Unexpectedly hard eggs...

[Broch]

I must respectfully disagree. Yes, it's a chemical process and, if you want an exact reaction, you will need to measure carefully. But my grandmother was an excellent baker of breads and cakes - and so was my mother. I would often watch them just take handfuls of ingredients and mix then take a little more of this an that and mix - the results were always fantastic; I have never experienced better. God forbid that every cake comes out tasting exactly as the last one or the same as next door's!

When it comes to batter, which is where this all started, I just heap the flour into a bowl, look at it, think is that enough for the number of servings? and adjust. Then I add a little baking powder (must work out how much I use to compare with the above), just beat with the number of eggs I feel like using, add milk and whatever seasoning I am using be it for a savoury batter or a sweet one, beat it some more - too thick, add a little more milk etc.

When I really think about it, that's how I do most of my cooking - I never measure spices or herbs but go as I see fit at the time. Cooking should be a 'fuzzy' art not an exact science! (IMHO )

 

[Broch]

Oh, except when I'm making my own Ras El Hanout - then every one of the seventeen spices I use is measured out - but only by the teaspoon (i.e. a ratio) not by grams.

 

[Robson Valley]

Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen. The textbook of choice in all the Cordon Bleu culinary schools.

By expressing all ingredients in weight not volume, you can scale the formulas up to box-car quantities if you wish.
Scoring the flour as 100, the method is very well explained in Gisslen's book.
Could be some 1,500 formulas in that book ( I have only the 5th edition.)

Plenty of used ones floating around. abeBooks.com is a great place to shop economically.

Imperial cup volumes are all 8 fluid oz. Very smart move has been to buy a couple of fairly good kitchen scales for weighing ingredients. Some people might tediously scoop up 5C flour for a bread formula. I have the flour bag under my arm. I shovel 800g flour into the bowl and I am done. 160g is a good measure for flour in a 250ml/8 oz cup.

I did the same exercise for eggs. Have the numbers written some place in my cook book.
That's how I learned that small eggs are no bargain as you have to use more to see the same weight of egg in a formula.

 

[Broch]

Sorry, give me home baking any day - professional just means 'money' to me not 'good' or 'better'

 

[Allison McKenzie]

Just get baking! The flavour is your reward.

 

[Toddy]

Ah, there is hope for me yet.

(Unless I desire a fried egg...)

Its a pest though, the blasted old device; not mine. I will have to arrange things more carefully. Down the bottom might be less frigid.

I watched a video today on cooking hacks (yes, I'm bored and looking for distractions) and in among them was one where they froze an egg, and while it was still frozen they sliced it up, and put those frozen wee slices into a frying pan. The result was half a dozen mini fried eggs
So, you can fry frozen eggs

 

[Robson Valley]

Of course "professional" means money. How could it not?
This is intended for people planning to make a living with their learned skills in a kitchen.
Pretty nice to work hard and then be told: "I'd sell what you make."

I'm a superior baker for knowing what is happening.
Plus, the text got me into fougasse and other make-ups.
The learning experience isn't toxic.

 

[santaman2000]

I must respectfully disagree. Yes, it's a chemical process and, if you want an exact reaction, you will need to measure carefully. But my grandmother was an excellent baker of breads and cakes - and so was my mother. I would often watch them just take handfuls of ingredients and mix then take a little more of this an that and mix - the results were always fantastic; I have never experienced better. God forbid that every cake comes out tasting exactly as the last one or the same as next door's!

When it comes to batter, which is where this all started, I just heap the flour into a bowl, look at it, think is that enough for the number of servings? and adjust. Then I add a little baking powder (must work out how much I use to compare with the above), just beat with the number of eggs I feel like using, add milk and whatever seasoning I am using be it for a savoury batter or a sweet one, beat it some more - too thick, add a little more milk etc.

When I really think about it, that's how I do most of my cooking - I never measure spices or herbs but go as I see fit at the time. Cooking should be a 'fuzzy' art not an exact science! (IMHO )

I don’t think we’re really disagreeing. Rather I think we’re both saying the same thing in different ways.