Five Good Reasons to Bake Cakes from Scratch

I started baking cakes from scratch at age 21, recently married, in a foreign country. I admit, necessity was the mother of invention, in my case. That was a very long time ago, and even when I returned to this country I continued to make my own cakes from scratch because they are just better, in every way. I offer five good reasons why one should leave the grocery shelf options and discover the realm of possibilities when one takes that leap of faith.

1. The Ease
Anyone who believes it is too difficult, or that it takes too much time to make a cake from scratch has either never tried, or just gives up too easily. Really, it takes barely more time to make a cake from scratch than it does to open a box, get out a bowl and spoon, get an egg or two, milk, oil and whatever else the box calls for. Then measuring cups or spoons for the liquids and mixing. Grease the pan or pans. Set the oven temperature and bake. I ask you, what is the difference? To make a cake from scratch, you get out a bowl and spoon. Set out the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk. Measure the ingredients. Mix and bake. There is not a lot of difference. The one, and possibly only difference, is the need to cream the butter and sugar. While a recipe may intimidate by declaring that improper creaming of ingredients will yield a cake that is too crumbly, too dry, or uneven, I have never had these problems, even when at age 21 my one utensil was a spoon. These days most people own at least a small electric hand mixer, making it all simpler.

2. The Flavor
Flavors of cakes may be varied in many ways. Obviously, the addition of cocoa or chocolate will yield a chocolate cake. So many other options exist, and some are so simple. There are so many flavorings on the market these days that did not exist for the home baker even 10 years ago. Using orange or lemon juice or zest will yield a lovely citrus flavor. But all these flavoring possibilities aside, the flavor of a cake made from scratch is so much richer that anything from a box. Even a plain vanilla cake is exalted when made from a good recipe with loving care. To me, there is nothing plain about vanilla flavor, either. We have such access to great quality vanilla, vanilla beans and even vanilla paste these days, making plain vanilla a complete misnomer. Have you ever has a vanilla bean go so dry you cannot scrape the seeds out of it? I had that happen recently, so I broke the bean into pieces and placed it into a small grinder and made powder out of the entire bean. I strained out any larger bits, and now use a pinch of the powder in cake or icing with mouth watering results.

3. The Texture
Having made cakes from scratch since so long ago, cakes made from a box mix have no texture at all. They remind me of plain white sandwich bread. Press down and all you have is air. Light and fluffy they may be, but there is no substance at all. A cake made from scratch has some texture. There is something to chew on. There are ways to make a cake softer, such as using cake flour, but even back when I started out with just plain all purpose flour, my cakes were always exclaimed over. There is a certain amount of science involved in making cakes, but that should not stop one from trying.

4. The Diversity
There are so many types and styles of cake recipes to choose from. I am not talking about the flavors, but the diversity of cakes to make. There are simple cakes, mixed from the standard flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk and flavor. How about a coffee cake, pound cake, upside down cake, chiffon cake or angel food? There are all sorts of cakes, like pannetone or Sally Lunn that are less well-known but equally good in different ways. The ingredients are the same basic ones, but used a slightly different way and with a totally new result.

5. Well-Being
Whenever one makes something from scratch, there is a rewarding sense of well-being. There is the feeling of pride in accomplishment and the knowledge that what you've made is free from preservatives and additives. You have the ability to present the family with something that you know is better for them. Find your sense of pride and accomplishment. Make a cake.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you
along your own culinary journey.

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Variations on a Bread Making Theme

You know how sometimes even the best cook can get distracted and forget an ingredient? That happened to me once many years back, and I completely forgot to put in the 3 eggs called for in my bread recipe. I was so distracted that even when I had only added 7 cups of flour and the dough already looked too dry, I still didn't realize what was wrong. I made the bread, baked it and we were eating the first loaf. There was a difference in color that I wondered about. That was when I realized that I had utterly forgotten to add the eggs.

Things like this can happen to the best of us, but what I want to demonstrate with this story is that bread making is a forgiving art. Add a little more of this, a little less of that, and you still have a very good loaf of bread. After that episode of forgetfulness, I got thinking. I tried making the bread with only a half stick of butter and two eggs. It turned out great. I substituted 2 cups whole wheat flour for part of the flour and it was great. I wondered what other things I could do with this original recipe.

Remember that when making a substitution or using a different ingredient, the total amount of flour needed will vary. If substituting 2 cups of whole wheat flour, do this at the beginning of the recipe. This way, toward the end of adding flour, you will know that since whole wheat is thirstier flour, you will likely need less than the full amount. This holds equally true with flax seed. I often mix 1 cup of ground flax seed into the original 2 cups of flour, mixed with the powdered milk and yeast and add it at the beginning. Flax seed soaks up liquid, so the ultimate amount of flour will be less by nearly a cup.

Another variation I use often is with oatmeal. When the boiled water is poured over the stick of butter, honey and salt, I add in a cup or so of old fashioned rolled oats to the hot liquid to soak. Once cooled enough, proceed with the recipe as stated, knowing you will need less flour than called for. Keep an eye on the texture of the dough, noting that if the dough starts trying to climb up the dough hook, it is more dry than needed. Softer dough will yield more tender bread.

If you like nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, they can be added either finely ground or coarsely chopped, as desired. The amount of flour should not vary widely with the addition of nuts. Use raisins the same way, for that variation. For cinnamon raisin bread, when patting out one loaf of dough, and prior to rolling up, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, or cinnamon and sugar. If raisins have not been added to the dough itself, they may be sprinkled on before rolling up the loaf.

If you choose a less sweet dough, lower the amount of honey by half, and add in another half cup of water, to keep the amount of dough approximately the same. If you want to use only egg whites instead of whole eggs, that is acceptable. If you have leftover egg yolks and need to use them, just yolks in the recipe will work fine. Either way, remember that slightly less liquid is being used, so either compensate by adding a little more water or a little less overall flour. Eggs, either whole or just the yolks give the bread a lovely golden color. If you want to increase the golden color even more, use saffron. Take a pinch of saffron and either grind to a fine powder or crumble finely and add to the boiling water at the beginning of the recipe. Alternatively, soak the saffron threads in the boiled water, then remove the threads before pouring into the mixer bowl.

If you want to make dinner rolls such as cloverleaf, one loaf of dough will yield a dozen rolls, made in greased muffin tins. Baking time is approximately 12 to 15 minutes. If you would like to make buns, one loaf will make about 6 to 8 buns. Divide one loaf worth of dough into the appropriate amount of equal sized pieces. Take one piece and make a nicely formed ball by tucking under repeatedly. Then either with hands or a rolling pin flatten the dough to an exaggeratedly wide and flat round. It may take some work. Lay these onto a greased baking sheet and allow it to rise. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes.

These are some of the many ways to make changes and alterations. Get familiar with the dough and how it works and there is no limit to what can be done.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey.

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Firefighters See Spike in Cooking Fires During the Holidays

Cooking fires are the most common call fire departments receive during the holidays. In fact, more structure fires are caused by cooking than any other means. 


More cooking fires are reported on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year. It is around three times as many according to the National Fire Protection Associating. In 2010, 1,370 fires were reported on Thanksgiving Day, a 219 percent increase over the daily average, the NFPA said. From 2006 to 2008, the National Fire Protection Association reported an estimated 4,300 Thanksgiving fires in the United States, resulting in 10 deaths, 50 injuries and $30 million in property loss.

Thanksgiving traditionally marks the beginning of the holiday season when people customarily spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking large meals. Here are some tips to keep the holiday feast from turning into a holiday catastrophe.

Watch what you heat. When food is simmering on the stove or cooking in the over, it’s wise to stay in the kitchen and supervise. Don’t step out to go shopping or even to borrow some sugar from the neighbor. Make sure food is being tended to at all times.

Avoid distractions. Try to avoid being distracted by company, television and phones. It’s easy to forget about food on the stove, so make sure you avoid circumstances that pull you away from what is happening in the kitchen. If you must walk away, wear an oven mitt to remind you that something is in the oven.
Make sure your kitchen is equipped with a fire extinguisher or other fire safety equipment. Make sure all smoke alarms are in working order. Keep lids to pots and pans nearby. They come in handy when you need to extinguish any sudden flames or grease fires. Baking soda is also very effective when thrown on fires involving oil.

One of the most dangerous Thanksgiving traditions is deep frying a turkey. This method has become especially popular in the last few years. While it can make for a delicious meal, deep frying can be tricky and dangerous.

The most important factor about deep frying is to make sure it is done outdoors away from buildings and structures. Do not fry a turkey in a garage or on a deck. A good rule of thumb is to stay at least 100 feet from any flammable structure. Firefighters dressed in full firefighting gear have given demonstrations on the dangers of lowering a frozen turkey into hot grease. The turkey must be completely thawed before it is submerged in hot oil. Water and grease do not mix and a frozen turkey dropped in hot oil can cause an explosion of flames and hot grease.

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A Pinch of Salt to add Flavor to your Food

Author: Mr. Paul Mason

A pinch of salt is mandatory to be added to many dishes when it comes to cooking. Salt is an active ingredient in completing the flavor, preserving the food and adding a zest to all delicacies. Besides, it, salt is also an essential nutrient required by human body. Sodium is one of the components of salt that is easily absorbed in the body and helps in absorption of other nutrients in the small intestine. In the present article, we have discussed some different kinds of salts that can add real flavor to your food:

• Murray River salt is produced naturally from the underground brines in the Murray Darling Basin. The crystals of this salt are light peach colored flake with wonderful mold salty flavor. These crystals are quickly melted and are ideal for used in food gravy, roasting and baking.

• Garlic salt is salt used as food seasoning to give flavor to many different dishes. It is generally a fine mixture of dried ground garlic and table salt with an anti-caking agent. Most basic forms of Garlic salt are usually prepared by blending 3 parts salt and 1 part garlic powder. It is used many evening snacks like hot dogs and burgers to add flavor to them.

• Seasoned salt is produced by combining the table salt, herbs, spices, and other flavoring agents. It is also known as seasoning salt or chicken salt in Australia and New Zealand. Seasoning salt is often used as seasoning on foods such as chicken, chips, deep fried snacks and seafood etc. It is easily found in supermarkets. In Australia, chicken salt or seasoning salt usually contains chicken extracts and is suitable for non-vegetarians only.

In this way, different salts add different flavor but similar kinds of nutrients to your food. If you want to try salt from other countries in your recipes or salt of your own native land when you are residing in other country, the best way is to buy them online. Many online sellers offer a variety of salts at competitive prices to bring authentic flavor to your dishes.

A pinch of salt is mandatory to be added to many dishes when it comes to cooking. Murray River salt is produced naturally from the underground brines in the MurrayDarlingBasin. Garlic salt is salt used as food seasoning to give flavor to many different dishes. It is generally a fine mixture of dried ground garlic and table salt with an anti-caking agent.

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