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| Sugar Cookies in the shapes of flowers, fruits, snow flakes, tea pots & Christmas decorations and Chocolate Chip Cookies |
My Baking Experience
This is my first venture into the culinary world and I must frankly admit that I'm thrilled to have an opportunity to explore this rather tasty part of life! I am pursuing this course not just for the academic perspective but to use what I learn here in my future. I look at this course as valuable life lessons.In this course, I have so far made chocolate chip cookies. I was excited to make this classic for the first time. In my short experience here, I have learned that it is best for one person to focus on the ingredients set up while the other person puts the dish together. In this way, a through measuring of the ingredients can be done to avoid flaws in the preparation and taste of the product. As it was our first time baking, lack of experience, led my partner and I to both focus on ingredients set up which made us hasty, hence the surplus of baking soda which ruined the taste of our cookies. But this does not deter my enthusiasm and I am learning from each experience to be the best baker I can!
The 3 most important steps to becoming a Baking Wonder are Sanitation & Safety, Measuring and Ingredients Station Setup which are discussed below.
Sanitation and Safety
- Hand Washing
Hands must be washed after handling hazardous or raw food, sneezing or coughing, touching something contaminated, smoking and using the washroom.
To wash hands one must wet hands, apply soap, lather for 15 sec, rinse, dry and turn taps off with towel.
- Personal Hygiene
There should be no smoking in the kitchen.
Food handlers must wear headgear to confine hair and clean clothing.
Food handlers should not handle food when they are ill, have open wounds, are wearing a band-aid, have uncut nails, or are wearing jewelry.
Food handlers must not bit nails and touch face.
- Temperature Maintenance
Keep hot food hot above 60 degrees C and cold food cold below 4 degrees C.
- Bacterial Growth
Bacteria grow rapidly between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C. This is called the danger zone. Do not allow food to be in this temperature range for longer than 2 hours.
- Cross Contamination
To avoid cross-contamination store raw food and cooked food separately and ensure that equipment are cleaned and sanitized after they come in contact with raw food.
To wash hands one must wet hands, apply soap, lather for 15 sec, rinse, dry and turn taps off with towel.
- Personal Hygiene
There should be no smoking in the kitchen.
Food handlers must wear headgear to confine hair and clean clothing.
Food handlers should not handle food when they are ill, have open wounds, are wearing a band-aid, have uncut nails, or are wearing jewelry.
Food handlers must not bit nails and touch face.
- Temperature Maintenance
Keep hot food hot above 60 degrees C and cold food cold below 4 degrees C.
- Bacterial Growth
Bacteria grow rapidly between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C. This is called the danger zone. Do not allow food to be in this temperature range for longer than 2 hours.
- Cross Contamination
To avoid cross-contamination store raw food and cooked food separately and ensure that equipment are cleaned and sanitized after they come in contact with raw food.
Measuring
The 2 measuring systems are:
- Metric System
Grams = g
1000 g = 1 Kg
Kilogram = Kg
Millilitres = ml
1000 ml = 1 L
Litres = L - Imperial System
Ounces = oz
16 oz = 1 Lbs
Pounds = Lbs
Fluid ounces = Fl oz
16 Fl oz = 1 Pt
Pint = Pt
Other Measuring items:
- Tea spoon = tsp
1 tsp = 5 ml - Table spoon = tbsp
3 tsp = 15 ml = 1 tbsp - Scale
Step 1. Place pie dish on scale and turn to 0. - Digital Scale
Step 1. Place pie dish on scale and press 'Tare'.
Ingredients Station Setup
Ingredients set up for Chocolate Chip Cookies
First wear head gear and apron and wash hands.
Then setup ingredients table by getting butter and eggs out of the fridge. Get Vanilla essence and baking soda onto the table. Ensure that brown sugar, granulated sugar, chocolate chips, walnuts and pastry flour are also out. Get foil baking trays, a bowl, 2 ml spoon and tray for the ingredients. One person should get the Scale and measure the required ingredients while the other starts making the cookies.
Ingredients:
60 g granulated sugar
70 g brown sugar
80 g butter
1 egg
2 drops vanilla essence
125 g pastry flour
2 ml baking soda
100 g chocolate chips
50 g chopped walnuts
Method:
- Sift flour and baking soda onto a sheet of paper.
- Cream sugar and butter.
- Add egg and continue to cream until light and fluffy.
- Add flour and mix until combined.
- Add the chocolate chip cookies.
- Using a portion scoop place equal sized amounts evenly spaced on a foil baking tray. Flatten with a fork.
- Bake at 190 C for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size. Watch cookies and turn them around at half way point.
