which recipe source would you trust more?

[nageov3t]

Roll your eyes all you want but, few things piss me off more than the attitude that food preparation is easy/simple or anyone, trained or not, with the 'right' cookbook can create something amazing. This entire country looks down on food service and thinks the only people who work in it are too dumb/uneducated to do anything else. I know you didn't say that and I applaud your interest but, like anything worth doing, food preparation takes knowledge, planning and, practice.
/rant off: We now return you to your regularly scheduled posting.

would it be better if I phrased the question as "I want to bake a sample cake. I'm going to serve the sample cake to my friends at a party. which recipe source would you go with?"

I have a friend who bakes professionally... if I wanted perfect and flawless, I'd enlist her help. I'd rather try it myself; it's the only way to learn.

 

[alfa147x]

if you buying pans i like spring form pans so much easier to get cakes out off

 

[surfsatwerk]

would it be better if I phrased the question as "I want to bake a sample cake. I'm going to serve the sample cake to my friends at a party. which recipe source would you go with?"

I have a friend who bakes professionally... if I wanted perfect and flawless, I'd enlist her help. I'd rather try it myself; it's the only way to learn.

That's the way to learn how to do it wrong. If you wanted to learn, you would have your friend help you. Baking a cake from scratch without any baking skills seems like a poor choice.

 

[KeithTalent]

Good lord, you guys are reacting like he's working with weapons grade plutonium.

As I stated before I'm no pro, but I made my first cake on my own when I was a teenager and I just learned what to do by reading and practicing; over time my cakes became quite decent and they were never inedible. It's like you think he should enrole in culinary school just to bake a cake for some friends.

KT

 

[DT4K]

There's nothing complicated about baking a cake. You certainly don't need to be a master chef or have the help of a master chef. Just find a recipe with good reviews, follow the directions, and it will be good.

There is no "art" to making a basic cake. About the only thing you can do wrong is to undercook it or overcook it. Whatever recipe you use, check it a few minutes before it's supposed to be done by sticking a toothpick in it. If it comes out wet and goopy, it's not done yet. If it comes out relatively clean, it's done.

 

[nageov3t]

That's the way to learn how to do it wrong. If you wanted to learn, you would have your friend help you. Baking a cake from scratch without any baking skills seems like a poor choice.

she's, you know... one of those people. if I asked for her "help," she'd end up doing the entire thing while I wash the dishes.

 

[surfsatwerk]

she's, you know... one of those people. if I asked for her "help," she'd end up doing the entire thing while I wash the dishes.

And you'd probably learn enough by watching to make an amazing cake.

 

[DT4K]

Good lord, you guys are reacting like he's working with weapons grade plutonium.

As I stated before I'm no pro, but I made my first cake on my own when I was a teenager and I just learned what to do by reading and practicing; over time my cakes became quite decent and they were never inedible. It's like you think he should enrole in culinary school just to bake a cake for some friends.

KT

EXACTLY!
Baking a cake is about the easiest thing you can make. Mix the ingredients together, pour them in the pan, put in oven, take out when done.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Perhaps you would be better served by baking a cake from a mix. I can recommend Krusteaz or Pillsbury.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Good lord, you guys are reacting like he's working with weapons grade plutonium.

As I stated before I'm no pro, but I made my first cake on my own when I was a teenager and I just learned what to do by reading and practicing; over time my cakes became quite decent and they were never inedible. It's like you think he should enrole in culinary school just to bake a cake for some friends.

KT

How is suggesting he ask a friend for help equivalent to suggesting he go to culinary school. I learned how to bake from my mother and everyone I know learned how to bake from friends or relatives. It's not an impossible task to learn alone, but why have friends if you don't bug them for help on occasion?

 

[SphinxnihpS]

EXACTLY!
Baking a cake is about the easiest thing you can make. Mix the ingredients together, pour them in the pan, put in oven, take out when done.

O'rly?

 

[keird]

The Joy of Cooking... lololololol... ehem.

My new wife LOL'd when she saw that a couple of pages from the potato section of my cookbook were burned off. The Joy of Cooking had no warnings and this particular edition didn't contain any notifications regarding the flammability of cotton dish towels. Twice baked potatoes are pretty dangerous!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Good lord, you guys are reacting like he's working with weapons grade plutonium.

As I stated before I'm no pro, but I made my first cake on my own when I was a teenager and I just learned what to do by reading and practicing; over time my cakes became quite decent and they were never inedible. It's like you think he should enrole in culinary school just to bake a cake for some friends.

KT

There's nothing complicated about baking a cake. You certainly don't need to be a master chef or have the help of a master chef. Just find a recipe with good reviews, follow the directions, and it will be good.

There is no "art" to making a basic cake. About the only thing you can do wrong is to undercook it or overcook it. Whatever recipe you use, check it a few minutes before it's supposed to be done by sticking a toothpick in it. If it comes out wet and goopy, it's not done yet. If it comes out relatively clean, it's done.

See the bolded.
The OP wants to "learn" but is unwilling to practice. The most critical thing in baking is measurement and keeping the ratios correct. I recommended a cake mix because the measurements are mostly done for you. It's not rocket science, it merely requires attention to detail and the perspective that creating an edible cake shouldn't be left to the hour before leaving for the party.

 

[DT4K]

O'rly?

Yeah, really.
If you can read a recipe and you know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, you can make a cake. There's nothing tricky about it.

He could ask his friend for help, but why?

What special knowledge would she have that would enable him to make a better cake?

There are some cooking skills that require experience. For instance, being able to tell when a steak is a perfect medium rare without cutting into it.

But baking a cake is not one of those skills.

 

[TwiceOver]

I agree with learning the basics.... Betty Crocker and the like do more harm than good by emphasizing steps rather than technique....

The Betty Crocker cookbook is the epitome of basic cooking. It really is for those that don't have the basics down.

Otherwise... Alton Brown Internet Recipe -> Joy of Cooking.

 

[DT4K]

See the bolded.
The OP wants to "learn" but is unwilling to practice. The most critical thing in baking is measurement and keeping the ratios correct. I recommended a cake mix because the measurements are mostly done for you. It's not rocket science, it merely requires attention to detail and the perspective that creating an edible cake shouldn't be left to the hour before leaving for the party.

Measuring correctly simply requires that you are not a dumbass. It does not require practice or expert help.

 

[shortylickens]

Home & Garden.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The Betty Crocker cookbook is the epitome of basic cooking. It really is for those that don't have the basics down.

Otherwise... Alton Brown Internet Recipe -> Joy of Cooking.

That is exactly my point. The Betty Crocker cookbook does NOT teach basics, it teaches steps.

Measuring correctly simply requires that you are not a dumbass. It does not require practice or expert help.

That's fine, now what if you have 17 people to feed. You know the OP's aversion to extra cake. Do you try and cut the existing cake into 17 pieces? Good luck. Do you merely find a factor to multiply times the existing recipe to give you 17 portions? I guarantee you will throw the ratios off and have a sucky cake. The point is measuring, estimating and, understanding ratios comes in mighty handy. Do you need to know all this to bake a decent cake? No, which is why I recommended a cake mix.

Oh yeah, which of you is a Chef or Baker who would know more than I about food? Didn't think so.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

allrecipes - more home recipes. Food Network has some that are more difficult than many home cooks would want to tackle, and Joy of Cooking definitely is advanced.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

making a cake is easy.
making a good tasting cake is harder.
making a good tasting, good looking cake is even harder.

Baking is a science. You cannot guess when baking, you need exact measurements and to follow a process because you are relying on chemical reactions.

 

[alfa147x]

making a cake is easy.
making a good tasting cake is harder.
making a good tasting, good looking cake is even harder.

Baking is a science. You cannot guess when baking, you need exact measurements and to follow a process because you are relying on chemical reactions.

i normally say fuck it to that last part

 

[DT4K]

That is exactly my point. The Betty Crocker cookbook does NOT teach basics, it teaches steps.


That's fine, now what if you have 17 people to feed. You know the OP's aversion to extra cake. Do you try and cut the existing cake into 17 pieces? Good luck. Do you merely find a factor to multiply times the existing recipe to give you 17 portions? I guarantee you will throw the ratios off and have a sucky cake. The point is measuring, estimating and, understanding ratios comes in mighty handy. Do you need to know all this to bake a decent cake? No, which is why I recommended a cake mix.

Oh yeah, which of you is a Chef or Baker who would know more than I about food? Didn't think so.

I don't have to be a professional to know that baking a cake is easy.
If he is going to improvise or make adjustments to the recipe, than he needs to know what he is doing. If not, just follow a recipe and you'll be fine.
If he needs to feed 17 people, bake two cakes. If you don't want extra, give it away or throw it out. Either of those options would be much more foolproof than sizing up the recipe with some odd ratio, since you'd need to adjust the size of the cake pans and the cooking time.

But there's also no reason to suggest using a cake mix. Like I said, if you can measure ingredients, you can follow a recipe and make a good cake from scratch.

So my question is (since you are a professional):
If he is going to follow a recipe exactly, what special skills do you have that would result in a better cake than what he could make?

 

[DT4K]

making a cake is easy.
making a good tasting cake is harder.
making a good tasting, good looking cake is even harder.

Baking is a science. You cannot guess when baking, you need exact measurements and to follow a process because you are relying on chemical reactions.

You're kind of contradicting yourself. You said making a good tasting cake is harder. Then you said baking is a science.
If it's a science, than anyone who follows the directions of the recipe correctly will end up with a virtually identical cake. And assuming the recipe is good, it will be a good tasting cake.

So no, making a good tasting cake is NOT harder. At least not substantially.
Now making a good looking cake, is a whole different ball game. My cakes look amateur, but they always taste good.

 

[rasczak]

I don't have to be a professional to know that baking a cake is easy.
If he is going to improvise or make adjustments to the recipe, than he needs to know what he is doing. If not, just follow a recipe and you'll be fine.
If he needs to feed 17 people, bake two cakes. If you don't want extra, give it away or throw it out. Either of those options would be much more foolproof than sizing up the recipe with some odd ratio, since you'd need to adjust the size of the cake pans and the cooking time.

But there's also no reason to suggest using a cake mix. Like I said, if you can measure ingredients, you can follow a recipe and make a good cake from scratch.

So my question is (since you are a professional):
If he is going to follow a recipe exactly, what special skills do you have that would result in a better cake than what he could make?

He doesn't need skill so much as practice, which is pretty much what magnus has been saying the whole time. I would pick a recipe of a cake that I liked a lot and start from there. prepare a couple of cakes until he gets the recipe down pat and there you go. OP is not going to learn how to bake a really good cake in one shot. lord know I've tried.

sorry OP, there's no way around the fact that you need a couple of tries.

 

[nageov3t]

He doesn't need skill so much as practice, which is pretty much what magnus has been saying the whole time. I would pick a recipe of a cake that I liked a lot and start from there. prepare a couple of cakes until he gets the recipe down pat and there you go. OP is not going to learn how to bake a really good cake in one shot. lord know I've tried.

sorry OP, there's no way around the fact that you need a couple of tries.

people seem hung up on the whole trial thing.

I can't try without a recipe source first.