Baking Illustrated book giveaway
I think beginners are always intimidated by baking because of the warnings attached to this genre of kitchen-ness regarding precision.
I’m going to come out and admit that I’m an imprecise baker. I scoop in my measuring cups and often don’t finger sweep. I pour and pinch to my inaccurate-heart’s desire. I’ve only started writing down modifications and deviations since things started going so well gastronomically and people asked for the recipe. Granted I’ve taken much from Harold McGee’s brilliant oeuvre and made a point to understand why things will work or not work.
My kitchen journal is my go-to resource for remembering the trials, errors and mostly delicious successes that have happened in my oven. While I don’t make particularly finicky things that are likely the reason for all the precision-mongering, I think even you naysayers can learn to bake a slew of things without fears of failure harassing you along the way. Breads, muffins, pies and cookies have been forgiving to my speculative ventures.
The awesome folks over at America’s Test Kitchen have offered up a few books from their well-stocked library for me to give to you, my dear readers! I’m starting with one of my personal, all-time fave kitchen resource books.
What I love most about this book are the great illustrations and photos of wrong vs. right. I know ‘Illustrated’ is the title of the book and all, but seriously, what beginners need the most are visuals, if not a hands-on tutorial. This book is full of great input for whatever projects you dare undertake, plus fab tips and tricks to ensure success.
Enter to win a free copy for your kitchen bookshelf by leaving a comment on this post by midnight EST Thursday, April 7 answering the following question: What baking project(s) intimidates you the most?
Per shipping restrictions at ATK, we must extend this giveaway opportunity to US residents only (sorry my fine foreign friends)! One winner will be selected via Random.org on Friday April 8. If you don’t leave your email address in the little box that asks for it on the comment form, I’ll skip you and grant it to the next randomly-generated winner.
Kate
Thanks everyone for entering! Congrats to lucky number 98, Jen of Georgetown, TN.
Reader Comments (163)
I'm definitely intimidated by the idea of baking French bread and meringues. They seem so finicky, and I've never quite mastered the art of kneading.
i think pie crusts are currently the most intimidating thing - i have never done one! at least not one from scratch.
breads
Wedding Cakes scare the life out of me. (this is kind of like PostSecrets - confessions of a cake decorator)
Caramel Sauce. I know it's simple and all, but just the way the hot sugar reacts when I pour in the warm cream scares me a bit!
Ensuring adequate release from pans; adequate crumb removal before icing
I too am an imprecise baker. One day it's going to get me in big trouble. When it comes to baking, I'm most intimidated by croissants (with yeast). First time I made them, they were a bog flop. I need to get back on the saddle and try, try, again!
What baking project(s) intimidates me the most? Bread, followed by any recipe that requires me to temper eggs. I'm always afraid I'm going to end up with scrambled eggs.
Making anything from scratch, no boxes or cans.
I like to tackle the more difficult baking projects. I do pie crust, puff pastry often. I guess I am most intimidated by something with several components like croquembuche.
Souffles or popovers fo sho!
I seem to struggle with layer cakes. I recently made a lemon layer cake and the lemon curd was incredible but the cake layers were just ok. Perhaps this book will help? :)
I'm so intimidated by croissants and cheesecakes!
I guess baking a wedding cake would be intimidating for me. Not because baking a cake is intimidating, but because I'd worry about something going wrong for someone else's special day. (Thanks for the giveaway!)
Things that puff! Souffles, puff pastry, popovers- all those things that I enjoy eating the most, scare the hot air out of me!
I love baking and am more into cake decorating than doing the actual cake baking! Also, pie crusts make me terribly nervous. They can either got wrong or right. There is no middle ground!
Oooo, I have been looking for a book to be a better baker, all of my cakes, pies etc basically just ugh, sigh. From the reviews on this book it sounds just like the right one!
Definitely yeast bread. Scares the living daylights out of me - I'm convinced I'll kill the yeast.
Most intimidating, by a landslide.. bread! So much could go wrong! :/
I can't seem to get my head & hands around yeast! I'm afraid of it & don't want to waste ingredients unless I know I'm going to come up w/ something at least halfway edible.
I find a eclair very intimidating. I don't think the bread part wouldn't be so hard, but the filling.
Souffles, definitely. The idea of putting all that work into something and then have it fail at the last minute...
Pies or anything pastry are what I am afraid to try. Also, anything requiring melting chocolate. These fears are irrational, I'm sure.
macarons!
I'm intimidated by recipes that have multiple components to them; i.e., you have to make A and C before you can make B, and D is optional but makes it better. Yikes! I've never been one to follow recipes implicitly anyway, and when there are so many steps involved it's more opportunity for me to muck it up. (BTW, I've made the lemon meringue pie recipe out of this book and it is amazing!!)