false 101247 1 Alton Brown's <I>I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking</I> should be required reading for those who truly want to learn how to become great bakers. In his own off-beat style Alton explains the science behind the process simply and in a manner you will not only remember, but subconsciously apply to all your baking endeavors. What is salt's role in the baking process? Why use eggs? Why is the way you mix important to overall success? Stylized and presented like his first book and popular Food Network show <I>Good Eats</I>, <I>Baking</I> is more like a goofy textbook rather then a pretty, photographed book with a bunch of recipes. If you are looking for a couple of quick, simple recipes to make cookies or bread, keep looking. If it's an education about the "Whats," "Whys," and "Hows" of baking with the intent to lift your skills to a new level: welcome! <p> Baking is a precise science that needs to be followed to the letter if you want success. It is highly recommended to read the introduction and "The Parts Department" section before attempting any of the recipes in this book. The essence of Alton Brown's book is not to simply follow recipes, but to get a deep understanding of what is going on during the baking process. The introduction goes over the layout of the book and how it should be used (the ingenious "method flaps" for instance), the low down on how to read recipes, the importance of measuring by weight vs. volume, and baking's five core steps. The "Parts" section explains just that: ingredients. What is the chemical make up of proteins, carbs, and fats? Why is their interrelationship so important to success? How well do you know flour, eggs, sugar, and baking soda? Once you have the basics down and your parts measured it's time to get mixing. The rest of the book is smartly broken up by the six major mixing methods (Muffin, Biscuit, Creaming, Straight Dough, Egg Foam, and Custards). Each technique is explored in detail with recipes to follow. You won't find any ultra fancy recipes in <I>Baking</I>. The focus here is on the basics and getting the basics down right. Rediscover some old favorites like chocolate cookies and muffins, buttermilk pancakes, biscuits, shortcake, multigrain loaf bread, and good old fashioned cheesecake. There is no denying it, follow Alton's advice and you will be a better baker. Guaranteed. <I>--Rob Bracco</I> 97620 1 10 2004 I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking total:456|5:215|4:162|3:74|2:5|1:0| 456 1955 635 47 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 26 11:32:53 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 13:08:56 -0800 2008
Baking is largely defined by the "method," the process by which the ingredients are mixed prior to baking. Things like the Muffin Method (...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 11:43:02 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 06:36:36 -0700 2009
The only thing that I didn't like about Mr. Brown's style is that it isn't geared towards quick or fool-proof baking at all. This is book is for th...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Mar 14 23:55:41 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 12 16:18:24 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 14 23:54:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 25 08:05:39 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 02 08:46:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Apr 03 22:37:47 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 13:48:31 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 18:05:49 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 18:47:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 23 19:42:01 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 19:56:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Dec 28 10:40:06 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 10:41:38 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jul 09 13:10:21 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 13:12:04 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Mar 24 05:23:28 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 24 05:23:28 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 07:08:28 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 08:57:23 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Apr 27 13:16:26 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 13:16:42 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Nov 26 08:14:24 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 08:14:31 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sun Dec 14 21:15:21 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 19:17:23 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 21:15:21 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon May 26 13:47:16 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 20:48:33 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Jan 04 00:30:19 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 11:58:26 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Jun 16 17:40:55 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 17:44:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Oct 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 09 06:53:12 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 14 08:17:02 -0700 2008 I made the chocolate waffles and they were divine.
This is a great book for those that want to know more about the chemistry of baking and want some great recipes to boot.
Mr. Brown disects the 'muffin' method, the 'biscuit' met...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Oct 19 08:22:06 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 19 08:22:06 -0700 2007 Brown's writing style is humorous and though the subject matter c...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 11:00:18 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 08 22:55:23 -0700 2007 more...]]>