Professional bakers generally weigh ingredients but I don’t consider that practical so I do what I think most of us do, which is use measuring cups and spoons. Measuring liquids is pretty simple and requires a glass or plastic cup with markings that should be viewed at eye level, but dry ingredients are where recipes are affected the most. The proper way to measure flour is to first stir the flour in its container in case it has settled too much and become compacted. Then you are supposed to spoon it into your dry (stackable) measuring cup. Since I bake so much I keep my flour in a covered container but I always stir it first before measuring. My method is “dip and level” meaning that after I stir the flour around in the container, I dip my measuring cup into the flour, do not tap or shake the cup, and then I level off the top with a knife. I dip and level with sugar also but it does not tend to settle as much as flour. With small dry ingredients like spices, baking powder, etc. I just dip in the measuring spoon, scoop it up and then level off with a knife. I think most failures in baking happen by not stirring and aerating the flour first.
Here’s some advice I have based on some mistakes I have made:
1) Never measure liquid things like vanilla or oil in a measuring spoon over the bowl you’re working in – it can easily spill over into your bowl and there’s no way to fix it.
2) Never break an egg directly into a batter but always into a small bowl or cup first. You’d be surprised how often you’ll find a piece of egg shell.
3) When baking with cocoa powder sift it together with the other dry ingredients because it’s not always easy to incorporate it later.
I make a lot of hard boiled eggs. A lot. There are some in my fridge right now… perfect, easy to peel, no green ring, hard boiled eggs for snacking, breakfast, deviled eggs, and egg salad. I’ve learned a few things about how to make foolproof hard boiled eggs so here’s what I know…
1) Really fresh eggs will be harder to peel so use your older eggs for boiling.
2) Place eggs in a pot and cover completely with cold water.
3) Do not crowd too many eggs in the pot or they may not cook.
4) If you see a stream of bubbles coming out of an egg in the cold water that means it’s cracked. Remove the cracked egg and save it for cooking.
5) Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the water. If you don’t have baking soda, use salt.
6) Bring the water to a full, rolling boil.
7) Cover the pot and turn off the heat, leaving the pot on the warm burner.
8) Set a timer for 17 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
10) After 17 minutes remove the eggs from the hot water using a slotted spoon and place them in the ice water for 2 minutes. They will still be warm inside after two minutes.
11) Serve immediately or keep refrigerated.
11) Freshly boiled, warm eggs will be easier to peel than cold ones.
12) Peeling them under running water makes peeling easier.
13) Start to peel at the fat end of the egg for easier peeling.
So that’s all I know about making perfect hard-boiled eggs. Now here is why I eat them: Eggs are a great source of….
~Protein, B vitamins, and minerals.
~Choline, which reduces inflammation, protects against breast cancer, and supports brain health.
~Lutein and Zeaxanthin to ward off macular degeneration.
~Sulphur for shiny hair, strong nails, and glowing skin.
~New research tells us that egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol but they do not raise blood cholesterol. For the latest research on eggs from Prevention Magazine, click here.
So that’s everything I know about making perfect, easy to peel, no green ring hard boiled eggs. Now here’s as quiz: Q: Why do brown eggs cost more than white ones? A: Because the hens are bigger and it costs more to feed them. Nutritionally, there is no difference.
To keep crisp cookies crisp all you need is a stapler, a coffee filter, some baking soda, and an air-tight container. I can explain. The baking soda absorbs moisture and the coffee filter is made of a porous material full of tiny holes that lets the air circulate easily and allows the baking soda to absorb any moisture.
Put about 1/3 cup of fresh baking soda into a coffee filter and staple it closed with two staples, allowing the open edge to get as much air as possible. Stapling the baking soda inside the filter keeps it from spilling onto the cookies. A couple of staples is all you need. Also, make sure the freshly baked cookies are completely cooled before storing.
Place the stapled coffee filter in an air-tight container (in any position, upright or laying down) with your cookies and you will find them just as crispy the next day. Here are some other tips for keeping cookies crisp:
Cool cookies completely before storing.
Do not store soft cookies together with crispy cookies.
Glass containers are good for storing crispy cookies.
Do not store in plastic bags but use a covered container.
Refrigerating cookies will help keep them crisp.
If you freeze cookies they will be crispy if you eat them frozen.
Cookies that have softened will be never become crispy when stored no matter what tricks you use.
Cookies can be re-crisped in a 300 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes.
Here’s how to share any of my recipes. Just above each recipe on the right side look for these buttons:
With the first two buttons, you can share a recipe on your facebook page or email it to anyone, even yourself. And when you click on the you will see this:
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How exciting! I’d be even more excited if I knew what they all were. 🙂 But if yours isn’t here, it probably doesn’t exist. So now you can share any of my recipes you like. The more people cooking at home, the better! – Jenny Jones
Parvin asks… Hello Jenny, how can i bake soft cookies? Thank you
My Response… There are a few things than help to make soft cookies: 1. Bake them for the least amount of time, even if they seem soft in the middle. 2. Don’t use dark baking pans, only shiny metal ones. 3. Try reducing the flour just a little. 4. Try adding an extra egg yolk. 5. Use more brown sugar and less white sugar. 6. Use butter and not oil. 7. Replace part of the butter with shortening. 8. Remove cookies immediately from pan when done. 9. Cool the cookies on a flat surface and not a wire rack. 10. Store them in an air-tight container. If needed, put in a piece of white bread.
Debbie asks… Hi lately my cupcakes have become wrinkled and flat once out of the oven can you to me what might cause this please.
My Response…
Baking is such an exact science that almost any small change in a recipe can cause it to fail. Here are a few possible explanations:
Your baking powder or baking soda is expired.
Your ingredients are not room temperature.
Batter was over-mixed.
Oven door was opened during baking.
Batter was too liquid.
Improper measuring.
Oven was not preheated long enough.
Oven temperature is not accurate.
Make sure you follow your recipe exactly, right down to the size of the eggs (usually large) and use fresh ingredients. I hope this helps. Does anyone else have cupcake advice for Debbie?
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