How to Read and Follow the Steps in a Recipe
The art of cooking involves more than just following a recipe. It is important to get a feel for how the ingredients should look, feel, taste, and smell as they come together, using various tools and techniques. This guide is meant to be a set of helpful hints, for those who are just learning to cook. The following instructions I found to be useful when I learned them from my mother and other relatives and friends, from chefs on TV or YouTube, from books and magazines, or just through experience in the kitchen. For consistent results, be consistent in your treatment of your ingredients and in the timing of your actions. Leave the rest of your life outside the kitchen door; keep a relaxed and happy attitude toward every task each time you create something delicious. Your cake won't forgive you if you beat the eggs extra hard when you are mad!
- Add To "add" ingredients, add the ingredients to the bowl in the order suggested. If no directions are given for mixing speed or how to mix the ingredients together, they may be gently mixed together with a spoon by hand.
- Butter To "butter" the baking pan before adding the muffin or cake batter, completely coat the entire interior surface of the muffin tin or cake pan with a thin layer of butter. This prevents the batter from sticking to the pan when cooking, even as the cake rises to the top edge of the pan. To aid in spreading the butter evenly, I like to wrap around my fingers a clean bit of plastic wrap or use a piece of food-quality paper, such as that in which sticks of butter are packaged, and use it as sort of a brush, to "paint" the pan with butter.
- Butter and flour When the recipe instructs to "butter and flour" the pan, the idea is to make very sure that the bottom of the treat does not stick to the pan after baking, so that when you use a spatula or turn the pan upside down to remove the treat, the treat comes out in one piece. First, butter the pan, as described above. Next, add a tablespoon of flour to the pan, adding more flour as needed, and shake the pan side to side, tapping the edges, so that the butter becomes completely covered with a thin layer of flour. After the pan is buttered and floured, turn the pan upside-down and tap the pan to shake out the excess flour. If the treat is chocolate, cocoa powder can be used instead of flour.
- Coating Mix together the "coating" ingredients and set aside.
- Cool A recipe will call for allowing treats to "cool" before being removed from the pan, to give them a chance to set, so they can be safely removed without falling apart. However, if left to cool too long, they may stick to the pan, in some cases becoming stuck fast as the caramelized sugar hardens, so the treat breaks when you take it out. It is important to learn how to recognize how a treat's consistency feels to the touch, to know when it is just the right time to take it out of the pan.
- Cupcakes The batter for "cupcakes" is usually spooned into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan, because most cupcakes might stick to a pan, even if it is first buttered and floured. If cupcake liners are not available, just butter and flour the pan, but loosen the cupcakes and remove from the pan very shortly after baking.
- Mix To "mix" ingredients, put them all in a large bowl at once and gently stir them together gently, just enough to combine thoroughly, but not vigorously enough to add air bubbles to the mixture, as happens in beating eggs or whipping cream. When combining "dry ingredients" and "wet ingredients," I find it easier to first combine the dry ingredients, then combine the wet ingredients, and finally add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the wet ingredients.
- Muffins "Muffins" can be made in a muffin tin or a mini-muffin tin, which requires less baking time. Grease the tin with butter, do not use cupcake liners. The dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients and stirred until just combined.
- Remove After baking, allow the treat to cool shortly, to set. Loosen from the pan. Then "remove" cakes, cupcakes, loaves, and breads from the pan by turning the pan upside down, shaking gently, if necessary. If a cake is not holding together, it may come out in separate pieces. Pieces that are still stuck to the bottom of the can pan may be loosened with a butter knife or spatula and picked up. The cake may then be pieced back together on the cake plate, "glued" back together with icing, if necessary. Cookies may be removed shortly after baking. Give cookies a minute or so to set first, so they hold together, and then gently pry them off the pan with a spatula. Place cookies on flattened brown paper bags, brown paper, parchment paper, absorbent paper plates, paper towels, or cotton dish towels, to absorb fats and moisture as they cool. If sticky, move them around occasionally until fully cooled, to prevent sticking to the paper.
- Spices All the "spices" should be mixed together before being added.
- Toothpick test The "toothpick test" for doneness involves taking a single toothpick and sticking it all the way down into the thickest part of the center of the treat, and then pulling it out again immediately. If the treat is not done, some of the batter or pie filling may cling to the toothpick.
- Topping Mix together the "topping" ingredients and set aside. Spread evenly over top of treat just before baking.
- Wet Ingredients The "wet ingredients" should be combined in order, before adding the dry ingredients. Cream the butter until fluffy. Add sugar, and cream again until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Mix To "mix" ingredients, put them all in a large bowl at once and gently stir them together gently, just enough to combine thoroughly, but not vigorously enough to add air bubbles to the mixture, as happens in beating eggs or whipping cream. When combining "dry ingredients" and "wet ingredients," I find it easier to first combine the dry ingredients, then combine the wet ingredients, and finally add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the wet ingredients.
- Muffins "Muffins" can be made in a muffin tin or a mini-muffin tin, which requires less baking time. Grease the tin with butter, do not use cupcake liners. The dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients and stirred until just combined.
- Remove After baking, allow the treat to cool shortly, to set. Loosen from the pan. Then "remove" cakes, cupcakes, loaves, and breads from the pan by turning the pan upside down, shaking gently, if necessary. If a cake is not holding together, it may come out in separate pieces. Pieces that are still stuck to the bottom of the can pan may be loosened with a butter knife or spatula and picked up. The cake may then be pieced back together on the cake plate, "glued" back together with icing, if necessary. Cookies may be removed shortly after baking. Give cookies a minute or so to set first, so they hold together, and then gently pry them off the pan with a spatula. Place cookies on flattened brown paper bags, brown paper, parchment paper, absorbent paper plates, paper towels, or cotton dish towels, to absorb fats and moisture as they cool. If sticky, move them around occasionally until fully cooled, to prevent sticking to the paper.
- Spices All the "spices" should be mixed together before being added.
- Toothpick test The "toothpick test" for doneness involves taking a single toothpick and sticking it all the way down into the thickest part of the center of the treat, and then pulling it out again immediately. If the treat is not done, some of the batter or pie filling may cling to the toothpick.
- Topping Mix together the "topping" ingredients and set aside. Spread evenly over top of treat just before baking.
- Wet Ingredients The "wet ingredients" should be combined in order, before adding the dry ingredients. Cream the butter until fluffy. Add sugar, and cream again until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
