot |
|
450 °F |
230 °C |
8 |
Hot |
|
475 °F |
245 °C |
9 |
Hot |
|
500 °F |
260 °C |
10 |
Extremely Hot |
|
550 °F |
290 °C |
10 |
Broiling |
 It
is a good idea to check your oven temperature with a freestanding oven
thermometer. An oven thermometer is very handy (and inexpensive) to find out
what temperature your oven really is cooking at. An oven thermometer can be left
in the oven to verify that the oven is heating to the desired temperatures.
If the oven is not maintaining the set temperature, the oven
thermostat will have to be adjusted by a service center representative
authorized by the manufacturer. However, if, after testing the oven temperature
at several settings (325, 350, 375, and 400°F), it is consistently high or low
by the same amount (say, 25°F), this can be factored into the temperature
setting. For example, if you know that your oven runs "hot" by 25°F and you need
to bake something at 350°F, set the oven for 325°F. Always check the oven
thermometer to verify the temperature.
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