Wondering what the best secret baking hacks are? These are 7 unfailing baking hacks that every baker needs to use!
As baking goodies is a nice way to express love and gratitude, it takes time and skill. As a baker in progress, I am sharing with you secret baking hacks that helped me become a better baker.
You are going to learn about 7 baking hacks ranging from baking prep, to oven tips.
Once you have read about these secret baking hacks, you will be able to become a more successful baker!
This post is all about unfailing baking hacks that will blow your mind!
7 Secret Baking Hacks That Will Blow Your Mind
1. Spray your measuring cup with cooking spray
Many muffin/cupcake recipes use tablespoons as a way to measure how much batter to put in each muffin/cupcake. One muffin recipe I use says to use 3 tablespoons of batter per muffin. I would always run into the same problem with this; the batter would always stick in the tablespoon, making it hard to measure correctly. One day, when I was using non-stick cooking spray in my muffin tin, I decided to spray some in my tablespoon. When I went to measure the batter using it, it did not stick inside at all, and all the batter cleanly slipped out into the muffin tin. This made it much easier to measure the batter, and made more even muffins! You may need to re-spray your tablespoon halfway through if you notice the batter is beginning to stick again.
2. ALWAYS set your timer for 5-10 minutes less than the recipe says
I’m not sure how common this one is, but I always set my timer for AT LEAST 5 minutes (usually 10) below what the instructions recommend. Each oven is different, so timings will vary based on yours. It is always best to undercook something and put it back in the oven than overcook it! If I find that the time I put did not fully cook it, I put it back in only for a minute or two at a time, because baked goods cook very quickly in the last few minutes. This will ensure that you always cook your baked goods to perfection!
3. Cookies will look raw when they’re ready to be taken out of the oven
This is one that took me a while to realize (and a couple dozen crispy cookies). Cookies will not looked cooked when they’re ready to be taken out of the oven! They will still appear to be gooey and undercooked, but if the bottom is golden, they are ready to be removed. As they cool, they will slightly harden up/cook more. This will give you that perfectly soft cookie! If you wait until your cookies look 100% cooked to take them out, they will harden up and will become crispy and overcooked. It may go against your instinct to take them out when they look so raw, but once you bite into that chewy and delicious cookie, you’ll never go back!
4. Utilize parchment paper
I have found that using parchment paper to cover my baking sheets when baking cookies helps them bake more evenly, and of course avoids a mess on my baking sheet! Before I started doing this, I found my cookies would lose their circular shape, and would be cooked unevenly. Ever since I started using parchment, I have better baked (and prettier) cookies!
5. Use a toothpick to determine if baked goods are cooked through
This baking hack applies mostly to muffins/cupcakes/cakes. If your cake appears to be baked through but you want to make sure, grab a toothpick and insert it in the thickest part. When you pull it out, it should come out clean, or with minimal cooked crumbs on it. This means that it is cooked perfectly! If you remove the toothpick and it has any amount of uncooked batter on it, you know you need to put it back in the oven for a couple more minutes. This trick has never failed me, and I rely on it every time!
6. Spoon flour into your measuring cup
This baking hack is one that I was just made aware of; when measuring flour, never scoop it with the measuring cup. Aways use a spoon and sprinkle it into the measuring cup for a more accurate amount of flour. When you scoop it into the measuring cup in one swoop, the flour becomes much more compact, resulting in an excess amount of flour! When I first learned this (from my mom), it actually blew my mind. But when I thought about it, it made sense; hard-pressed flour will give you more than loosely packed flour. Your recipe will come out better if you use this method to measure your flour.
7. Pre-crack eggs in a separate bowl & use shell to collect unwanted pieces
When I first started baking, I always cracked my eggs into the mixture I already had going. When I did this, eggshell pieces would fall into the batter, never to be found again. I was always worried someone would crunch on an eggshell when eating my dessert! Instead, crack your eggs in a separate bowl first, before adding it to the rest of your batter. This will allow you to easily eye rogue pieces of eggshells that you don’t want to get into your batter.
Speaking of these tricky eggshells pieces, it seems like using a spoon or fork to fish them out never quite works. Instead, use half of your empty eggshell to scoop these pieces out (using the cracked side). For some reason, this makes getting those pieces out super easy, and doesn’t take half the egg with it! This baking hack is something I use weekly in my kitchen.
After learning about these baking hacks, I hope you found at least one that you can put to good use in your kitchen. Baking is an art that requires continuous learning, and these baking hacks will help you become a better baker!
This post was all about secret baking hacks.