BAKING TIPS

While browsing the internet, I picked up a few baking tricks & tips that I thought were extremely helpful. Anything that makes life a bit easier, even while baking cupcakes, is appreciated.

I rinse/wash my hands probably a million times while baking or cooking. Using a cup or glass while making a well in the center of a bowl of dry ingredients keeps my hands from getting dirty.

I had trouble scooping batter into the cups neatly with a regular kitchen spoon, but I read that using an ice cream scoop makes just the right amount of batter per cup for most cupcakes.

Even though I'm baking cupcakes, I don't like keeping buttermilk on hand. If I do happen to use some for a recipe, it'll be spoiled before I bake another recipe that calls for it. So, I found substitutions for it with ingredients I always have on hand. For each cup of warm milk, add either: 1½ tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, 1 1/3 tablespoon of cider vinegar or 1¾ tablespoon cream of tartar. 

I read a little story about a woman asking if someone had a 3 teaspoon spoon and a guy handed her one. The woman was a-mazed that he had a measuring spoon equaling 3 teaspoons. I chuckled aloud and only got the joke because I had just read the day before that 1 tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons. 

I wish I knew this substitution before I bought myself a bottle of allspice. That could have been a few bucks saved for a pack of smokes or something. Allspice = 2 parts ground cinnamon and 1 part ground cloves.

Same thing goes for punpkin pie spice = ½ tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ground ginger + 1/8 tsp ground cloves + 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg.

1 vanilla bean = 2 to 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.