Baking v. Cooking: Why Science Makes It Too Difficult

You know that awesome chef who hates to bake? No, not referring to myself. Some of the most fantastic pastry chefs aren't big fans of cooking. Why are such two synonymous kitchen activities, cooking and baking, so different from each other? How can someone with such talent baking not have the same passion for cooking, and vice versa? It's the science behind it. Science plays such a large role in baking that one extra teaspoon of baking soda can ruin a delicate dessert. On the other hand, an extra teaspoon of paprika or chicken broth can only add and intensify an already good flavor.

Speaking from the cooking lover side of things, the talent requirements for baking far outpace my own abilities. Having attempted a seemingly simple allrecipes.com recipe for Cranberry Nut Bread and ended up with some heavily caramelized cranberries, I realized I should take a better look into baking and what I'm doing wrong. Cooking might not always require that you follow the instructions as stringently as baking. One misstep in an instruction, and that soufflé will topple or the crust of a pie will get burnt. I know I carefully measured my ingredients, maybe added a few extra walnuts and didn't chop the cranberries as well as I could have. Could those two minuscule details have ruined any chance I had at making a good dessert bread snack?

Overall, the patience required for baking might be more necessary than the patience for cooking. That patience also requires a basic understanding of the science behind it. What makes that genoise or angel food cake so light and airy? Whisking the eggs to a fluffy state. How does ice water help create the perfect pastry crust. Honestly, for cooking, I really don't pay attention to the science behind it, and I haven't ruined too many recipes. Of course, I'm not a professional, so I daresay to get to a higher level, I'm sure I would need a better background in the science of cooking. For the average cook, science might not play a big role. As long as you know when to add more salt, when meat gets tender enough, and not to add cheese into a sauté pan, you'll probably be fine. Not knowing the science behind baking can probably cause some frustration.

In The Cake Bible the author Rose Levy Beranbaum does an excellent job of incorporating the why's of science into her recipes. How the effect of the egg whites create a certain taste and how they work with the other ingredients. Although most dessert recipes won't include this information, the average cook-at-home-turned-pastry-chef should probably spend a few minutes learning the reasoning behind the dish. Honestly, how else can you avoid silly baking pitfalls? Oh yes, and read those directions carefully! Split those dry and wet ingredients, Rose tells me. I appreciate any and all baking tips!

Speaking from experience, I've ruined a few genoise, bread, and other dessert recipes. I don't think a class on baking science will help as much as patience and experience, however. The experience I've had making dinner about 5 times/ week versus the experience I've had baking can't really compare. Maybe, the only way is to just bake a dessert at least once a week regardless of its effect on my waistline. Hopefully I can package it and ship it off to my sister at college!