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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask for your baking/cooking shortcuts?

63 replies

Pettyspaghetti · 18/08/2018 15:54

Posting for traffic.
I’m started baking again and really enjoying it, and I’ve read through a lot of MN threads about favourites meals and people sharing/not sharing recipes.
Was wondering what shortcuts you use when baking? Or just full on “cheating”
I melt toffees and pretend it’s a homemade toffee sauce. And I’ve also used the betty crocker chocolate fudge frosting in a homemade cake more than once
I suppose both of mine are definitely in the cheating territory, but what do you do that’s makes baking/cooking easier?

OP posts:

Spreadingcudweed · 18/08/2018 19:04

Isitmeinthewrong great tip about butter melting! Just to clarify (sorry to be thick/pedantic!) presumably butter is in smaller bowl before you put in larger bowl of lukewarm water?

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 18/08/2018 19:08

When you're making pastry, roll it between two sheets of baking paper - goes nice and thin without sticking and without needing to add flour

When blind baking it with pastry beads or rice etc, you can put a double layer of cling film over the pastry, add the beans then fold it over - makes it nice and easy to take out after

Always save a bit of raw pastry to patch up holes

I used to be rubbish at pastry and this has revolutionised my baking!!

Loobyloo16 · 18/08/2018 19:08

As other have said I just put all my ingredients for a cake in a bowl and mix, no sieving and I never use castor sugar. To make your cake extra light add more milk.

MumW · 19/08/2018 14:09

That pork chop short cut sounds amazing, I’m drooling just thinking about it!
Cook the chops on a bed of onions, apple, dried sage and a good slug of dry cider - even better. 😉

Nacreous · 19/08/2018 14:14

That ice cream is delicious and works even better if you whizz it with an electric whisk after mixing together but before freezing. Using some alcohol in it makes it easier to scoop.

MumW · 19/08/2018 14:15

When you're making pastry, roll it between two sheets of baking paper - goes nice and thin without sticking and without needing to add flour
I use cling film.
I make sponges by weighing the eggs and using that weight for other ingredients. I do cream butter/sugar, add eggs then flour but do all stages with an electric wisk.

MinaPaws · 19/08/2018 14:17

I use jus-rol pastry all the time. It's lovely.

Latest one is using Stork not real butter in cakes. It blends more easily and it tastes fine. It doesn't taste of butter but it doesn't taste of margarine either. Just of cake. All in one sponges are fine. Just chuck all ingredients into a bowl at once and whisk. Not quite as perfects as doing all the stages. But fine for a quick family cake.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 19/08/2018 14:41

To get whatever weight you need of sticky items like treacle, jam, etc:

Put entire jar in weighing pan
Note weight of whole thing
Take ingredient OUT of the jar until whole weight has gone down by whatever amount you need

FromNowOn · 19/08/2018 14:44

I always use the chuck it in together method when making cakes. I never sieve flour. I also substitute whatever sugar for what I have in the cupboard at the time.

LoniceraJaponica · 19/08/2018 16:35

"Not quite as perfects as doing all the stages. But fine for a quick family cake."

I have done cakes both ways, and I can't tell the difference.

ILoveMyDressingGown · 19/08/2018 16:59

I use supermarket own brand ready made pastry and crumble topping. Occasionally I buy those kits where all you add is an egg and some water. I don't sieve flour and I do the all-in-one method when making cake batter. I made an apple and plum crumble yesterday and to soften the apples without overcooking the plums I chopped them up and microwaved them for a few minutes before adding them to the pan.

Kool4katz · 19/08/2018 19:14

Béchamel sauce. Put the butter into a non stick pan on a medium heat and whisk with a silicone whisk to melt the butter, then add the flour keep whisking. You cook the flour for a bit then add about 50ml of milk to start it off, still whisking. Then add all the remaining milk in one go and turn up the heat and keep whisking until it's thickened. You basically whisk it constantly from dropping the butter in. It does save a bit of time overall and never goes lumpy.

LoniceraJaponica · 19/08/2018 19:22

An even better way is Delia Smith's all-in-one method

This is the only way I make it these days. When you throw all the ingredients in a pan at first it doesn't look like it is going to work, but it does - every time.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 19/08/2018 19:43

Two things have completely transformed my cooking. A meat thermometer and a digital timer with an alarm on it.

Sounds daft but there's no more worrying about needing go back and forth checking stuff - the alarm is really loud and can be set for hours, minutes and seconds. Brilliant for stuff in the oven - makes doing a roast mega easy; no more forgetting to put the yorkshires in until I'm taking the meat out...

The meat thermometer is brilliant. Completely takes the guess work out of whether a piece of meat is done or not. I am now a lot more confident in cooking steak!! It's digital and goes up to 250 degrees so I can use it for making caramel as well.

Both things came to under £20 and I couldn't do without them.

SabineUndine · 19/08/2018 19:56

If you grease and flour your baking tins you don’t need to line them with paper.

SabineUndine · 19/08/2018 20:01

Also , making Hollandaise, don’t melt the butter first. Chop it up and add it to the egg yolk. As the egg warms, it melts gradually. I’ve never had an egg liaison sauce split when made this way.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 19/08/2018 20:07

Bread bakers - can you please give me an idiot proof bread recipe/hack? Have tried before but I never seem to get the rise that I need.

Nunyabusiness · 19/08/2018 20:15

I know this isn't necessarily the right thread for it, but I feel I need to confess...

My workmates are always asking me to make 'that amazing chocolate cake' and I always hum and haw about how it takes ages to make and is a total faff...

...it's a Betty Crocker box cake! They know I use the Betty Crocker icing but nobody has ever questioned the cake itself. I just sit there and smile and say 'I'm glad you like it' when they tell me how good it is and how much they enjoy it.

I'm going to hell and I'm ok with it.

Nunyabusiness · 19/08/2018 20:15

I know this isn't necessarily the right thread for it, but I feel I need to confess...

My workmates are always asking me to make 'that amazing chocolate cake' and I always hum and haw about how it takes ages to make and is a total faff...

I'm going to hell and I'm ok with it.

Nunyabusiness · 19/08/2018 20:15

I know this isn't necessarily the right thread for it, but I feel I need to confess...

My workmates are always asking me to make 'that amazing chocolate cake' and I always hum and haw about how it takes ages to make and is a total faff...

I'm going to hell and I'm ok with it.

Nunyabusiness · 19/08/2018 20:16

Sorry, multiple posts!!

Nunyabusiness · 19/08/2018 20:17

I use tin liners because I'm too lazy to grease the tin.

Nunyabusiness · 19/08/2018 20:18

Oh @Puzzledandpissedoff that weighing method is inspired!! No mess 🙌

Fromage · 19/08/2018 20:20

Sauce flour.

Put in a pan with milk. Heat and stir. White sauce. Thickens beautifully and saves cooking in some obstinate corn flour (my corn flour is always obstinate.) Grate in cheese - cheese sauce.

Cakes: foil lined fairy cake cases keep the moisture in.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 19/08/2018 20:22

@Nunyabusiness Just don't ask me to admit how long it took me to think of i!!

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