Baking Basics

Everybody knows that homemade desserts are best and who doesn't love a warm, fresh-from-the-oven fruit cobbler? A delicious cobbler served up with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped...

You don't need a pizza oven to bake a delicious, crispy crust pizza. Instead you can use a pizza stone, which helps distribute heat and absorbs moisture. Pizza stones come in a variety of shapes...

So you've brought your new GE electric range home, installed it in your kitchen and used it to bake cookies once or twice. Now you have to take the kids to soccer practice this afternoon, but...

Proper mortar and insulation are the keys to an effective wood-fired brick oven. Building strong layers of cement and bricks traps the heat inside the dome and directs it onto the cooking food. A...

When you're using jars to store food for a long time, such as when you're canning, it is important to sterilize the jars before adding any food. This is key in preventing food poisoning and...

Here’s how to bake a tender, juicy, and delicious whole chicken.

So you need a easy meal tonight? And you have some chicken ready to go? Well here you will find some tips on how to cook that chicken up, and serve it to your family in less then a hour's time.

Cakes split and crack on top when they rise in the center too rapidly after the edges of the cake are set. Some cooks refer to this problem as volcano-topped cakes, and several things can cause...

A combination thermometer and timer lets you keep an eye on a large piece of meat in the oven or on the stove without having to guess when it's done and without having to repeatedly open the oven...

It’s that time of year when everybody is puttin on their apron and turming up the oven and is planning on baking homemade Christmas cookies. Whether you are baking with the kids, a baking veteran,...

Fan ovens, which are sold at department stores, look just like conventional ovens. But fan ovens are especially well suited for making bread because the constant convecting air cooks the dough at...

If you love to bake but have disappointing results with yeast bread, this article is for you. This is not a recipe. These are rather some techniques that will help you succeed with whatever...

A baked sweet potato is a healthy side dish option for a homemade lunch, but transporting a freshly baked sweet potato can be difficult. Sweet potatoes will cool quickly if placed in a brown paper...

its the holidays and you have guests coming over in 30 minutes. what do you do? a frozen ham steak only takes 10 minutes to make, and it tastes like you spent all day curing it!

Convection ovens have built-in fans that move hot air around the oven to evenly heat your cooking vessel full of water and potatoes. This evenly controlled heat will cook all the potatoes at the...

If you have a cake recipe or mix, you can learn how to bake in various cake pans by simply adjusting the cooking time. Whether you're making an elaborate cake shaped like a football or Easter egg...

Baking in a convection oven is similar to a regular oven, although the convection oven allows you to bake much faster and produce moister foods. When baking in a convection oven, you need to...

This very easy explanation will ensure perfectly toasted pecans to use on any recipe requiring these tasty morsels. Toasted pecans can be used to top Sundaes, in recipes such as Banana Bread or...

Pumpkin seeds make tasty snacks that are healthy for you as well. Pumpkin seeds can be prepared in a variety of ways, but toasted seems to be the best. To soften the seeds before you toast them,...

How to make homemade classic baked potatoes while at home.

Frozen or homemade pizza is always a great option for an easy yet delicious dinner. Pizza can be cooked in several ways, including on the grill, in a conventional oven, or in a standard or...

If your oven thermostat is not working correctly and your oven overheats, keep reading... I will tell you how to bake and cook using a dysfunctional oven.

Gas or electric? If you rent, you probably won't have a choice, but as a homeowner, you can select your preference. There are distinctive differences in these two types of ovens, particularly for...

The delicacy of Chocolate dipped bacon has astounded many of us in the last year. It made it's debut in the last year, as a snack or dessert at famous restaurants and at weddings, etc. Fancy...

Electric ovens offer several advantages to baking, once you learn how to properly use them. When baking cakes in electric ovens, certain actions should be taken to ensure that your cake cooks...

Bacon... MMMMM! For those of you that want to know how to cook bacon. There are a few ways to cook bacon very easy and safely. You can cook bacon on the stove in a frying pan. This can be a...

Many recipes require the use of mint powder. Of course, it is available at stores, but you can actually make it at home and save your money. Interestingly, it can be rewarding for those who grow...

Cooking a buttercup squash is easy, tasty, and healthy. Squash have many vitamins but only small amounts of calories and fat. Follow the recipe below to start enjoying your autumn harvest today.

We love our cornbread and most southerners learn to cook this daily staple early on! This isn't your restaurant cake-like sweet cornbread ! Try this with your next supper and I think you'll...

Peanut butter is a product that you can find in most kitchen cabinets. With a few other ingredients, whipping up a batch of cookies can be done in as little as eight minutes.

Bread baking is an enjoyable and relatively easy hobby. Beginning bakers may be put off by problems when baking bread. Here is a list of bread baking problems and their solutions.

How to determine cooking times for various homemade or DIY mixes. You may find that older cookbooks that have recipes for making your own cake, bread and pie mixes from scratch may simply say...

Who doesn’t love cupcakes? Cupcakes are a great pre-portioned sweet treat, but sometimes making them can be a pain. Once you’ve spent almost an hour making the batter, pouring into the cupcake...

A solar oven uses the heat of the sun to cook foods at temperatures between 225 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit. You can cook anything in a solar oven that you would in a traditional oven, but as with...

It is necessary to preheat ovens before you use them to bake or broil because otherwise the cooking times for the foods you are cooking will be thrown off. Most recipes include cooking times, and...

Sensational cakes are made. They don't just happen. Think back to a cake you made that was special in looks and taste. What was it about that cake that stood out? Chances are you took some of the...

This is a recipe that is easy and only takes 1 pan. You can mix everything in the dish before popping it in the oven. It is a great side dish or good to have with meat and a salad. I don't...

In a matter of minutes, pork chops can be prepared in the oven. A perfect pork chop is one that is browned on the outside and moist on the inside.

The steps for baking bread are easy for anyone to master. Just assemble and mix the ingredients. Allow your newly formed dough ball some time to rise. Then bake your dough to golden-brown...

This is an easy to make very tasty recipe for dressing up an ordinary chicken dinner.

A convection oven uses a fan to force hot air movement in the oven. Moving air heats the food more efficiently and evenly, cooking the food faster at a lower temperature. Professional cooks prefer...

Crab legs are valued for their white, flaky, succulent meat that tastes delicious dipped in butter or other sauces. King crab is one of the most expensive crabs you can buy in the United States...

A cast iron skillet is one of the best items you could own in your kitchen. Many foods taste better when fried or cooked in the iron skillet verses any other way to cook them. You must first...

Many times it is difficult to tell if a cake is done or not. If it is taken out of the oven too soon, it remains mushy or running after it cools. If it is left in the oven to long, it either...

Gas heat is a favorite of professional cooks because it is fast and hot. When baking at home, however, it can be uneven and temperatures can be less than precise. Every oven is different, and it...

Baking, unlike cooking, is a science. Not going by the exact measurements and process of mixing can turn any recipe into a disaster. The only exception to this rule is going exactly by the...

You can cook anything in a convection oven that you can cook in a traditional oven. It's not hard to learn how to use a convection oven, and there are quite a few benefits over the standard oven....

A convection oven is simply an oven with a fan. What the fan does is distribute the hot air evenly within the oven cavity and promote even cooking. A traditional oven has hot spots. It is warmer...

Baked goods made with brown sugar are rich and delicious. Unfortunately, brown sugar tends to harden and become difficult to work with when it is stored over an extended period of time. It is...

Cooking or baking varies slightly based on the type of stove or oven you have. If you're new to a gas oven, this article will tell you what to expect as far as cooking and baking.