Category "baking"

How to stop a sponge cake (chiffon cake) from deflating/sinking? [duplicate]

Beating of the whites is perfected. When folding in the cake mixture and the egg whites is there a specific technique? I place in about 1/3,

Why do some pie crust recipes include vinegar?

I experiment some with pie crusts and have seen recipes that include vinegar as well as eggs. What does the vinegar do and what does the egg do. I have heard t

How do I "save" my Christmas Cookies (Venetians)?

I am making my favorite Christmas cookie. They are called Venetians. They are a layered marzipan bar cookie. Here is a recipe. So, I just took them out of

Eggs in Pancakes, health hazard?

I want to make pancakes. I have a powder mix that needs only milk to be ready. However there is a note on the powder mix's box that says I can add an egg to the

Why grease the pan, then line with greaseproof/parchment paper?

Many recipes I've seen request this. Is it just to stick the paper to the pan to make it easier to work with?

Why do I need to melt butter with chocolate?

When I bake with chocolate, especially for cakes and brownies, the recipes always say to melt butter along with the chocolate. Why is this? Would melting them s

What is the proper oven rack height position for baking cakes and cookies?

My oven has five rack positions. When baking a cake mix, at what height should the oven rack be placed at? If it helps, I usually bake using two 9" round pans

What caused my blueberry muffins to come out flat?

I made blueberry muffins two times. The first time I used unbleached flour. I don't remember if I used salted or unsalted butter then. They came out looking l

Mayonnaise substitute in cake batter

My wife's chicken cake recipe calls for mayonnaise as one of the batter ingredients. In my opinion, mayonnaise is completely unsuitable for high-temperature pro

How many jumbo double yolk eggs should I substitute for large eggs?

If I only have jumbo double yolk eggs, should I reduce the amount of eggs called for in cake recipe (which calls for large eggs), and if so, by how much?

Do I need to sift flour for quick breads?

I am making mini quick breads for Christmas. The recipe calls for 3 cups of flour. Do I need to sift the flour? If so, should I sift it before or after measur

Saving a pavlova that didn't form a crust

I have cooked my pavlova the same way I normally do, however it hasn't formed a nice crust like it usually does. I've heard that it may have something to do wit

Glazing pastry - Egg white or Milk?

What are the benefits of using egg white vs milk when glazing different kinds of pastry? - For example what should you use for Puff Pastry and Plain Pastry? Do

Can brownie dough sit?

I've been making brownies lately, and my last brownie turned out like dwarf bread. As the recipe and the oven/time haven't changed, my guess is that the prepara

how to create gratin with _thin_ cheese skin

Several years ago I knew a place where they served ragout fin au gratin in small bowls with a very thin cheese skin. I'd like to create these myself. I tried

How long can I leave a freshly baked cheesecake out before it goes in the refrigerator?

We just baked a cheesecake and are heading over to family's house for the rest of the evening. Is it ok to leave the cheesecake out for 6 hours or so before bei

Use of pizza stone in gas oven

I have a new gas kitchen stove. The oven seems to burn so easily. I have a thermometer in there and it is registering the temp that I have the oven set on. I

Uneven baking in a convection microwave oven

I'm just starting to learn to bake. I have a convection microwave oven and I've read at a lot of places that a convection microwave can be used for baking. But,

What makes a chewy brownie?

I've tried many different brownie recipes and most of mine bake to a cake-like consistency. The brownie holy grail for me is crusty top chewy brownies. What can

How to keep the surface of the cake from splitting? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:How do you make a cake lift equally and minimize doming? Or is it natural for it to happen because the top layer