Guidelines to Common Baking Terms
Young cooks often have the desire to produce delicious foods, but can be easily confused by some of the baking terms used in recipes. Since the end result of the food can greatly depend on how the recipe is carried through, becoming familiar with the terms is an important step.
The first thing to understand is the difference between cooking and baking. A glaring difference is that, when baking, it is crucial to have precise measurements of all ingredients for a successful product. This is due to the chemical reaction that takes place between the ingredients in pastries, cakes and cookies. Cooking can be more casual and creative; a pinch of this, a dash of that, and maybe just a little bit of this. Often, a novice cook can be overhead saying they “cooked” a cake; a true tell that they have not gained a great deal of experience in the kitchen as of yet.
There are numerous terms that will be found when browsing through recipes. Before starting any recipe, it is strongly recommended that you read it through from beginning to end for a couple of reasons. First, you want to make sure that you have all of the ingredients before you start to prepare the recipe. Second, you will need to ensure that you fully understand what will need to be done in the recipe. If any of the baking terms are unfamiliar to you, you have the opportunity to research those terms before you need to perform it.
Through the lengthy list of baking terms that will be seen in recipes for baked goods, there will be a few that pop up more frequently than others. Some of the most common terms are beat, blanch, chop, cream, fold, mix, scald, shred, stir and whip. These are terms that are easily learned and mastered with a little practice. A few others may present a bit more of a challenge, but certainly not overwhelmingly so. Boiling, for example, may seem to be a task that anyone would be able to do. However, there are different levels to boiling that can make a big difference in the results. The term “bring to a boil” means letting the fluid heat until small bubbles appear around the edges and begin the burst. Simmering is a slightly more invigorated bubble action that, when stirred, will disappear for a short time before bubbling again. Bringing liquid to a “rolling boil” means that vigorous bubbles will cover the surface and will continue to boil heartily even when stirred.
It may be confusing to some novice cooks to know the degree of mixing that is required in a recipe. Several baking terms are used to instruct in the action needed. “Folding” is the gentlest process of all; a slow and patient lifting and carefully combining an ingredient into a batter, often used with whipped egg whites. It is important to retain the air volume that has been added to the whites for a light and fluffy product. Stirring is generally used for combining just a few ingredients, while mixing is a means of thoroughly combining a number of ingredients together. Beating is used to incorporate air into a mixture, and whipping is simply beating at a higher speed. When baking, it is vital to use the proper method to achieve the best results; too little mixing will mean a heavy, dense product while too much mixing may cause the food to crumble easily.
Terms used in baking can be confusing when first beginning to experiment in the kitchen, but with a little knowledge and a lot of practice, even a novice baker can produce bakery quality foods.