Important Ingredients And Supplies For Baking

Great dinners do not always require advanced planning. Sometimes, you just have to wing it with what you have on hand. If you keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with some basic supplies – and a few surprises – you will never be at a loss when you have to whip up something great for dinner with very little notice. Here is a list of baking supplies to keep on hand at all times so that you will never be caught by surprise without something to cook for dinner.

In the Pantry

At a minimum, you should have unbleached white flour, whole wheat flour and cake flour stocked in your pantry. In addition to being the base for breads and cakes, flour can be used to whip up a batch of fresh pasta, spaetzle or dumplings in no time at all. Use it to make gravies and sauces that can transform a meal from commonplace to sublime.

Cornstarch makes smooth gravies and is an ideal thickener for sauces, stews and stir fries. In addition, when you need an emergency dessert, cornstarch, milk, vanilla and sugar or sweetener make a quick, impressive “from-scratch” vanilla pudding.

Sugar substitutes are convenient to have on hand, especially if you are trying to cut down on sugar in your meals. They are ideal for use in sweet and sour sauces, desserts, drinks and other recipes that call for sugar.

Flavored oils have been popular in gourmet circles for years, and they have finally made their way to the supermarket shelves. Chili, lemon, pepper, orange and basil are just a few of the flavored oils you can tuck into your cupboard to add flavor to simple dishes. Try using them in stir fries and salad dressings, or as a base for marinade. Also consider olive oil, almond oil, walnut oil and grapeseed oil.

Flavored vinegars, including balsamic vinegar, red and white wine vinegar, herb or fruit infused vinegars and cider vinegar are all great additions to the well-stocked pantry. Pick up one or two each week when you do the grocery shopping, and you will soon have a full selection of vinegars to experiment with.

Other baking ingredients to keep in your pantry include canned unsweetened juices, unsweetened fruit spreads, raisins, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cocoa powder, salt, kosher salt and sea salt, whole peppercorns (so much better freshly ground than pre-ground), cream of tartar, baking soda, vanilla and other flavored extracts as well as cooking sprays. Canned tomato paste is incredibly versatile and can be used in a huge variety of recipes from soup to dessert.

Dried beans, especially lentils, cook up quickly with brown rice and vegetables. A variety of grains like couscous, quinoa, cornmeal, rolled oats and kasha make delicious sides or alternatives to rice and potatoes.

Pasta in a variety of shapes – bow-ties, angel hair, linguine, shells and elbows may all be pasta, but they each show off the flavor of different dishes best.

Rice is another 'bland' ingredient that has a lot of character, especially if you branch out to some of the more exotic varieties. Basmati and jasmine rice are just two varieties of rice that can elevate a rice dish to new heights. Of course, plain white rice is great as a side dish, under a stir fry, tossed into a soup or simmered into a delicious dessert.

In the Refrigerator

Eggs and egg substitutes are a must to have on hand at all times. They are one of the most versatile and useful ingredients in your kitchen.

Important dairy products to stock in your refrigerator include margarine, low fat or fat free sour cream and fat free plain yogurt. Low fat, skim or 1% milk is another ingredient that is important to have on hand.

A fresh lemon and a fresh lime, orange juice, applesauce and apple juice can be used to enhance flavor or sweetness.

Carrots and bagged salads are the two packaged convenience foods that can be worth the extra cost. Whole peeled baby carrots and matchstick carrots cost a little more than buying them and cutting them yourself, but you will save time and perhaps eat more carrots. You will always have them ready to be tossed into a simmering dish to add color and flavor.

Bagged salad is another convenience that is worth paying for – but skip the ones that come with prepared dressings. When all you have to do to make a salad is pull a handful out of the bag and add embellishments, the whole family will be far more likely to eat their greens more often.

In the Freezer

Stick with frozen fruits and vegetables with no sauces or seasonings. They make quick work of stir fries, can be added by the handful to rice dishes or quickly steamed in the microwave as side dishes.

Individually frozen chicken breasts and thighs, and individually frozen, unbreaded fish fillets are great for quick, delicious dinners.

Keep these baking supplies and basic food stocks on hand at all times, and chances are you will never be trapped without something to cook for dinner. Who knows, you might expand your diet and taste palette at the same time.

Know About Baby Shower Cakes

Baby showers are usually prepared and arranged by the relatives and close friends of the parents-to-be. They are a fabulous way to help parents get started with the things that they require for the new baby. Note, however, that there are some cultures and churchgoing notions that do not consider it proper and that it is considered ill luck to have a party and bring baby things in the house before the baby is born.

It is popular for a baby shower to have a theme, to which the entire party focuses on. Baby shower essentials typically include games, presents, and food and a cake! A party is not complete without the well decorated and yummy cake, and this also applies to most baby showers today.

Cakes are one of the great things about baby showers, and they can be made using several basic techniques, such as the following:

1. All-in-together - this is done by placing the dry elements in a food mixer before gradually adding the liquid ingredients.

2. Creaming technique - this is done by 'creaming' butter and sugar together before gradually adding the remainder of the ingredients.

3. Rubbing technique - this is accomplished by 'rubbing' the butter into the dry ingredients before adding the liquid ones.

4. Melt-and-mix - this is accomplished by first mixing the dry ingredients together, adding the dissolved butter and the different liquid ingredients later on to complete the cake.

5. Sponge-making - this is done by whisking the eggs and sugar into a froth, with the flour slowly merged in. Making a light sponge cake requires some skill; there are no raising agents or fat involved as it does not use any. Completed cakes are usually heightened with the aid of frosting or toppings such as sprinkles or decorative icing as well as candy pieces.

Apart from the cake assortments above, there are likewise a lot of baby shower cake themes that can make a baby shower festivity more special to the mother-to-be:

1. Belly Cake Theme. One super thought is to design a baby shower cake and make it seem like a pregnant mother’s stomach belly. This can be achieved by putting a roundish cake in front of a rectangular cake and frosting them together to look like that of an expectant stomach.

2. Toy Blocks Baby Shower Cake. Another idea is to design a baby shower cake and make it look like babies play blocks (either one big cube or 3 to 4 smaller blocks). Toy block cakes can be even more exaggerated by fencing them with lollies or small toy motorcars.

Of course, you can also experiment and strive to come up with inventive thoughts of your own. Think that the 'goal' is not only to create a tasty sweet, but as well a special centrepiece that will stand out in the thoughts of the parents-to-be.