How-Tos: Measuring Baking Ingredients

How important is measuring ingredients in baking? Answer: Very important. In baking, everything is precise. An additional pinch of this or less of that may not affect your beef stew very much, but baking is a science, and by mixing ingredients together, you create chemistry. It is important to be precise as there is a need for balance between fats, flours, leaveners and liquids.

This write-up is part of a series of tips and information for beginners in baking. Before you get started on any baking, here are some tips and pointer on how to measure ingredients.

Measuring Tools
1) Measuring Spoons - they usually come in sets of 4 to 8, with sizes ranging from 1/8 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon

2) Dry Measuring cups – usually comes in ¼ cup, 1/3 cup, ½ cup, 1 cup

3) Liquid Measuring Cups

Measuring Dry Ingredients
Generally for dry ingredients like flour, baking soda, cocoa powder etc, loosely scoop the ingredients till they form a heap on the spoon. Do not tap, press in or shake to level them. Level off with the something straight e.g. a spatula or the back of a knife.

Measuring Brown sugar
Recipes usually require brown sugar to be firmly packed into the measuring spoon/cup. When measuring brown sugar, make sure they are packed in firmly (but not so firm as to crush them or till you have difficulty getting them out of the measuring cup.

An easy way to tell whether you have packed it correctly is to look at how it looks after getting out of the measuring cup. If the ingredient is lightly packed, after you pour it out, it will lose the shape of the measuring cup it was in. If firmly packed, it will still slightly retain the shape of the measuring cup after it was poured out.

Measuring Icing sugar/ Powdered sugar
Icing sugar usually needs to be sifted to remove lumps in them.

Measuring Liquid Ingredients
Pour your ingredient into a measuring cup, bend over so that your eyes on level with the measuring marks. This is to avoid parallax errors when reading the quantity of your ingredients.

Measuring Sticky Ingredients
Honey, molasses, golden syrup can be difficult to pour after you have measured them. One way is to lightly coat the inside of the measuring cup with oil or cooking spray first. This will allow the ingredients to slide out easily.

Measuring Butter
Butter comes in sticks and generally, each stick of butter equals 8 tablespoons or half cup.

If using a measuring cup, spoon the butter (assuming the butter is a little soft) into the measuring cup and pack lightly by pressing down lightly with a spoon or spatula, to remove any air holes.

Tip: Before filling with butter or shortening, line your measuring cup with a piece of plastic wrap. Fill with the required amount of butter or shortening. Pull the ends of the plastic wrap to remove the ingredient. It is easier to remove, and the measuring cups are easier to wash.

Baking for Beginners

Want to start baking and churning out some home-baked goodies but not sure where to start? Here are some tips to help you get going!

Getting started with the right equipment

as a beginner, you do not need to have a whole array of equipment. It is tempting to get that Kitchenaid and that set of attractive-coloured silicon bake ware. Be honest with yourself. If you know you usually would not last long in a new hobby, get only the basics. For a beginner in baking, it may be a good idea to have these – a few mixing bowls, 2 or 3 baking trays, a whisk, measuring spoons, a digital weighing scale and an oven thermometer. When you are ready for more, you can always expand your collection.

There is one thing I have learnt from experience – get the best that you can afford. Even if you decide later to abandon this hobby, the good stuff are easier to sell off. :P

Try the easy recipes first

If your oven has always been used as a storage area instead of a source of nice baked goodies, it may probably be a good idea to start with the easier recipes with a shorter ingredient list and less steps involved such as a cookie recipe. Some websites have a huge collection of recipes with various difficulty levels for beginners in baking and more seasoned bakers, and might include comments from other users. Do read all the comments before you try; sometimes you may need to tweak it for it to work better.

An alternative is to buy premixes from the supermarket. They will be good ego-boosters as failure rate is lower. At the same time, you can get to familiarize with your oven and pick up techniques.

Check the recipe and gather what is required

When you have decided on a recipe, read through it again and again. Make sure you have all the equipment and ingredients ready when you start. Ensure that all required equipment are clean and dry. Check expiry dates of your ingredients to ensure they are fresh. Is there any term or method which you are unsure of? Reach out for Google and Youtube. That was how I learnt for free.

Follow the recipe

Follow the instructions in the recipe carefully. This sounds easy doesn’t it? However, for a beginner, they may not know which are the processes which give room for failure. Over-mixing or under-mixing can affect the outcome of your baking, and in some cases, the sequence of ingredients added can matter. If chilled milk is called for, do not take it out of the fridge too early.

Wash as you go along

This may not sound like a part of the baking process, but it is important. It is easy to end up using many spoons, bowls, measuring cups during the baking process. I make it a point to wash as I go along, so that my sink is not piled up with stuff waiting to be washed. If you leave everything to be washed at the end, I am quite sure it will be a long time before you decide to bake again.


Bake with love
Without this ingredient, I can assure you that you that nothing will turn out right.

So, you have tried and failed…what next?

Try again! Personally I feel baking recipes can be fill with “traps” for beginners. Sometimes, the most important step could look like the least important step.

- Did you weigh all the ingredients correctly?

- Did you preheat your oven?

- Is your oven of the right temperature? Every oven behaves differently. It may show 180°C on the oven dial but is that the temperature inside? An oven thermometer would help and you would probably need a few more experiments to know how it behaves.

- Did you put it on the correct oven rack?

- Ask. Read others’ blogs, post a comment and wait for them to reply, google why you failed, or simply ask around.

- Register for a baking class. Nothing beats having an instructor around to answer your questions and watching you hands-on.

Now, you can start your baking journey soon!

Cooking for Beginners

Hi everybody!

I am not sure about you, but for me, eating take-outs too frequently bore me. There are numerous times I would walk around, not knowing what to eat outside, because not only are many stuff oily and overladen with sodium, some of them might not be fresh. Of course, there will always be the occasional craving for something sinful like fried chicken, french fries, or that rich chocolate cake, but there certainly are times when I would prefer to eat at home, even it it is a very simple meal.

My kitchen is my favourite spot at home. Whenever I look at home decor magazines, the first thing I look for, is how the kitchen is designed. I am not born to cook, but I do enjoy meddling and playing around in the kitchen, trying out new baking or cooking recipes. My mum was not a very good cook when I was young, but she got better as the years go by. As a kid, I would watch and volunteer to help, even if it means only getting to wash the vegetables or adding a pinch of salt to a pot of soup.

All right, so you want to try cooking, but how do you get started?

The most fundamental basic is to have your kitchen properly equipped with with the necessary tools and ingredients.

Equipment
A stove, refrigerator, oven, dish washers (if you just cannot stand washing up) are perhaps the basics. They do not have to be the most expensive, but they have to serve their purpose well. Make sure they are placed near to each other, so that things will be easily within reach. You would not want to be running from your stove to your refrigerator in the midst of cooking. Many people use the "work triangle" as a guideline. It is not a strict formula, it is meant to facilitate efficiency in the kitchen. Of course, do what works for you, and what you are comfortable with.




Cutlery & Crockery
Be sure you have enough crockery and cutlery. Plates and bowls of different shapes and sizes will be handy, and believe me, you would want to have a few nice ones, so that when your cooking has not reached very high standards in the beginning, they at least will look appetizing in a nice bowl or plate. I always keep a look out for sales in a department store. Not all my crockery belong to the same set of printed designs, most of mine are plain white which are classic and easy to match.
A good set of knives is essential. A good knife is designed for a safe and firm to grip and can remain sharp for a long time. I usually use a chef's knife which I use for cutting almost everything, and a paring knife for small vegetables and fruits, but I know of people who use Santoku knives or chinese cleaver for everything. Try mastering different knife techniques like slicing and chopping, they will come in very useful.
You will also need a frying pan, a saucepan, a casserole or stockpot to start with. Again, you do not need to buy top notch quality ones, but do make sure they are reasonably good and durable and meet your requirements. You will also need to consider the number of people you are cooking for and the type of stove you are using i.e. induction, gas, ceramic etc. Some cookware might not be used in a dishwasher, microwave or oven, so do check properly before buying.

Ingredients
Buy the freshest ingredients you can find, and buy in small quantities if you do not cook often. It is better to buy as and when you need, than to buy in large quantities and then throw them away without using. However, do stock up on basics like spices, which are always handy for giving that extra flavour and can usually be kept for a longer period of time.

Now that you have got your 'tools' ready, let's get cooking!

Cooking Techniques
There are many ways of cooking - stir fry, deep fry, broil, steam, grill etc. Start with simple dishes with few ingredients and short preparation time, so that you can practise on the different cooking techniques first. If you fail the first few attempts, do not despair, try again and you will get more confident. No one is born to cook like a Michelin star chef. If possible, have some friends or family to sample your cooking so that they can give feedback.

What to Cook
There are numerous, numerous online recipes available. Look for reliable ones which have been tried and tested, because some recipes just do not turn out well simply because the proportions of the ingredients are wrong, and not that you are not good at cooking. Alternatively, watch online cooking videos, buy a recipe book or register for cooking classes to pick up some extra tips from people who have been cooking all their lives.
When trying out a recipe, read through the whole recipe at least once, so that you can have an idea of the steps involved and will not get disorganized when you start cooking.

Some Tips
When you are a beginner, do not rush out to buy things like food processor or blender. You can always buy them when you have mastered the basics and move on to more complicated recipes.
Try to keep your workspace neat and clean while cooking. Always clean up as you go along, especially when there are spills and splatters. Use only cutlery or crockery you absolutely need. If you use half a dozen bowls and plates just to cook scrambled eggs and your workspace shows that you will have tons of cleaning up to do later on, chances are, you will never want to cook again.

Now, the fact that you are reading till this point shows that you have made the first move into the kitchen. Give yourself opportunities to cook. Make your own lunch to bring to your workplace or prepare some easy finger food and have a potluck with a few friends. Surprise your significant other by cooking for them. Cooking is a lot of joy. The satisfaction is immense when you get your first compliments on your cooking. Have fun!