Baking...bleeck!

[Katie-pie]

I'm new to this BB and I've been surfing through all of the wonderful topics the last couple of days. My problem? I don't enjoy baking. I love to cook but baking to me is so exact and boring.

I've been reading the most delicious baking recipes and it makes me want to learn how to bake. Does anyone have any suggestions or easy recipes that will help me on my way to becoming a loving baker?

[Peeps]

I have the opposite problem! I don't enjoy cooking meals much but I LOVE to bake! For me its more because I have such a sweet tooth I'd rather put my effort into something yummy like dessert than spending time making dinner. I also find that baking is so much easier for me because the recipes always seem to turn out without any problems whereas when I try to cook, nothing ever goes right and at the end I've spent ages of time and produced something usually worse than a TV dinner! Just my luck though, I guess I just have the baking gene and not the cooking one!
To get you started I can say that one thing that helps for me is having everthing I need on hand. Because I bake so much I always make sure to have flour, sugars, chocolate chips, etc. around and it makes it easy whenever I get the urge to try a dessert. Whereas for cooking I never have any of the spices or ingredients around and having to go to the store just makes me want to do it even less. So stock up on some baking basics and it will be less of a chore when you feel the urge to bake something!

[Chefmom]

Oh, I do hope that you don't give up!!!!! I am a Pastry Chef and after YEARS of doing other things in my life I came back to my first love.....baking.

Some of my fondest memories are in the kitchen as a little girl baking. I began to play with recipes when I was just a teenager and it took YEARS for me to realize this is where I belonged.

Is there anything in particular you have problems with. The best way to start, is just to start simple. Cookies are about the easiest things to bake.

If you have any specific questions, or just want to browse my recipes, you can email me, kitchenhelp@mail.com

my favorite recipes are here: http://RecipeCircus.com/recipes/Chefmom/

Also, I am a contributing editor for www.baking911.com (http://www.baking911.com) and there is a TON of baking information there!!

Good Luck!
Tami

[Mamasue]

katie-pie,

Don't give up! I also love to bake and tend to try new recipes in the baking line more than anything else. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Tami....I can't find your website that you had with your cookie and cake recipes showing step by step pictures. Can you repost it for us. Thanks http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

You know, what's funny is that although I've always loved both cooking and baking, I used to be a baking fanatic -- I absolutely could not get enough of making cookies, cakes, etc.

Now, I rarely bake, although I do still enjoy it, and cooking is just such a passion of mine. My personal theory is that I'm a very, very right-brained person, and the creativity that's so inherent (and much more flexible) in cooking, just isn't as easily utilized in baking. (And the things I can make cooking are much better for me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif ).

Anyway, I still love to bake sometimes, but if you're really interested in starting, just try recipe after recipe -- I'd start with cookies, if you're not ready for anything too technical. Have fun!

Emily

[philamark]

I love to bake, much more than cooking. I also have a sweet tooth and find my labor to be more rewarding to prepare something sweet.
I find baking very calming, therapeutic for me on the weekends when I'm away from work. Anyhow, to get started, I'd just look at some good food magazines like Cooking Light, Bon Apetit, Fine Cooking. They always have great dessert recipes. Good luck!

[philamark]

I love to bake, much more than cooking. I also have a sweet tooth and find my labor to be more rewarding to prepare something sweet.
I find baking very calming, therapeutic for me on the weekends when I'm away from work. Anyhow, to get started, I'd just look at some good food magazines like Cooking Light, Bon Apetit, Fine Cooking. They always have great dessert recipes. Good luck!

[Chef Cindy]

I love to bake as well but I don't have a sweet tooth. I really enjoy the presentation of baked goods and like Tami I have very found memories of baking as a little girl with my Mom and Grandma.

[schuh]

Katie-pie, most people I know are one or the other. I happen to love baking and like cooking. I also think you can be as creative in baking as you can with cooking, within certain parameters. I've solved this with a good friend who loves to cook but hates to bake -- whenever she invites me over, she cooks and I bring dessert!

[makedah]

Katie, I'm going to assume you're starting from square one... I baked my first cake alone when I was 14. It was a chocolate layer cake. I love to bake, but I understand how you feel -- I am terrified of baking pastry or with yeast: bread, crusts, biscuits, etc. I'm afraid that any little thing I do will screw it all up!

I know people who prefer cooking to baking because you can "play" with the food right up until you eat it, but with baking, you have to leave it alone! If that's your impulse, you may want to start with desserts that allow you to improvise without wrecking the chemistry of baking.

You might try starting with crisps, cookies (don't tinker with the flour and eggs business, just the flavoring), brownies and fillings for frozen pie crusts. It's probably pretty difficult to completely foul up those. Also, cookies go in batches, so you can feasibly make each tray of cookies different if you wanted to! For cakes, start with some simple one-pan (9-inch round or 9x13 square) recipes so you can get the feel for what the batter should look like, what some common mistakes might be, etc. before you spend too much money and all day in the kitchen.

Good luck to you!

[robinf]

Katie-pie

I'm with you. I too love to cook and hate to bake. Your description of baking - exact and boring - is how I feel about itI hate to follow recipes exactly and am always changing things depending upon my mood. Since this is much harder to do in baked goods, I don't bother with them.

Every so often I think I should bake but never seem to get around to it. Maybe tomorrow....

[lsdesign]

I am more of a cooker than baker however a few years back CL had an article about baking breads. I tried the Ciabatta, Italian slipper bread, and now I can do it in my sleep. It is an easy and satisfying thing to make and I never thought of myself as a bread baker before this.

[HDgirl]

I like to cook rather than bake. I do have a sweet tooth..but try to suppress that. Although, I have volunteered to make dessert for Easter. I can't believe it came out of my mouth! I promised myself to make something different..than my signature low fat cheesecake which the fam loves.

The pressure!!

[Katie-pie]

A big thanks to all of you! It was great to log on and find so many responses! These bulletin boards sure are fun...love it!

Maybe I'll try a key lime pie this weekend...yummy. Thanks for the encouragement girls! (and boys!?)

I'm looking forward to many more chats!