Photo by RUDY LIWANAG

Thank you everyone for sending us your thoughts, questions and insights. Adoree and I enjoy reading and answering your letters every week.

Q: I read your article with interest, as I have been an avid baker since growing up in England many years ago. There is nothing better for batch baking than a convection oven. Having the ability to be sure of even heat throughout the height of an oven, one can bake three or possibly more trays simultaneously – a major bonus. Another great bonus is that a good convection oven can be set 20 degrees lower than a conventional oven, saving energy and reducing the general heat of the oven. (Mitch@cruiselearn.com)

Jun Jun: Thank you for your letter. Yes, I truly enjoy using a convection oven for batch baking butter cakes, coffee cakes, cookies and biscuits.  But I have to point out to you that there are some fragile cakes and baked goods that cannot be baked in this type of oven. Sponge and chiffon cakes usually lose a lot of the egg white foam that was added to it when baked in a convection oven. Have you tried baking your crème brulee in a convection oven? Depending on your baking container, sometimes you will see waves on the surface due to the movement of air while it was baked. Thanks for the email and I hope that you keep sending us good advices. 

Adoree: I must agree with you; a convection oven is nice to own if you are baking cookies, breads and other items that are not fragile.  However, if you are baking very fragile cakes like chiffon, a convection oven is not ideal. The air coming from the fan of the oven will disturb the rising of the cake and can cause the cake to collapse.

Q: How come every time I make pan de sal the bottom part is brown or burned? (From Angel sent through USSLUR@aol.com) 

Jun Jun: I have a feeling that you are baking your pan de sal with high heat. It is recommended to preheat your oven when baking pan de sal only to 350 F and it is best to bake it in the middle part of the oven. If you are using a special kind of oven, where you don’t have a middle part, make sure to put the pan de sal on a cookie sheet with no paper and just a sprinkling of flour as treatment. Don’t put any grease or shortening on the tray, since this will burn and cause the pan de sal to have a light brown color. When you adjust your oven temperature make sure to change your baking time too, so the pan de sal will not be under baked. You can also use specialized cookie sheets with perforated bottoms so the hot air can circulate well in the oven and no over browning will happen. 

Adoree: Bake the pan de sal at the middle rack of your oven so that the heat will circulate more efficiently and not just concentrate at the bottom. 

Q: Why is it so hard to mix cocoa powder with liquid? Sometimes the resulting mixture I have is lumpy. What can I do to avoid this?

Jun Jun: It is really quite laborious to mix cocoa powder with liquid. So, do it the opposite way. Mix the liquid to the cocoa powder, but do this a little at a time so that it can slowly accept the liquid into its system. There is actually nothing to melt in this solution, in other words, we are just blending or combining two different ingredients. 

Adoree: It usually takes some time to dissolve the cocoa powder in liquid especially if the liquid is cold. Just have the patience to do it. The cocoa powder will eventually blend into the liquid.

Q: Hi Chefs, why do I have to rehydrate the vanilla bean before I slice it and get its flavor pods? (Myla)  

Jun Jun: Myla, since a vanilla bean is very dry, it has to be soaked in warm water for it to be pliable. After this, it would be easier to slice and remove the pods or caviars inside. Also, when it is in the liquid to be used for baking or cooking, the vanilla’s flavor is also released into the solution creating more flavor for the finished product. 

Adoree: I agree with Jun Jun. The rehydrating of the vanilla pod is just to make it plump easier to slice.

Q: I love making homemade pesto sauce. My problem is it develops mold after a week even if it is refrigerated. What am I doing wrong?  (From Zennie Vail through vzennie@yahoo.com) 

Jun Jun: Molds in your pesto! Make sure that the grinded basil leaves in your pesto are completely submerged in extra virgin olive oil. Did you wash your containers very well and did you dry it well too? Make sure that no water is present in your container, since water has different forms of microorganism that can cause molds. Maybe, it is best to warm your pesto a little, and cooling it completely before sealing it. Heating and cooling are two important steps that must be followed to the letter or else molds and other microorganisms can grow. 

Zennie, that’s a question on cooking. But it is just so great to know that we know a lot about what we preach; I do both cooking and baking so we can answer more of your questions.

Email us at mbdining@yahoo.com