Bake it til you make it, right? Baking is most often thought of as a cumbersome and daunting activity. It’s something you have to be super gifted or talented to pull off. Well, we don’t agree. Here are a few hacks that will make you look like a pastry pro in the kitchen.
For rolling your dough. Use an empty wine bottle if you don’t have a wooden rolling pin. If you can remove the label and sticky residue, even better! Treat your bottle like a rolling pin, ensuring you always have enough flour around to keep your dough from sticking to the glass.
For portioning. Use a measure like an ice cream scoop to make uniform size cupcakes or cookies. One scoop = one cupcake or cookie.
For frosting or icing. Use a ziploc bag to create a piping bag for frosting. Fill your frosting into one corner, seal the top, and snip the tip off. Start by cutting off a smaller hole that you thought you would need. You can always cut off more!
For egg separation gone wrong. Use a large piece of egg shell to scoop out any tiny pieces of eggshell that may have fallen into your whites. The shell is heavy enough to “cut” through the white. You’ll be fishing for hours if you use your finger.
For decoration. Use a sophisticated color chart to create custom frosting colors. With a few simple drops of different dyes, you can create a gorgeous palette for decoration.
For texture. Use the “drop it like it’s hot” method, and drop your cake/cupcake/bundt pan 1 to 2 inches from a chip-resistant counter to even out the batter in your pan. It will help release air bubbles, and create a smoother cake texture once baked.