How did we do?

How did you feel your first experience in the kitchen went?

What, if anything, would you change? Did you enjoy baking? What do you think are some importing

things to consider when working in a kitchen?

How did your final product turn out?

First Baking Experience - Cookies

A Place for Everything and Everything in it’s Place

Mise en Place is a term that refers to preparing ingredients by measuring everything out before you start cooking or baking.

Mise en Place

Ingredients should be

arranged in bowls and organized by

the order they are to be used.

Additionally, all your utensils and equipment should

be set up and easily accessible.

Pre-Prep: Start with a clean kitchen. Clean countertops,

put dishes away.

Quick Tip: clean as you go. Keep your cleaning tools nearby so that you can constantly clean up as you work. This will help you maintain your Mise en Place and avoid any potential contamination of ingredients

Read the recipe all the way through. Focus on the ingredients and steps, and then start gathering your resources.

4 Simple Steps for Mise en Place

Deep Prep: Process everything before you start (chop,

blend, peep, dice, measure, etc.) This is a good time to prepare pans and

pre-heat the oven. It’s best for the oven to be heated for at least 10-15 mins before putting your dish in to ensure it’s at the right temperature.

4 Simple Steps for Mise en Place

Cook/Bake: If you’re prepared properly, you can do

more than one thing at a time. It’s all about timing and making sure you’re not overcooking anything.

Quick Tip: not all vegetables need to cook for the same amount of time. To time it right, you can blanch them, which means briefly boiling an ingredient, and then plunging it into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

4 Simple Steps for Mise en Place

Finishing Touches: It’s the last minute drizzle of sauce on the

plate, the tossing of the dressing into the salad, or the sprinkling of chopped parsley flakes on the plate to add a bit of colour.

4 Simple Steps for Mise en Place

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDFBdk0d21A

Baking is an exact science that requires precise measuring and accuracy.

A baker uses a formula – a recipe that includes the precise amount of each ingredient. The success of the formula is determined in large part on accurate ingredient measurement and following instructions carefully.

Baking 101

Accuracy is crucial in baking because most baked products are made from the same basic ingredients:Flour, water, eggs, fat, leavening agent.

Baking

The difference between two baked products often lies in the proportion of each ingredient in the formula. If the proportions are off, you will end up with a different product or an unacceptable product.

Baking

Bakeshop ingredients are measured by weight or volume.

Volume is the space an ingredient occupies.

Weight measures the mass or heaviness of something.

These two methods of measurement often produce very different results.

Measuring

Bakers tend to weigh most ingredients on a balance scale.

Bakers refer to weighing as scaling. Measuring ingredients by weight gives

consistent, reliable results.

Weighing

Measuring spoons come in sets of four or six, ranging from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. You can use the same measuring tools for both liquids and dry ingredients.

For liquids, fill the spoon until it's full. For dry ingredients, pour or scoop into the

spoon until it's full, leveling off the spoon with the straight edge of a spatula or knife.

Measuring Equipment

Measuring cups are essential for every kitchen. You won't find many recipes that don't require measurements of some kind. Measuring cups come in two basic types:

Graded: Graded cups range in sizes from 1/4 cup to 1 cup and can range from 4 to 6 cups in a set. Use graded cups to measure dry ingredients and solid fats, such as shortening.

Glass: Glass cups are available in a wide range of sizes, the most common being 1 cup, 2 cups, and 4 cups. Use these cups for measuring liquids.

Measuring Equipment

To measure dry ingredients, spoon the ingredients lightly into the measuring cup. Do not shake the cup to make level!

Take the straight edge of a knife (not the cutting edge) and level off the ingredient. Leveling it off gives you one level cup.

If the recipe calls for a heaping cup, do not level off the cup. Instead, leave a small mounded top of ingredients.

Measuring Dry Ingredients

To measure shortening, spoon the ingredients into a cup and pack down firmly with a spoon or rubber spatula to eliminate any air holes.

Measuring Fats

Always use a glass measuring cup for measuring liquids. For an accurate reading, always rest the cup on a level surface and read at eye level.

Measuring Liquids

httphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v-ulU_mi7o

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v-ulU_mi7o

For the most part, precise measurements are not necessary in cooking, but are a critical part of baking success. In fact, incorrect measuring is one of the biggest reasons that most baking endeavors fail. A bit of extra flour can lead to rock-hard cookies, tough bread, and less-than fluffy cakes. Too much granulated sugar and your cookies will be crispy when you wanted them soft and chewy.

Should I Measure or Weigh?

The easiest way to get precise measurements of ingredients is to use a kitchen scale.

Lets try it out…

Scales

Cookie Dough Errors

Spreading

Crumbly

Hard Dry Lack of Spread

Poorly Mixed * * *

Too little sugar

*

Too much sugar

* *

To little flour * * *

Too much flour

*

Too much leavening

*

Too much baking soda

*

Not enough eggs

*

Too much shortening

*

How did our cookies turn out?

Using proper technique is an important factor in making pie dough.

There are 2 types of Pie Dough: Flaky Dough, used for pie top crusts;

prebaked pie shells. Mealy Dough, used for fruit pies,

custard pies, cream pies; bottom crust.

Pie Dough

It is important not to overmix pie dough.

To keep the pie dough flaky, pie dough should normally be mixed by hand.

Pastry flour should be sifted together with the salt before mixing to lessen clumping.

Next, the fat is cut into the flour until the fat is the size of peas.

The cold liquid is then added and all ingredients are mixed until the dough holds together.

Pie Dough

Dough should be covered with plastic wrap and chilled before using.

This allows the dough and fat to firm for easy handling and rolling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuCyDYYVILghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuCyDYYVILg

Pie Dough