11 Baking Hacks for Beginners
For those of you who can’t scroll down your Instagram feed without wishing you could bake, these baking hacks for beginners are for you. On the other hand, if you are one to be daunted by the baking affair because you think you’ll end up creating havoc in the kitchen, this one's for you too!
Here are some amazing ways you can be free of all your unwanted baking fears and come to love the art of baking. Those first-time jitters and phobias shouldn’t shape your calling for baking. Baking is meant to be therapeutic, so indulge!
Also Read: My Baking Experiments with Pooja Dhingra's Eggless Dessert Recipes
1) Treat it as fun, not as a task
Enter the kitchen with an open mind and you’ll come out a winner. Baking isn’t rocket science but it is science in a wee bit kind-of-a-way so read point 3 carefully.
2) Start with an easy recipe
Because once you’re successful, you’re more likely to try again. Simple human psychology. The whole point is not to get demotivated after your very first baking disaster because trust us, the best bakers have been there at some point.
3) Read the recipe thoroughly and follow it to the T
Not a reader? Recipes aren’t long anyway. So read till you understand enough! As a first-time baker or beginner, step-by-step is the best way to go.
4) Keep all the ingredients ready for a hassle-free baking experience
Baking requires focus. You don’t want to be running around flustered looking for an ingredient you did buy but can’t find when you need it the most.
5) Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature
Be it butter, eggs or milk. Unless the recipe specifically calls for something cold or hot, this is a 101 baking rule!
6) Don’t get intimidated by fancy ingredients
If brown sugar or molasses, margarine, pure vanilla pods and cake-flour seem alien terms to you, fret not. They can always be replaced with something readily available or be made right at home with minimum ingredients.
7) You don’t need expensive baking tools
Investing in bakeware can seem futile if you’re not going to bake every day but you can whip up magic with just five baking essentials too! Stock up on measuring cups or a weighing scale, non-stick bakeware, a cooling rack, a hand or machine whisk and mixing bowls. And of course silicon gloves, you don't want to get burnt.
8) Don’t be impatient
Opening the oven or the fridge to keep checking on your labour of love is not going to make the process any faster. So, keep at bay.
9) Don’t be afraid to get messy
Your dirty apron should be proof of how exciting your baking endeavour was. Mishaps are bound to happen, but you’ll get through it. Dropping stuff and getting all floury by the end of it shouldn’t bother you. Your only focus should be who’s going to lick those mixer bowls after you’re done.
10) Use parchment paper to avoid post-baking heavy clean up
Parchment paper to the rescue! Be a smart baker instead of a hard-working one. You want to out up your feet and dig into your baked treat after all, and not scrub pans.
11) Bake with your bestie!
Good company can do wonders, and it makes the process so much easier. When it comes to baking, there’s nothing like too many cooks spoil the broth. More the merrier.
Shreya Jalavadia
Think of her as a delicacy. She could be a red sauce penne pasta or refreshing strawberry smoothie. A little sweet, quite tangy and unapologetic on the palate. Her soul is that of a gastronome, mind of an illustrator and heart of a writer. She uses these ingredients to plate up tasty stories about food at India Food Network as an Associate Editor. Be it her blogs, articles, reviews or food shows; she promises a wholesome affair.