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)
After several failed attempts, the ultimate baking intimidation for me is the small dorm kitchen I have to cope with for the rest of this year. It is my last year living the dorm life, and though the petite space has the proper implements, my oh my the ventilation throws the humidity to the heavens and makes every recipe out of whack.
I 've made the brownies from this book and the blueberry muffins too the recipes come out beautifal sadlly i do not own a copy of this book.
Bread!
I have always wanted to be the gal who whips up a batch of warm buttermilk biscuits for breakfast, but for some reason I am sooo intimidated to do so!
Bread! I bake cakes and pastries and I'm fine, but I have had a terrible time getting bread to come out well. It seems to always be too chewy or heavy or full of holes...Ack! I am going to have to keep trying. This book would surely help me!
I am currently *trying* to make the perfect rye bread. Haven't gotten it just quite right--light yet rye--so, this is my most intimidating project yet. : )
One thing I have never tried is to make creme brulee at home -- open flames not in the stove scare me. What if I drop it and set the house on fire??
Pastery puffs. They're so hard not to burn.
I am afraid of rolls and buns--I can make bread okay, but I had a bad experience with rolls once and have been hesitant to "try, try again" ever since. I really want to make homemade buns for burgers!
I have a fear of baking anything with jam - jam centers on cookies, cupcakes with "surprise" centers, etc. I simply can't get over my fear that not only will I mess them up, but that they'll be terrible AND that I'll burn myself taking them out of the oven (because apparently jam in an unattractive cookie attacks the cook?)
I love to bake, though have not ventured into pastry creams much at all, or croissants and other flaky pastries. I'd love to try though!
I would have to say carrot cake and german chocolate cake. My mother makes the best carrot cake and german chocolate cake that I've ever had! I want mine to taste just as good as hers! These cakes are a little on the expensive side to bake, which makes me more afraid to try them.
The idea of putting a semi-liquid concoction into a pan, then into the oven, then hoping it all rises/bakes/browns the way it should without being able to "fix" it once its in there scares me the most about baking. I love cooking because it's interactive: I can taste and add and change things along the way. I've always thought of baking as akin to alchemy. But I'm trying... baby steps!
Layer cakes that need frosting! I always end up with lumpy layer cakes.
French bread - I can never seem to get it right!
Eclairs
Anything meringue and egg-white related. I steer clear of most things that call for separating an egg.
I'm intimidated by trying to bake "healthy" desserts and snacks, breads. I want to eat things made with whole grains and natural whole sugars, like agave, but let's face it, there's a reason why things with butter and sugar taste really good. I'm always trying to impress people by substituting ingredients, or swapping out things that are "bad" for you with things that are "good for you, and as you can guess, it never quite tastes the same. I'm at the point where I usually give up and order baked goods from someplace else, but I truly enjoy baking.... maybe I should get over it! maybe I need your book!! xoxo Deborah
I am very afraid of pie!
I am intimidated by "getting fancy" I can bake breads, basic cakes, pies etc .. But I am absolutely intimidated by doing anything more (ie fondant/layer cakes/ "fancy stuff"
Fondant frightens me. I've never made it, and nobody has ever shown me how to. It just looks so *perfect* and I'm not good with perfect :)
A really good loaf of french bread. yep it's just something I would love to master.
Most intimadated by fudge..no matter how "easy" the recipe is I cant get it right!
I am always nervous that when I make breads they aren't going to turn out right. My intimidation starts when I get out the measuring cups!
Taking that first warm bite and knowing I did just fine takes all that anxiety away!
Like some of your previous posters, souffles are a bit intimidating. I'm going to tackle one this weekend. Kate, congratulations on your hard won, well deserved success. Sure is fun watching each new stage of accomplishments and accolades. Go, girl!--Christine