Of  the handful of questions we received about the basics of baking, we truly see the enthusiasm of our readers in perfecting their craft and their love and passion for baking.  Just remember, it is never too late to start learning the craft and while you are at it, enjoy baking just as much as we do.

Q:   Hi Jun Jun and Adoree.  For me, baking demands attention to detail, which begins with the selection of the right ingredients.  I am a beginner in baking and I plan to stock up on the most commonly used ingredients in baking.  What items should I buy and please give tips for storing these staples?  Thank you very much.  (Nancy Gan of Quezon City)

Adoree:  Hi Nancy.  Here is a list of items I stock in my pantry.  Feel free to omit items that you feel you would not need for the meantime.  My list includes: granulated sugar, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, light corn syrup, all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, vegetable oil, shortening, and vanilla extract.

Sugars are best kept in airtight containers, away from heat and sunlight.  Light corn syrup can be stored in the refrigerator to keep the ants away.  Though it tends to thicken a little when chilled, just leave it out at room temperature for an hour before using to ‘thaw’ it out.

Flours, cocoa powder and chemical leaveners should be stored in airtight containers, away from heat and sunlight. If you have available refrigerator space, you can opt to store the flour there to prolong its shelf life.  Vegetable oil and shortening can be stored at room temperature, though they do not keep too long.  I suggest you just buy them in small containers.  Vanilla extract keeps well even if stored in room temperature.

Jun Jun: I do stock up on most of my ingredients as Adoree does, but I make sure that storage should be done properly since our weather here is quite hot forcing most of these ingredients to go stale very fast.  I also buy both unsalted and salted butter depending on what I have to make and I always freeze them.  Nuts should be readily prepared especially in making cookies, but they should be well-kept. Most of the ingredients needed for baking were further discussed by Adoree.

Q: I want to ask about the general rule for preparing a cake pan.  What is the best way to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan?  When can I use brown paper, wax paper, and parchment paper to line the pan?  (Levi de Jesus of San Juan City)

Adoree: Greasing the cake pan with shortening then dusting with flour is the most common method done for most cakes, especially if you’re using specialty pans like the bundt pan, since there is no way you can line the bumps and ridges of the pan.  Greasing and lining the pan with parchment paper can also be done instead of greasing and dusting with flour, especially if you are just using regular cake pans.  I am not so keen on using wax paper for lining because it is not so reliable.  There are instances when my cake got stuck to the wax paper.  The use of brown paper can be done for butter cakes because they are high in butter content anyway, so the cake will not stick to the paper.

Jun Jun: I have one general rule for lining or greasing a pan and that is just to make sure that the bottom is always lined, greased, and dusted with flour so that the bottom of the cake can be easily removed from the pan.  When the sides of the cake are cleaned, then the sides are also lined, greased, and dusted with flour except for some cakes like sponge and chiffon.

Q: Are the terms streusel and crumb one and the same? Are streusel cake and crumb cake the same? (Jenni Sandoval of Makati)

Adoree: I researched the terms you were asking about.  Here is what I got: Streusel is supposedly finer and crunchier and may include other items like nuts and oatmeal to give the added texture.  Crumb topping is less sweeter, softer, and more ‘cookie-like’ than the streusel. Though they both have flour, sugar, and butter in them, streusel is sweeter and has other items to give the crunch in your cake.

Jun Jun: Almost the same, but streusel is started with cold butter while crumb is made with melted butter, forcing the streusel to become finer while the crumb bigger and gives more texture.

Q: Hi to both of you. I find it quite difficult to check the doneness of my cookies that I always end up with crisp and dry cookies.  How do I ensure that my cookies come out nice and chewy?  I do not use the toothpick, right?  And I cannot press the middle so that it bounces back, right?  So how do I check for doneness?  (Sonia Teng of Pasig City)

Adoree: For cookies, just gently press the center of the cookie.  The cookie should have set in the middle though the inside still feels soft.  It will form an indention when pressed but with slight resistance. The sides should also brown a little. Good luck to you, Sonia.

Jun Jun: Sonia, thanks for your letter. I always have a standard time for baking cookies. A 2–2 ½ inch diameter cookie usually bakes between 15- 20 minutes. A little color will tell you that it’s about to be done while the smell of freshly baked cookies will tell you it’s time to remove them from  the oven.