I used to have access to my parents professional kitchen where everything cooked evenly. You could bake on all three shelves at one time and the temperature remained consistent. I can still go over there and cook when ever I want but I love to stink my apartment up with the smell of baked goods.
If you are experienced in your kitchen, you may want to test your oven temperatures. A good investment would be to get an electric food thermometer and an oven thermometer.
I am an apartment dweller, so my oven doesn’t cook evenly. I have to place everything in the middle rack for everything to cook consistently. For the first time I try out a new recipie, I have to test the temperature and probably fail a few times. For instance, I preheat the oven on 350, put the thermometer on the each rack and record the thermometer temperature. Then every time I bake, I know how much to subtract from each rack. I honestly don’t sit and do the math each time. But I know how to gage it. Always keep a close watch on your food to make it yum and not burnt.
Reading recipes and prepare ingredients. Taste the sugar to see if it’s salt
When you bring home ingredients from the store, label everything and put it away. Clean your kitchen area. If you like to use antibacterial wipes or spray, follow it up with a paper towel wipe thrice. Two water wipes and one dry towel to get the access water. Cookies that taste like soap are cookies worthy for the trash can.
Since most of the recipes I have been cooking are not committed to memory,
I do the following:
First I read the recipe all the way through. Grab all my ingredients. Check expiration dates. (If you cook all the time chances are you won’t need to do this. But I believe in freshness and it has become a habit to me to check all expiration dates prior to cooking.) At this point if I don’t have the ingredient I can rush to the store to get it. In the past I’d start cooking and in the middle of whipping I’d realize I didn’t have something. So it’s better to check your ingredient supply before you take any ingredients out to cook. You could have a disaster having to run to the store mid cook.
After having all my ingredients out on the table, I pre-measure everything over small bowls. Then place them into small bowls. (My husband likes to call them monkey bowls.) That way if you spill it, you don’t ruin the whole mix. You can put it back in the bag or container and measure again. I know it sounds like a luxury to have to use all these dishes but it can be a time saver in the end.
And lastly, if you don’t know what it is- sugar or salt. Taste it!
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Clean as you go.
When I cook, I don’t like to clean one big mess at the end. So I keep paper towels near by and a trash bag. This trash bag is a clean plastic bag just for the trash I create during cooking. I recommend using the trash bag or a big bowl because it keeps your work station sanitary without having to reach for your dirty kitchen trash can. I like to wipe my work area often while I cook so I just toss it into the
temporary refuge container. Some professional cooking counters have holes in them where a trash can lies underneath. This allows the cook to keep their station clean and free of clutter. It is also sanitary because the cook doesn’t have to touch or be near a dirty trash can.
When I am done with a monkey bowl I throw it immediately into the sink. They stack up easily so it saves space in my sink. When I have the food in the oven, I start filling up my dishwasher and preparing for the next step in my cooking.
For me, this is usually wiping down the counter and getting cooling racks and frosting tools.
Clean as you go.
When I cook, I don’t like to clean one big mess at the end. So I keep paper towels near by and a trash bag. This trash bag is a clean plastic bag just for the trash I create during cooking. I recommend using the trash bag or a big bowl because it keeps your work station sanitary without having to reach for your dirty kitchen trash can. I like to wipe my work area often while I cook so I just toss it into the
temporary refuge container. Some professional cooking counters have holes in them where a trash can lies underneath. This allows the cook to keep their station clean and free of clutter. It is also sanitary because the cook doesn’t have to touch or be near a dirty trash can.
When I am done with a monkey bowl I throw it immediately into the sink. They stack up easily so it saves space in my sink. When I have the food in the oven, I start filling up my dishwasher and preparing for the next step in my cooking.
For me, this is usually wiping down the counter and getting cooling racks and frosting tools.
Fat cook. Always taste before you serve
Everything you serve should be tasted as you cook and before you serve it. This will be the key to your cooking reputation.
When you are cooking over the stove it is easy to cook as you go. It is harder to do that when you are baking. But my rule of thumb is to smell the batter and if you bake with pasteurized eggs, taste the batter. However, you can’t taste dough so this will be one that you will have to taste before you serving.
My rule of thumb is to have one other person (my cooking assistant –my husband) help taste my food prior to serving. Nothing leaves my home with out a taste test. So every one that tastes my food thinks that everything I cook is really good! But I have to admit they taste the result of what I have learned from my mistakes.
Previous weeks to this date, I have made a caramelized banana cake, banana cream pie, truffles, cheese soufflé and meringue cookies.
These items turned out marvelously, but I forgot to get pictures.
When I get another chance to bake it again I will post it on my blog.
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