Alana in Canada Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 My daughter has asked me to teach her to bake. I am not a baker! I make muffins (weekly) and 3 cakes and two pies a year. My goal is simply to let her try her hand at baking many different kinds of things, so that if she sees a recipe she wants to try, someday, she knows she's done "something like that" already. (I hope that made sense!) I went through a couple of cookbooks here at home in an effort to come up with a list of things to bake. I came up with the following. I feel like I'm missing something. You'll see by my questions that I'm just not a baker at all! This will be a learning experience for me, too! quick bread/muffins *are these the same thing, the only difference being the pans? Cake/cupcakes *see the question above. Yeast bread. Soda bread Pie crusts: pumpkin pie or dutch apple (one crust) lattice top 2 pie crust pie What is a tart? Just a small pie crust? What is a compote? Cheesecake Nanaimo bars pound cake what's a sponge cake? Cookies: drop, like chocolate chip and oatmeal, peanut butter. bar, like brownies and Nanaimo bars roll, like icebox cookies. Thanks for your help! Any books out there that may help explain this whole mysterious subject to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGK Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 quick bread/muffins *are these the same thing, the only difference being the pans? Usually quick breads can be made into muffins - the baking time would decrease of course Cake/cupcakes - depends on your recipe, but for basic cakes, they can be made as cupcakes Yeast bread. Soda bread Pie crusts: pumpkin pie or dutch apple (one crust) lattice top 2 pie crust pie You could also do a graham cracker crumb crust What is a tart? Just a small pie crust? Hmmm, I think a tart is a shallower crust, usually filled with fruit What is a compote? a fruit mixture in a sugar syrup Cheesecake Nanaimo bars pound cake what's a sponge cake? a cake with a light airy texture due to beaten egg whites Cookies: drop, like chocolate chip and oatmeal, peanut butter. bar, like brownies and Nanaimo bars roll, like icebox cookies. Thanks for your help! Any books out there that may help explain this whole mysterious subject to me? I have enjoyed The All Butter Fresh Cream Sugar Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Quick breads and muffins are almost the same. Ditto cakes and cupcakes. However, because the smaller will dry out quicker, the best recipes will be specific and a cupcake or muffin recipe will contain a bit more moist ingredients (at least, in my meager experience). I would recommend a really good baking book or even just the baking sections of a really good cookbook like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything or America's Test Kitchen's Best Recipe. Those are two that I really trust. The recipes for baking are by far the most important element because you have to be precise. Unlike other cooking, where you can experiment pretty early in the learning process, to experiment with a baking recipe, you have to have a better idea of what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 LOL...I just have to add that I have never made a pie in my life! We only have one kid, so we only eat maybe half and toss it. What a waste! So you're ahead of me in the baking department.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaBea Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 I highly recommend Alton Brown's book, I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking You will learn the science behind baking, which is much more exact than other cooking. It's really a solid course on the topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 We're working though the MIT Kitchen Chemistry course http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/special-programs/sp-287-kitchen-chemistry-spring-2009/ After that we're doing the teen cooking lessons at: http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/kids-cooking-lessons-junior-chef-intro.html The Kitchen Chemistry is very interesting and a lot of fun too. We also did the Wilton cake decorating classes together last fall. That was a lot of work but we all learned so much and it was fun too. Joann fabric and Michael's offer the classes and you can use the coupons too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted September 29, 2010 Author Share Posted September 29, 2010 Happy day--the Alton Brown book is in our library as is Judy Rosenberg! I'll put on a request for the Bittman book as well. The graham cracker crust is a good idea, too. (I confess, I usually just buy mine!) Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted September 29, 2010 Author Share Posted September 29, 2010 Oh my, 2cents! What incredible resources. That MIT course looks amazing (what a reading list!) and the teen cooking lessons look like fun. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 My daughter has asked me to teach her to bake. I am not a baker! I make muffins (weekly) and 3 cakes and two pies a year. Wow, sure sounds like a baker to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Concerning cakes, I'd like to recommend this book: Great Cakes by Carole Walter. I got it from the library. Things I like about it: Well written, easy to understand A section discussing different kinds of cake and what makes them different from each other A discussion of different ingredients and how to treat them for different results and to avoid problems For the recipes, she first refers you to different sections to read, gives tips specific to that kind of cake, and then directs you to return to the recipe to cook. So for the angel food cake she tells yoy to read the section on sponge cakes b/c this info applies, how long to let eggs sit a room temp for an angel food cake, what kind of sugar is best, a tip for combining dry ingredients, adding beaten egg whites, tips on handling, how to avoid over cooking, and more. Then after reading the section of things you should know b/f starting, you go to one of several different kinds of angel food cake. She has sections of quick and easy cakes, special occasion cakes, and sweet endings. Now, I've only just checked it out so I can't say how the recipes turn out but they look great! We plan to use it this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. at J.A. Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 We're working though the MIT Kitchen Chemistry coursehttp://ocw.mit.edu/courses/special-programs/sp-287-kitchen-chemistry-spring-2009/ After that we're doing the teen cooking lessons at: http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/kids-cooking-lessons-junior-chef-intro.html The Kitchen Chemistry is very interesting and a lot of fun too. We also did the Wilton cake decorating classes together last fall. That was a lot of work but we all learned so much and it was fun too. Joann fabric and Michael's offer the classes and you can use the coupons too. What age would that MIT class be for? Am I reading correctly that it is free? How does it work? Thanks, Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 I got the lead on the MIT cooking class from other WTM folks. My girls are 12 & 13 and we have another friend also 13 who is doing the class too. There is reading but that has been interesting and not a lot. It is easily a class for tweens and teens. It is completely free except for the text which we got on half and Amazon has it too. We do the reading one week and add in some videos we find on the net (you tube has a lot of good cooking videos that can go with the lessons) and the next week all the girls get together and cook. The cooking assignments are: Lesson 1: Guacamole, salsa, make your own hot sauce, and quesadillas Lesson 2: Cookie - death by chocolate Lesson 3: Pancakes Lesson 4: Bread Lesson 5: Scones and coffee Lesson 6: Meringue Lesson 7: Jams and jellies Lesson 8: Three bean chili and corn bread Lesson 9: Cheese Lesson 10: Molecular gastronomy Lesson 11: Wacky cake Lesson 12: Ice cream Lesson 13: Peer teaching Lesson 14: Pasta, meatballs, and crème brulee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 For baking...my daughter and I are using this http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Illustrated-Cooks-Magazine-Editors/dp/0936184752/ref=pd_sim_b_6 For everyday cooking, she's thrilled with the results in this - and it's really 30 minute recipes!!! http://www.amazon.com/30-Minute-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/0936184981/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.