There is an old saying that goes: "if you can read, you can cook". Whoever said this obviously never tried to read a recipe! Recipes are written with precise language, and you must learn that language before you can become a successful cook and baker.

Did you know that baking and cooking are two very different activities? It's true, baking is really a science, with precise measurements of ingredients that are assembled and baked in specific ways. Baking recipes include those for cakes, breads, cookies, pies, muffins, and bar cookies, etc.

Cooking recipes include those for main dishes, soups, salads, side dishes, and many desserts. These types of recipes allow more leeway. Adding another 1/2 cup of liquid to soup isn't going to affect the outcome. And using 6 chicken breasts instead of 5 won't ruin a chicken picata recipe.

So read through these directions for reading recipes. Even if you're a pro, you'll probably learn something new.

• Baking Recipes
• Cooking Recipes

The very first step in cooking and baking is to read the recipe all the way through, from beginning to end, before you begin. This way you will know that you have all the ingredients and tools on hand. You will also be able to look up terms you don't understand so cooking proceeds smoothly.

Most good recipes start with the ingredient list, and the ingredients are listed in the order they are used. In this case, the topping is mixed first because breads and cakes that use baking powder need to go into the oven quickly after being mixed. If batters sit at room temperature before baking, the baking powder will keep reacting and the carbon dioxide produced can't be captured by the unbaked batter. And the cake or bread will not rise as high.

Measurements in baking recipes are critical. When a recipe calls for a tablespoon or teaspoon, the author means for you to use actual measuring utensils, not spoons that you use for eating and serving. Here's a basic chart of measures and equivalents. For our purposes, these are the abbreviations I use that are fairly standard. For more baking and cooking definitions be sure to check out the Definitions page.

• tbsp = tablespoon
• tsp = teaspoon
• oz = ounce

After you have read the recipe, gather all the ingredients, pots, pans, bowls, and measuring utensils you will need. Go slowly and double check all the steps and ingredients.

When you are baking, dry ingredients and liquid ingredients are measured using different sets of utensils. Dry ingredient measures are usually plastic or metal. Liquid ingredient measures are usually glass, with a pouring spout and marks along the side of the cup. It's important to use the correct measuring utensil when baking.

Quick Coffeecake

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp butter, softened
1-1/2 cups chopped nuts
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup salad oil
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13x9" pan and set aside.

In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and butter and cream together until blended.

Crack eggs into large bowl and beat with a fork until combined. Add milk and mix well with wire whisk or eggbeater. Add sugar and oil and mix with a whisk until blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix with a spoon for 20-30 strokes just until combined and all dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into a prepared 13x9" pan.

Bake at 375* degrees for 25-35 minutes until puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

The body of the recipe contains the instructions about combining and heating the ingredients. In the coffeecake recipe above:

• Packed brown sugar. Brown sugar must be pressed firmly into the measuring cup, then unmolded. The sugar should hold the shape of the cup when it's released.


• Butter is softened by letting it stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. You can soften butter in a microwave, but it's easy to overheat the butter. If the butter begins to melt, the structure that creates the little air holes in baked goods will be lost and your recipe won't rise as high. The texture will also not be as tender.


• Chop nuts until the pieces are a uniform size, about 1/4" in diameter. You can do this with a chef's knife or (the method I prefer), a small hand turned nut chopper. Oatmeal can be substituted for nuts in many recipes.


• 1 cup milk is measured using the liquid glass measuring cup. Pour the milk into the cup, then bend down so the 1 cup mark is at your eye level. The milk should just touch the 1 cup mark, not be below or above.


• 1 cup sugar is measured using the plastic or metal measuring cup. Spoon sugar into the cup so it's overflowing. Then use the back of a knife or a flat spatula and sweep over the sugar, level with the cup's top edge, so the measuring cup is full to the brim.


• Salad oil is plain, unflavored oil. I like to use canola oil in baking, although other types will work too. Do NOT use olive oil, as its flavor is too intense for baked goods.


• Flour is measured like sugar. Spoon it lightly into the measuring cup - don't scoop it out using the cup. Don't pack it or shake the cup. When the flour is overflowing the cup, use that knife again to level it off.


• Baking powder and baking soda are two very different ingredients. Baking powder is baking soda mixed with another ingredient. Baking soda needs to be combined with an acidic ingredient like vinegar or lemon juice. Each produces carbon dioxide. (Carbon dioxide is very safe. It's what makes baked goods rise) Don't pack the baking powder in the spoon, spoon it into the measuring spoon and level off as for flour.


• All ovens need to be preheated when you're baking. It should only take about 10 minutes for an oven to get to the correct temperature. I highly recommend an oven thermometer, since almost every oven made isn't perfectly accurate. Grease pans by rubbing them with a bit of unsalted shortening or butter, or spraying with nonstick cooking spray such as Pam®. The shortening should be a very thin, even coating over every inside surface, so the pan is shiny. No shortening should be visible.


• Cream is a cooking term that means to push shortening and sugar together on the sides of the bowl using the back of a large spoon. This builds small air pockets in the shortening with the sugar crystals and starts to set up the product structure. A mixture is blended when you can't see the separate ingredients any more.


• Sift flour and other dry ingredients by placing them in a sieve and shaking the sieve gently. This removes lumps and blends the ingredients together.


• Quick breads are mixed just until dry ingredients are moistened. No flour should be visible, but there should be small lumps in the batter. Everything will smooth out during baking. Remember, these instructions are just for quick breads.


• Baking doneness tests are descriptive. The range of cooking times, in this case 25-35 minutes, has been established in tolerance tests in test kitchens. Begin checking your product at the shortest cooking time. Golden brown means more golden than brown. When breads, cakes and cookies are done, they usually look done. Browse through products at a bakery, and note their color. That's how your homemade goodies should look. The toothpick test is usually used to test for doneness. Stick a clean toothpick into the product near the center and remove it. There shouldn't be any uncooked batter or wetness on the toothpick. It's fine if there are small crumbs sticking to the toothpick.

I hope this explanation has helped you. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Cooking terms can be confusing, and most cookbooks aren't as detailed as many beginning cooks would like. Cooking is a science, and a recipe is like a chemical formula. Once you learn the language of recipes and learn how to read cooking and baking recipes, your cooking expertise and knowledge will grow by leaps and bounds.

The very first step in cooking is to read the recipe all the way through, from beginning to end. This way you will know that you have all the ingredients and tools on hand. You will also be able to look up recipe terms you don't understand so cooking proceeds smoothly. After you have read the recipe, gather all the ingredients, pots, pans, bowls, and measuring utensils you will need. Go slowly and double check all the steps and ingredients.

Most good recipes start with the ingredient list, and the ingredients are listed in the order they are used. In this case, the olive oil goes in the pan first, followed by the onions and the garlic.

Measurements in recipes are critical. When a recipe calls for a tablespoon or teaspoon, the author means for you to use actual measuring utensils, not spoons that you use for eating and serving. Here's a basic chart of measures and equivalents. For our purposes, these are the abbreviations I use that are fairly standard. For more baking and cooking definitions be sure to check out the Definitions page.

• tbsp = tablespoon
• tsp = teaspoon
• oz = ounce

Even the order of words in a recipe ingredient list changes the preparation of the foods. For instance, if a recipe calls for "1 cup nuts, chopped", that is different from "1 cup chopped nuts". In the first case, you should measure 1 cup of unchopped shelled nuts first, then chop them. In the second case, the nuts should be chopped first, then measured. The comma placement changes the measuring technique. Let's learn how to read a cooking recipe. The words in bold are explained below.

Simple Spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground beef
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1-1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
4 oz uncooked spaghetti pasta, broken in half

Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until translucent. Add ground beef and cook and stir until beef is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except for uncooked spaghetti. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add uncooked spaghetti to the simmering sauce a little at a time, stirring to keep it separated. Cover tightly and simmer for 20-25 minutes over low heat or until pasta is tender, stirring frequently. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

The body of the recipe contains the instructions about combining and heating the ingredients. In the spaghetti recipe above:

• Heating the olive oil means place it in a skillet, turning on the heat to medium, and leaving the oil on the heat for 1-2 minutes, until you can feel the warmth when you hold your hand 3"-4" above the pan.


• The degrees of heat are usually marked on your oven dials. I always turn the dial so it points to the lowest part of the heat setting. You can always turn the heat up, but overcooking food is permanent! Medium heat is right in the middle of the dial. Low heat is also marked, and is the bottom 1/4 in the range from off to high.


• Cooking the onions until translucent means the color of the onions changes from pure white to a softer white that is more transparent.


• Browning the ground beef means to cook just until the pink or red color disappears. Stir with a fork so the chunk of ground beef breaks up as it cooks and you are left with small uniform pieces. This does NOT mean to cook until the meat turns crispy.


• Cooking vegetables until tender means that when you poke or pierce them with a fork, the tines of the fork slide easily into the flesh, with little resistance.


• Simmering and boiling are degrees of cooking. A simmer means small bubbles rise to the surface of the liquid slowly. Simmering liquid doesn't make much noise. Boiling means large bubbles rise to the surface of the liquid quickly. Boiling liquid is quite noisy.


• Pasta is tender when it is cooked all the way through. To test that, remove one strand of pasta from the sauce, rinse it with cool water and carefully cut it in half. There should be no white areas inside the pasta, or only a thin white line if you like your pasta to have more texture. Then taste it. The pasta should not taste of flour, and the texture should be tender but still firm.


• Stirring frequently means to move the ingredients with a spoon every 2-3 minutes.


• All recipes have a cooking time range. These times are tested using tolerance techniques in test kitchens. Begin testing for doneness at the beginning of the time range. In the recipe above, start checking the tenderness of the spaghetti at 20 minutes. You shouldn't have to cook the dish beyond 25 minutes, although many factors can influence timing. Just remember to start testing at the beginning of the cooking range, and remove the food from the heat when it tastes good to you.

I hope this explanation has helped you. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.