Baking is a great way to prepare a summer or winter treat. It is also a good way to welcome home children after they had their first day of school. The baking process is simple, but there are some things a person needs to know about it before he begins to mix ingredients. The first and by far the least obvious is that the process of baking is a science. Baking uses simple chemistry. The baker must mix and match the ingredients in the right amounts. Chemistry skill is no the only thing that gets tested in the art of baking. All forms of cooking test the ability of the person doing the cooking to follow directions.
The final part of baking that many people do not realize is that it is an art form. When the final goods come out of the oven, the cook needs to take a sample to see how they taste. The baker may need to put additional decorations on the baked goods when they come out of the oven. Cakes and cookies may need frosting. The frosting can be simple or elaborate. Sometimes frosting is just there to enhance the taste of the food. The frosting conveys a message at other times.
A chef may also need to know when to use baking powder or baking soda. He may not know that there is only a few molecules of different between the two, but they serve different purposes. Baking soda is used to get baked good to rise. If a person is baking bread or other types of pastries, yeast will take its place. Baking powder is often used as a bonding agent. A cook who uses baking powder when he should have used baking soda will not notice a difference in how the finish product tastes, but it may change how it looks.