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> Baking is easy Hmm, not for everyone! I'm a competent cook (self taught, cooking for 20 years or so), and at home cooking western dishes, as well as thise f

> Baking is easy Hmm, not for everyone! I'm a competent cook (self taught, cooking for 20 years or so), and at home cooking western dishes, as well as thise from around the world (Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, all sorts), yet baking is the one thing I seem to find difficult. Firstly, it seems you have to get your measurements right - there isn't much room for experimentation with quantities, just follow the recipe. Aside from that, my mixture/dough always seems too wet, too sticky, too dry, too whatever it shouldn't be! And I don't seem to have the knack for how to fix it, or an intuition to know when it's "right". Same deal when it makes it to the oven; things often end up over or under baked, because I just don't have the knack of knowing when it's done.

hansthehorse 7y ago
Weigh your ingredients. Get a scale that is accurate to the gram and if your recipe calls for cups and such find a conversion chart. I only follow recipes that give amounts in grams and milliliters. I'm American and baking is the only time I use the metric system. 90% of baking is technique and that only comes from practice so taking notes can help a lot while learning.
- GordonS 7y ago
  I do, and don't really have a problem with weighing things; my point was simply that I feel like I can't experiment. But you're probably right about needing practice - I tend to feel like I've failed when it goes wrong, and don't try again for ages. I'm British, so always use grams/millilitres when cooking - TBH, I wouldn't even know what "a cup of flour" was!
RmDen 7y ago
Cooking is art, baking is science. If you get the measurements wrong, your end product will be 'wrong' Cooking gives you ways to fix your mistakes.. (add water, cook it more, add spices etc etc)
- phonypc 7y ago
  >Cooking is art, baking is science. Not to single you out for an oft repeated phrase, but I've never like this set of comparisons. Baking surely requires you to precisely follow recipes in a way cooking usually doesn't, but merely following instructions precisely isn't science. Really, there is an art of and a science of both cooking and baking. Understanding some of the science of baking is actually what enables one to productively modify and create recipes.
  - em-bee 7y ago
    the process of following a recipe that is not science, but the creation or modification of the recipe is.
porknubbins 7y ago
Bread kneading and shaping can require considerable technique and experience. There are tomes written about this stuff (and some good youtube videos that can shortcut some of it.) I’ve been baking maybe 5 years but it wasn’t until I started making pizzas several times a week that I got a feel for how dough should behave. Then other hydrations require more experience. Make one bread 50 times and I guarantee you will be a lot better.

hansthehorse 7y ago

Weigh your ingredients. Get a scale that is accurate to the gram and if your recipe calls for cups and such find a conversion chart. I only follow recipes that give amounts in grams and milliliters. I'm American and baking is the only time I use the metric system. 90% of baking is technique and that only comes from practice so taking notes can help a lot while learning.

GordonS 7y ago
I do, and don't really have a problem with weighing things; my point was simply that I feel like I can't experiment. But you're probably right about needing practice - I tend to feel like I've failed when it goes wrong, and don't try again for ages. I'm British, so always use grams/millilitres when cooking - TBH, I wouldn't even know what "a cup of flour" was!

RmDen 7y ago

Cooking is art, baking is science. If you get the measurements wrong, your end product will be 'wrong' Cooking gives you ways to fix your mistakes.. (add water, cook it more, add spices etc etc)

phonypc 7y ago
>Cooking is art, baking is science. Not to single you out for an oft repeated phrase, but I've never like this set of comparisons. Baking surely requires you to precisely follow recipes in a way cooking usually doesn't, but merely following instructions precisely isn't science. Really, there is an art of and a science of both cooking and baking. Understanding some of the science of baking is actually what enables one to productively modify and create recipes.
- em-bee 7y ago
  the process of following a recipe that is not science, but the creation or modification of the recipe is.

porknubbins 7y ago

Bread kneading and shaping can require considerable technique and experience. There are tomes written about this stuff (and some good youtube videos that can shortcut some of it.) I’ve been baking maybe 5 years but it wasn’t until I started making pizzas several times a week that I got a feel for how dough should behave. Then other hydrations require more experience. Make one bread 50 times and I guarantee you will be a lot better.