All about Baking

Throughout this blog I would like to take us through several techniques of cooking. For the first technique I picked is baking. Baking is defined by Oxford Language as cooking (food) by dry heat without direct exposure to a flame, typically in an oven or on a hot surface. Baking in the kitchen doesn't just refer to desserts. Baking can also include breads, casseroles, and cooking meats and vegetables. Today we are going to focus on baking with savory and sweet.

Baking Meat and Poultry - The Savory

The proper term for baking meat is roasting. When it comes to roasting meat and poultry your options are endless!  Some of my personal favorites are chicken, salmon, and meatloaf! The meat we are going to focus on how to roast today is chicken breast. According to an article from Gimme Some Oven, the easiest way to cook chicken breast is to follow the B.B.R.R.R rule. These stand for brine, brush, rub, roast, and rest. To brine chicken you put the chicken in warm saltwater for 15 minutes. This helps your chicken be more juicy. Next, brush your chicken with melted butter to give it flavor and a golden color. Then, rub your chicken with your seasonings. My favorites are salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powder. Next is roasting the chicken. This article recommends cooking the chicken breast at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Lastly, you must let your chicken rest. You do this by covering them with aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes. Then your chicken is ready to cut into and eat!

Baking Desserts - The Sweet

Baking is one of my favorite ways to make desserts! One of my favorite desserts to bake is brownies. You can never have too much chocolate! According to Baking Basics, the basic ingredients you can pretty much guarantee will always be in any recipe when you are baking include flour, butter, baking soda, baking powder, and eggs. The other ingredients are what makes each dish different! After mixing all your ingredients together for your baked goods, you then bake them in the oven according to your recipe.