Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Baking Basics
• Part 2 of 3: Baking for specific foods
• Part 3 of 3: Applying Your Baking Skills

Baking is so simple that the first bakers used hot stones 4000 years ago. But baking is still a subject for curious experiments by chefs, as it allows them to create truly complex culinary masterpieces. If you've never baked before, this guide will walk you through the basics of baking, provide tips for baking a variety of foods, and give you some recipes to get you started. Don't worry - if the ancient Egyptians knew how to do it, then so can you!

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Baking Basics

1. 1 Find a heat source. When food is baked, it heats up from the rim to the center, resulting in a ruddy crunchy shell and a soft center. To bake, you will need a heat source that can heat the food enough to bake the food completely (this is especially important for meat dishes, as uncooked meat can contain pathogens.) The most common baking device today is the oven. Modern ovens allow you to set precise, controlled cooking temperatures and allow heat to easily penetrate food without leaking. Although less popular, a number of alternative baking methods can be used, including:
   • Traditional open ovens like Tandor
   • Dutch ovens
   • Microwaves (Technically, this is not for baking - microwave radiation is used to heat food. However, there are “microwave baking” recipes for baking traditional baked goods, cookies in the microwave.)
2. 2 Choose a sensible recipe. Baking recipes can range from simple (standard dishes like bread or chicken breasts) to multi-stage (like fancy desserts, which you can see at specialty cooking shows like Cake Chef). If you're a beginner, it's best to stick with something simple - a simple cookie recipe or some simple chicken legs. Before starting, make sure you have all the ingredients described in the cooking recipe - rush to the shops so as not to complicate the cooking process later and you may even stock up on certain perishable ingredients.
   • If you can, weigh your ingredients before starting. It's not that important, but it speeds up the baking process a lot.
   • Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands before starting any cooking activity and after touching any raw food that may contain harmful bacteria (especially meat, poultry and eggs.)
   • Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, or an apron.
3. 3 Preheat the oven. By nature, all baking recipes require high heat resistance. Heat the oven to the temperature indicated in your recipe. Then follow these steps! Leave your oven to warm up - it will take time to reach the correct temperature for baking. While the oven is warming up, you can do other preparatory steps for your recipe. The oven must be at the correct (or approximate) temperature before you add food according to the recipe.
   • It's tempting, but don't open the oven door before you're ready to put in your food. This will release heat from the oven, lowering the temperature and taking longer to reach the desired temperature.
4. 4 Follow the recipe. Every recipe is different - there is no standard set of rules perfect for every baking process. However, most baking recipes consist of some or all of the following basic steps:
   • Preparation (for meat, poultry, vegetables). If you put food in the oven without pre-cooking, it will taste dry and soft at best, and improperly cooked at worst. Meat, like chicken breasts, in most cases must be marinated, stuffed and / or fried in a pan in advance. Vegetables such as potatoes should be pricked with a fork before baking to evaporate the moisture. Almost every recipe has a description of some kind of preparatory process for the dish.
   • Mixing ingredients (for baked goods, desserts, etc.) Often, liquid and dry ingredients are mixed in separate bowls and then blended together to make a mixture or dough.
   • Preparing baking utensils. Pots and pans are not always suitable for baking. Sometimes, they need special preparation before baking - in many baking recipes, for example, grease a baking dish.
   • Layout of products on a baking sheet. Dough, cooked meats or vegetables will not bake well if you place the baking sheet on the bottom of the oven. As a rule, the workpiece is placed in a metal mold, glass or ceramic dishes, which can be easily removed from the oven (with tacks).
   • Cooking food in the oven over high heat. This is what determines the quality of the baked goods. All baking recipes must be cooked in an oven (or an alternative oven.) Note the description of where the food is located in the oven relative to the heat source.
5. 5 Place the blank in the oven. Once you've prepared the food according to the recipe and make sure the oven is preheated, place the piece (on a baking tray) in the oven. Close the door and start the timer for the time required to prepare the dish. Now, wait for the dish to cook and enjoy the delicious flavors (if all goes well) that fill your kitchen.
   • At this time, wash the dishes that you used to pre-prepare the dish.
   • It is normal to check that a food is cooked by turning on the light in the oven or quickly opening the door. If you open the door, close it as quickly as possible to prevent the oven from losing its heat. If you are worried that a dish will burn, check it halfway through the baking process and then again if necessary.
6. 6 Remove the dish from the oven. When the cooking time is up and you have checked the dish to make sure it looks ready, remove it from the oven. Use something to protect your hands - potholders work well as they allow you to maintain dexterity when holding the dish, in a pinch, use thick towels gently to hold the baking dish.
   • Be careful! Pay attention to food when you pull it out of the oven to avoid splashing hot juices. Baking may seem like a fun, relaxing activity, but if you don't take precautions at this stage, it can lead to painful injuries.
   • Place your masterpiece somewhere where it won't scorch the surface or anything nearby. Use a thick rag, oven mitts, or hot plate to protect your countertops.
7. 7 Let your dish cool. Oven food is usually too hot. It may also not be completely finished yet - the baked goods are too soft in your hands when you take them out of the oven. Allow your food to cool before eating - gently place the food in a cool place where the cold air will cool the surface, if required by the recipe.
8. 8 Add a side dish or decorate your meal. For some dishes, external decoration is used primarily for visual presentation, for others it is an integral part of the taste.For example, garnishing with parsley is unlikely to play an important role in baked pasta, but a simple, dry cake without icing will become incredibly soft. Your recipe may contain specific decorating instructions and even have a separate list of ingredients for decorating items (typically for creams and sauces). Give a couple of finishing touches, serve and enjoy!

Part 2 of 3: Baking for specific foods

1. 1 Baking bread, rolls and desserts. When most people think of “baked goods,” they think of bread and rolls, which are varieties of foods that you can often buy at the bakery. These products typically use the same basic ingredients such as flour, butter, eggs, sugar, baking soda, salt, sunflower oil, milk, starch, cheese and / or yeast for dough, which is then baked in portions or whole. Breads and buns are often seasoned with spices, syrups, and additives to give them a unique sweet or salty flavor. Here are a few highlights when baking bread and pastries:
   • The final shape of your dish is usually dictated by the mold in which it was baked. A loaf of bread baked in a bread pan, for example, will have a completely different shape than a ball of dough made on a flat baking sheet.
   • Baked goods generally require special care to prevent them from sticking to the baking sheet. Typically, butter, fat, sunflower oil, or aerosol sprays are used to lubricate the molds.
   • Some baked goods that are baked with yeast dough (especially bread) take extra time for the yeast to "grow". Yeast is a microscopic fungus that absorbs the sugar in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide (which causes the dough to "grow") and other compounds that affect the taste of baked goods.
   • As a rule, the higher the proportion of dry products (flour, etc.) in the recipe in relation to the liquid components (eggs, butter, milk, etc.), the denser the dough will be. One common tip for working with batter is to chill in the freezer or refrigerator - it will become denser and easier to handle and shape without smudging.
2. 2 Roasting meat and poultry. Roasting is one of the best ways to cook meat and poultry, along with roasting, stewing and grilling. The hot, dry air used during the baking process can give poultry chunks a crisp, dark crust, keeping the meat moist and juicy on the inside. Roasting a large piece of beef or lamb for hours on low heat is a great way to guarantee a juicy, aromatic result, baked on all sides. Here are some things to remember when roasting meat and poultry:
   • When roasting large pieces of meat, keep a meat thermometer handy, along with a list of suitable temperatures for different types of meat. It is much easier to use a thermometer to determine the degree of doneness of meat than painstakingly removing it from the oven, constantly cutting it and returning it back to the oven.
   • Some choose to separate the skin from the poultry meat, while others choose to keep them. If the dish is checked and cooked, the skin can turn into a delicious crispy crust, but this will slightly increase the fat content and the total calorie content of the dish.
   • There are both pros and cons to leaving bones on cuts of meat (rather than removing them.) Chunks of meat with bones are generally cheaper and, according to some reports, more flavorful (although this is not supported by specific facts.) They also sometimes create additional cooking opportunities (try stuffing the sections of the rib cage between the bones and chicken breasts with garlic or other spices). On the other hand, you can be annoyed by eating your bones.
   • Always cook meat and poultry thoroughly.In 2011, studies showed the presence of dangerous staphylococcal bacteria in about half of the tested meat and poultry samples. Take it easy - make sure the meat is baked in the middle, there are no pink spots, and that the juice from the meat is clean. To test meat for bone, insert a fork into the bone to feel resistance - the fork should pierce the meat around the bone smoothly and easily.
3. 3 Baking vegetables. Baked or fried vegetable dishes are a nutritious addition to any meal. Some, like baked potatoes, have become the main course. Unlike frying, baking is almost always a low-calorie, high-nutritional way to cook vegetables. Vegetables slightly oiled and seasoned with salt and pepper can even be baked until crispy, tasty. Here are a couple of tips for roasting vegetables:
   • Typically, vegetables are "ready" when they are tender. However, different vegetables need to be baked in different ways - for example, zucchini may take more than an hour to process, while you will spend half the time on carrots. Check the cooking times for different vegetables before trying to bake them.
   • Some vegetable dishes (particularly baked potatoes) require the vegetables to be pierced with a fork or knife before cooking. As they cook, the moisture inside will heat up and evaporate. If moisture cannot evaporate through the pre-made holes, the increased pressure can cause vegetables to burst!
4. 4 Prepare a casserole. Some baking recipes include multiple types of food (some are even prepared separately from other foods) to create a casserole-style dish. Often, these dishes use carbohydrates such as rice, pasta or potatoes as the main ingredient. The ingredients in such dishes are either laid out in layers or thrown over loosely. As a rule, the casserole is served directly in the deep bowl in which it was cooked. The casserole is filling, easy to serve, and often quite expensive. Here are just a few examples of casserole-style dishes:
   • Lasagna
   • Ziti
   • Potato gratin
   • Pasta casserole
   • Moussaka

Part 3 of 3: Applying Your Baking Skills

1. 1 Bake Snickerdoodle cookies. Snickerdoodle is a simple (yet elegant) sugar cookie that tastes great when paired with milk, ice cream, or on its own. Great for beginners, easy to bake and even easier to eat!
2. 2 Bake delicious sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a delicious, nutritious food that contains starch. They are rich in fiber, natural delicious flavor, and surprisingly versatile - sweet potatoes can be seasoned with butter and simple spices for an overall flavor, or seasoned with beans, cheese, bacon, and other toppings for a modest feast.
3. 3 Prepare crispy chicken legs. Chicken legs are underrated parts of chicken - they are cheap and delicious to eat. Before baking, marinate them for a richer flavor, or rub your thighs with dry spices or sauce for a crispy, crispy crust.
4. 4 Bake the ham with the sauce. Whether it's an Easter dinner for the family or just a pleasure, boiled pork with sweet sauce is the perfect main course. It's even better if you have the ham left to make delicious thick slices of sandwiches for another couple of weeks.
5. 5 Bake a birthday cake. The cake recipes may sound a little daunting, but if you can master one of them, you will instantly be the center of attention at any party. There is a limitless variety of decorations for birthday cakes - over time, you will learn how to create masterpieces with fondant and icing!