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Baking Up a Storm

Now that we have a functional kitchen, I've been cooking and baking like crazy. I've been testing out several muffin and coffeecake recipes on Al (and on my parents, who visited this past weekend), as well as making freezable meals like quiche and baked ziti. (The more we eat in, the longer I can afford not to work!)

I've never really been able to bake so frequently before, so I now have an opportunity to really test recipes—to determine what difference sifting makes, if any (so far, it seems to make for a lighter, less hockey-puckish muffin), whether futzing with the quantities of butter and oil change the taste markedly, and whether substituting buttermilk for half the milk in a coffecake makes it taste better or worse. All of these things may be obvious to good cooks, but they're less so to me, and I'm having a ball discovering well-trampled territory. I hope to be able to make up my own recipes before long.

Posted by Lori in food at 12:43 PM on February 4, 2004

Comments (5)

dave humphreys:

hi, lori!

i wanted to respond to your 'baking' item, but - alas - no comments allowed there. so, i've decided to co-opt your 'voting' topic. (the user will find a way to break your stuff...)

you might be interested in 'cooks illustrated' magazine, and their various books, which take a very precise and scientific look at how to make various foods. as in... "we tried 30 different kinds of butter in ammounts from 1 tsp to 2 and a half cups, and eventually decided that 2.5 tbs was perfect, but melt it first. now, about the flour..."

i enjoy the editorial, even without cooking much. (uncharitable people would say, "at all.")

cook's illustrated is at http://www.cooksillustrated.com/, and you can find their books on amazon, of course.

oh, and -- hi! glad to see that you're settling into your new home.

- dave

Posted by dave humphreys | February 4, 2004 5:41 PM

Posted on February 4, 2004 17:41

Lori:

hi dave!

I turned comments on for this post just for you, and moved your comment over here (hope you don't mind :). thanks for the cooks illustrated tip -- sounds right up my alley.

ever so glad to hear from you! if I ever get around to visiting my relatives in Austin, I will be sure to stop by.

Posted by Lori | February 4, 2004 5:48 PM

Posted on February 4, 2004 17:48

dave humphreys:

you should definitely stop by!

i'm always looking for reasons to show off austin. we've got bbq and good music and beer and i know a bunch of interesting women that you'd probably enjoy meeting -- http://www.txrollergirls.com.

south by southwest approaches, you know.

Posted by dave humphreys | February 4, 2004 10:00 PM

Posted on February 4, 2004 22:00

Clark:

Alton Brown said in his book I'm Just Here for the Food that it is much more difficult to experiment with recipes, especially amounts, while baking, as opposed to any other sort of cooking. (damn, tried to link the book, but my html got stripped)

I have always wanted to do it, but was afraid I would waste some perfectly good food.

Clark

Posted by Clark | February 5, 2004 9:30 AM

Posted on February 5, 2004 09:30

Lori:

dave: Yes, I was reading about the roller girls on Mel's site, and they're right up my alley! I think Mel and I have the same helmet, though I use mine for ice hockey... In any case, you've both sparked my interest in Austin. And I've been curious about SXSW since the late 80s, when all the bands I knew from Athens wanted to go. Now that it's as much a geekfest as an indie music showcase, I figure I should get myself down there. ;)

Clark: yeah, wasting good food is always a danger. I figure every batch of coffee cake that goes bad costs $2 tops (maybe less -- I stock up on flour and sugar when it's on sale, so the only items I need to purchase fresh are butter, eggs, and milk), however, so it's not too bad. I try not to take risks with expensive ingredients.

I totally understand why baking is sketchier -- you're more likely to ruin the whole batch because it doesn't rise, or it doesn't stick together, or it burns before it cooks all the way through. With entrees, usually you'll just get the balance of flavors wrong -- and usually not so wrong that you have to throw the whole mess out (though that *has* happened to me before, sadly).

Posted by Lori | February 5, 2004 10:49 AM

Posted on February 5, 2004 10:49

Comments

hi, lori!

i wanted to respond to your 'baking' item, but - alas - no comments allowed there. so, i've decided to co-opt your 'voting' topic. (the user will find a way to break your stuff...)

you might be interested in 'cooks illustrated' magazine, and their various books, which take a very precise and scientific look at how to make various foods. as in... "we tried 30 different kinds of butter in ammounts from 1 tsp to 2 and a half cups, and eventually decided that 2.5 tbs was perfect, but melt it first. now, about the flour..."

i enjoy the editorial, even without cooking much. (uncharitable people would say, "at all.")

cook's illustrated is at http://www.cooksillustrated.com/, and you can find their books on amazon, of course.

oh, and -- hi! glad to see that you're settling into your new home.

- dave

Posted by: dave humphreys at February 4, 2004 5:41 PM

hi dave!

I turned comments on for this post just for you, and moved your comment over here (hope you don't mind :). thanks for the cooks illustrated tip -- sounds right up my alley.

ever so glad to hear from you! if I ever get around to visiting my relatives in Austin, I will be sure to stop by.

Posted by: Lori at February 4, 2004 5:48 PM

you should definitely stop by!

i'm always looking for reasons to show off austin. we've got bbq and good music and beer and i know a bunch of interesting women that you'd probably enjoy meeting -- http://www.txrollergirls.com.

south by southwest approaches, you know.

Posted by: dave humphreys at February 4, 2004 10:00 PM

Alton Brown said in his book I'm Just Here for the Food that it is much more difficult to experiment with recipes, especially amounts, while baking, as opposed to any other sort of cooking. (damn, tried to link the book, but my html got stripped)

I have always wanted to do it, but was afraid I would waste some perfectly good food.

Clark

Posted by: Clark at February 5, 2004 9:30 AM

dave: Yes, I was reading about the roller girls on Mel's site, and they're right up my alley! I think Mel and I have the same helmet, though I use mine for ice hockey... In any case, you've both sparked my interest in Austin. And I've been curious about SXSW since the late 80s, when all the bands I knew from Athens wanted to go. Now that it's as much a geekfest as an indie music showcase, I figure I should get myself down there. ;)

Clark: yeah, wasting good food is always a danger. I figure every batch of coffee cake that goes bad costs $2 tops (maybe less -- I stock up on flour and sugar when it's on sale, so the only items I need to purchase fresh are butter, eggs, and milk), however, so it's not too bad. I try not to take risks with expensive ingredients.

I totally understand why baking is sketchier -- you're more likely to ruin the whole batch because it doesn't rise, or it doesn't stick together, or it burns before it cooks all the way through. With entrees, usually you'll just get the balance of flavors wrong -- and usually not so wrong that you have to throw the whole mess out (though that *has* happened to me before, sadly).

Posted by: Lori at February 5, 2004 10:49 AM

Comments are now closed.



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