Category "baking"

What is the criss-cross pattern on top of peanut butter cookies used for?

I've been making peanut butter cookies, but skipping the step of pressing the top of the cookie down with a fork. What does this step do for the cookies?

Any advice to help me form and shape stuff more uniformly?

I get frustrated by recipes which call for the cook to shape or form little balls out of a dough or cake or biscuit mix. The recipe will say something like "fo

How do I make macarons de Paris in a neat shape and make them rise with the lip?

I have a recipe for macarons that works well; it says to use 2 trays while baking to get the raised lip. I find if I crust the macarons overnight, that the li

How to cook pancakes without spreading that horrible smell of burnt oil?

I live in a region where pancakes are considered traditional food and it's typical to cook them on some special occasions. For example, right now someone has d

What would be the difference between frying vs baking meatballs?

I'm sure the two techniques impart slightly different flavor profiles, but what are they? What are the circumstances where you would choose one method over the

What does "spooned and leveled" mean?

I'm looking at a recipe that lists the following as an ingredient: 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) What exactly does this mean? Is this li

Why are baking measurements such nice round numbers?

I've heard over and over that when it comes to baking, measurements cannot be ignored, and you need to be very precise. This question covers how precise a measu

Why is there a difference between softened and melted butter when baking?

I once tried to make some cookies and assumed that melted butter would be the same as softened butter. It didn't work out... Why does it make a difference i

How to make a pie crust out of plantains?

I had heard of plantains, but never eaten them (or seen them). Today, there were green plantains available at the local supermarket, and I seized the chance and

Can I make cakes in a tagine?

I am living in Marrakech and in our new place I don't have an oven, and don't really want to buy anything expensive as we will only be here for a few months. I

Do rice cookers bake good cakes?

The new rice cooker I bought shows that it can bake a cake--like a sponge cake--in a rice cooker. I have also read that cakes turn out misshapen when made in a

what is the best vegan substitute for lard?

I am attempting to re-create a heart-of-palm torte I had while in Brazil and while it is pretty simple, I am having difficulty finding a vegan substitute for th

How do you make a cake lift equally and minimize doming?

Some time ago, I baked a cake (Sachertorte to be exact). The taste and texture was fine, so my recipe is okay. My biggest issue was the shape. In the middle it

What's the best approach to baking bread with whole grains?

I have a plethora of whole grains (barley, rye, wheat berries, kamut, spelt) sitting around my kitchen, and I'm getting bored with soups and salads. Is it poss

Which containers should I use for souffles?

I want to make some individual zabaglione & fruit souffles, but don't have ramekins. Also, I don't have much experience with souffles (but I have made them

Why does soda bread call for buttermilk?

I've been looking for a soda bread recipe to try and I notice that most of them contain buttermilk. Buttermilk is not a standard part of my pantry. Part of th

What are alternate uses for leftover buttermilk? [closed]

Buttermilk is one of those pantry items that I buy for a specific recipe, then don't know what to do with the leftovers (and I think this is n

Why does bread taste raw if you stop baking it and continue after it has cooled?

Unlike, for example, almost anything that is made on the stove and even cakes (of course, as long as your cake doesn't fall as you take it out of the oven), if

Why do my pizzas get such hard crusts?

I usually buy ready made pizza base and use it for baking pizzas. All of my pizzas get a very hard and crispy outer crust. Why so? I thought of brushing some oi

How to make pie filling which tastes like yogurt icecream?

I have some ripe papayas and decided to create a new pie recipe with them. The papaya part turned out quite well. I used pureed papayas, dark sugar beet syrup,