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1.Treat the 'rules' as guidelines
To paraphrase Julia Child, we learn to cook and cease acting as slaves to recipes. As you grow more proficient with cooking and specifically baking, you begin to treat recipes and rules as inspiration. You start experimenting with steps and with flavors, with decorating techniques and combinations. And there is nothing more freeing.
Like a recipe, society often dictates a certain way things are "supposed" to be done. But this can get boring fast, and make failure even harder to deal with. Things go wrong. It's as much a fact of life as of baking. Why not relax and let the process surprise you instead?
As long as you don't eat most batters while they're raw and don't forget to leave out the sugar, flexibility is a life experience we should all get acquainted with.
2.But invest in proper equipment
Sure, recipes can be used as inspiration instead of instruction. But you need to appreciate the beauty of a proper spring-form pan or a strong set of measuring cups. Investing goes a long way, and knowing you have the right equipment for a specific dessert adds to the sweet satisfaction.
Trying to work with whatever equipment I have on hand can be a creative challenge, but sometimes it is a challenge I can do without. Adequate preparation reduces a lot of unnecessary guesswork, and can also open up new avenues. For example, I didn't own nor feel the need for a meat thermometer for years. I poked and prodded, and could usually figure out when dinner could be served. But then I learned to probe (with a thermometer). Roasts bigger than my head, I tell you. And perfectly done.
Even if you find a creative, off-the-beaten-path way to pursue school, work, or family, proper equipment and preparation cannot be beat. Invest in gadgets, supplies, and experiences.
3.Let your cravings lead you to new discoveries
Sometimes, I want garlic. I don't know the vessel with which to devour garlic, I just know that I want garlic. This has led to garlic knots, garlic stuffed pizza crust, and garlic cupcakes. I'm joking about that last one. Maybe. But the point is my ideas, even when half-baked (ba dum tss), can lead me to pick up new techniques. I really developed knowledge of that ingredient because I was so singularly focused on how much I wanted to eat it.
Craving certain experiences can lead to discoveries we otherwise wouldn't have taken the time to make. When I had a sudden hankering to watch a play, I discovered a small theater in the back of a shady parking lot and to this day, it is one of the most memorable experiences of my time in college. More than that, I learned how to search for events, how to gauge which of my friends wouldn't laugh if I asked them to come with, and the courage to try something outrageous and new.
In life, like in baking, we tend to ignore sudden or short-lived ideas. Deciding to pursue any of these small inklings can lead to a lot of learning though. Just because something is a fleeting thought doesn't mean there isn't a whole world to explore behind it.
4.Proportions are magic
Ratios. Fractions. Mathematics!
Some flavors just really go together. And learning how they function as a team can really heighten the entire dish. Sugar and salt, for example. Honey and paprika, for another. Relationships between all of the ingredients are also very important in baking. If even one ingredient is out of its given proportion, it can show in the texture, doneness, or look of the end result.
While very few people want to think about math outside of the classroom, a good knowledge of proportions is key for a baker. Knowing how to scale a recipe, or more importantly, when not to scale recipes, is something I do almost every time I preheat the over for a day of baking.
Joy and suffering are two flavors that always have to be experienced together. Without a pinch of joy, suffering becomes immediately intolerable. Without the knowledge of suffering, joy isn't quite as satisfying. When everything is experienced in proportion, it adds to a rich life. If there's too much or too little of any one ingredient, it really shows. Whatever life throws at you, just figure out what to balance it with.
5.Shortcuts don't work
This, unfortunately, is a lesson I am forever doomed to repeat. I'll try to skip letting the cream cheese get to room temperature, or try to mix everything in one bowl instead of dry and wet ingredients separately. It doesn't work, folks! Give every ingredient the respect it deserves and the time it needs to properly melt. Rushing through steps not only adds to chances of error, but also takes away from the fun.
On the life front, this one's pretty self-explanatory. Don't always take shortcuts. If you're taking a shortcut, chances are you haven't taken the time to understand what you're doing.
6.But substitutions certainly do
Sour cream can be substituted in some savory recipes with Labne, or kafir cheese. Substitute leftover seasoned chicken into any recipe that calls for plain chicken. Use bananas instead of eggs. Ice cream instead of the egg/milk/oil combo called for by most box mixes. Substituting certain items for others that you have on hand can be a really efficient way to bake. It's also one of the superpowers of those of us who can cook: we aren't limited in what we can bring about just because we may be out of a certain ingredient.
As long as you can substitute what you're lacking with something comparable in value, it's worth trying. I didn't have the right teaching background to instruct a high school biology class. But I made up for it with all the cool experiments I remembered from my childhood. I brought in cream puffs to teach mitosis, and cupcakes dyed with synthetic blue food coloring to explore our digestive systems. (Our bodies can't digest blue coloring, so it'll come out the same color it went in. Hehe.)
Not having a certain experience should never be the reason we hold ourselves back from trying something new. Not having a background in a certain field shouldn't stop us from applying for a job. Whenever a substitution is possible, try it! The worst that can happen is you now know for sure a certain ingredient won't work.
7.Someone has already solved every problem you might face
This is a really awesome lesson about pretty much every problem you can face. Someone has already posted that incredibly confusing homework problem on Yahoo answers. Someone's already tried making homemade mascarpone (on my bucket list!). The great thing about having so many centuries of human civilization behind us is it's very hard to encounter a problem someone hasn't already solved before.
Most questions I have about baking can now be answered with a short trip through Google. There are endless reviews on the recipes I find, with bakers posting their little variations and experiments and tasty results. The same goes for any problem or question I might have about school, work, taxes, etc. Thank you, technology.
One strategy I've always found helps with anxiety is to tell myself the answer already exists. Much of stress rises from the fear of the unknown. The worst moments in tests are always when you realize you don't know the answer to a particular question, right? But if you can remind yourself that not only does the answer exist, but also that you have all the tools to find it, you can manage anxiety really well. It's a cool trick to calm your mind and to relieve stress. And it's true: the answer always exists somewhere. You just have to find it.
8.Clean up as you go
Another lesson I am doomed to repeat. On the rare occasions where I have the foresight to wash every dish as I go, or to put ingredients back as I'm done using them, I have to fight off the confusing desire to hug myself.
One of my favorite things in my kitchen is a roll out shelf. It's one of those industrial steel shelves with wheels I bought at a hardware store. Even if I'm putting off organizing my equipment, I can always pull out and put away things in one quick maneuver. It is a lot easier to have one shelf that needs to be rolled back into a corner rather than a large counter that needs to be cleared.
Wrap up loose ends as you can. Take opportunities as they present themselves. If something can be done quickly, it's nicer to do it now while you're not inundated with more tasks. Keeping things relatively neat as you go ensures you won't be ambushed with a large mess. I am always the first person to advocate for procrastination. The 'last minute' is one of my dearest friends. But putting in small efforts over the long run can be very effective. And it can make procrastination a more sustainable lifestyle.
9.Knowing when to stop is 95% of the process
The discovery of this particular lesson is what drove me to write this list.
A good baker isn't someone who knows how to turn on an oven. Having a stand mixer does not guarantee the proper amount of air being mixed into batter. What is absolutely key is how long to use each piece of equipment and knowing when to stop. Bake something too little and it will be raw. Bake it for too long, like I did two days ago, and it will burn. A good baker knows how much to work dough, how long to mix cake batter, and when to take something out of the oven.
One example of how this translates into a life lesson is parenting. I'm not experienced at all in parenting, but I certainly know what it's like to be parented. Giving birth to a child doesn't automatically make someone a good parent. Knowing when to hold your child and when to let go does. If a parent guides a child too little, or is absent during their development, it can be similar to a baked good that didn't receive enough cooking time or attention. Constantly hovering over children and attempting to parent them long after they've grown into adulthood is similar to leaving or forgetting something in the oven. You can't enjoy an adult relationship with a child you're still nagging or scolding, and you can't enjoy an apple pie that is now 10 shades blacker than it should be.
Knowing when the job is done is the bulk of a baker's expertise. Anyone can go buy a kitchenaid. What gives it value is a hand that knows when to let go.
10.People love when you give them baked goods
Take cookies to work, or cupcakes to school. Sharing baked goods can be a really good way to break the ice(ing) and rid oneself of social anxieties. Just make sure you know of allergies or dietary restrictions! Another bonus, you'll come across as super considerate when you remember a certain coworker loves peanut butter and make them peanut butter cookies. Usually, that kind of memory would be creepy.
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