Are most people terrible bakers?

[Anonymous]

I also notice people who bake swap out ingredients and don’t follow directions and then comment about how bad a recipe was.

The problem is, they are no longer commenting on the original recipe anymore. It’a a different recipe now.

[Anonymous]

Freshness is key for baked goods - even a day or two older doesn’t taste as good

Quality of ingredients matters, esp the butter

Recipes take practice - I’m a decent baker but I sometimes need to make a new to me recipe a few times before I’ve perfected it - just how long to mix the batter, how long to bake in my oven, etc.

Agree that not all online recipes are good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Freshness is key for baked goods - even a day or two older doesn’t taste as good

Quality of ingredients matters, esp the butter

Recipes take practice - I’m a decent baker but I sometimes need to make a new to me recipe a few times before I’ve perfected it - just how long to mix the batter, how long to bake in my oven, etc.

Agree that not all online recipes are good

Lots of cookies and cakes taste better the second day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect pitchforks to come out for this comment, but could it also just be that Christmas cookies aren't that good?

I am admittedly a "meh" baker, much prefer cooking to baking. But when we are given assortments of cookies this time of year (for which I thank people profusely and am very much grateful for their kindness), there's honestly rarely anything I'd actually like to eat? I feel terrible because I know how much effort goes in, but I'd rather have your standard chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin than all these fancy-looking ones. It's like there's an inverse relationship between looks and taste.

So the rock hard, worst cookie in the bunch was actually a chocolate chip or m&M type of cookie. Couldn't totally tell as we couldn't bite into it enough to eat it.
So definitely not a case of trying to be too fancy and failing.

A roommate of mine used "I can't believe it's not butter" once to make cookies. Made terrible hard cookies. I wonder if it was something like that.

[Anonymous]

I could have written this post! I'm very disappointed in the cookies from the exchange I went to, and wish I had kept the simple molasses cookies that I baked. Also some people subbed out butter and flour for dairy free and gluten free alternatives, which completely changed the taste and texture of the recipes. I ended up throwing most in the trash.

[Anonymous]

Better homes and gardens recipes for baking. Preferably their 2000 editions. Those are good recipes. If you tweak them a bit they are even better. Never fails.

[Anonymous]

I'm a terrible baker and a terrible cook, so DH has taken over cooking, and I do most cleaning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could have written this post! I'm very disappointed in the cookies from the exchange I went to, and wish I had kept the simple molasses cookies that I baked. Also some people subbed out butter and flour for dairy free and gluten free alternatives, which completely changed the taste and texture of the recipes. I ended up throwing most in the trash.

Lol, +1
We have a running joke in our family about cookie exchanges. I enjoy going for the social aspect, but my kids and DH wail and moan in mock protest and even threaten to hide my “good cookies” so that I won’t take them away and “swap them out for the terrible cookies.”
It’s flattering. But also, I can’t disagree that so many of the cookies I bring back from the cookie parties are just awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are most people terrible bakers?

I know I will get crap for saying this, but here goes.

I went to a neighborhood cookie exchange over the weekend and of the dozen or so cookies only 3 were edible. One cookie was hard as a rock and other just didn't taste good. Even my kids threw them in the trash after one bite.

I consider myself a baker and get a lot of compliments on my cookies. But I don't do anything special when it comes to baking or making cookies. I just pick out good recipes and following directions. So it surprises me when other make such terrible cookies.

My wife says being an engineer makes me a better baker. Baking requires one to be more precise than in other culinary endeavors, and that’s one thing I’m good at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are most people terrible bakers?

I know I will get crap for saying this, but here goes.

I went to a neighborhood cookie exchange over the weekend and of the dozen or so cookies only 3 were edible. One cookie was hard as a rock and other just didn't taste good. Even my kids threw them in the trash after one bite.

I consider myself a baker and get a lot of compliments on my cookies. But I don't do anything special when it comes to baking or making cookies. I just pick out good recipes and following directions. So it surprises me when other make such terrible cookies.

My wife says being an engineer makes me a better baker. Baking requires one to be more precise than in other culinary endeavors, and that’s one thing I’m good at.

Lol, probably true and why some of us prefer cooking to baking. All that precision sucks the fun out of it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I expect pitchforks to come out for this comment, but could it also just be that Christmas cookies aren't that good?

I am admittedly a "meh" baker, much prefer cooking to baking. But when we are given assortments of cookies this time of year (for which I thank people profusely and am very much grateful for their kindness), there's honestly rarely anything I'd actually like to eat? I feel terrible because I know how much effort goes in, but I'd rather have your standard chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin than all these fancy-looking ones. It's like there's an inverse relationship between looks and taste.

+1

Waste of time and calories. And many look just…meh.

Cookie exchanges seem silly to me. Who needs dozens of cookies sitting around?

[Anonymous]

I love baking because of the exactness - I can’t mess it up if it’s a good recipe. There are so many terrible recipes out there though and it’s taken years to find my favorite sources and it takes experience to look at a recipe and know if it sounds promising. Someone who isn’t used to baking might just pick the easiest or the one with the fewest ingredients. And they may not be away of their own oven temps and supplies.

When cooking, how much is “to taste”, how brown should that onion be, what is medium heat? Way more variables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I have experienced the same thing. I only do cookie exchanges with certain people who bake quality, delicious cookies. General cookie exchanges have been disappointing.

I agree. People either take on recipes that are too complicated for them, bake their cookies too long and they’re dry, or bake way ahead and freeze. Defrosted cookies do not taste the same no matter how much people swear they do.

I’m not the OP, but last night I brought home cookies from our exchange at work and my family and I literally spit several out. It wasn’t any one thing wrong. It was a combination of things. Something obviously from a mix, too complicated recipes that didn’t turn out well, way underbaked, previously frozen, and probably a bad recipe substitution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect pitchforks to come out for this comment, but could it also just be that Christmas cookies aren't that good?

I am admittedly a "meh" baker, much prefer cooking to baking. But when we are given assortments of cookies this time of year (for which I thank people profusely and am very much grateful for their kindness), there's honestly rarely anything I'd actually like to eat? I feel terrible because I know how much effort goes in, but I'd rather have your standard chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin than all these fancy-looking ones. It's like there's an inverse relationship between looks and taste.

+1

Waste of time and calories. And many look just…meh.

Cookie exchanges seem silly to me. Who needs dozens of cookies sitting around?

If your having family and friends over it’s nice to have a combination of cookies—as long as they’re not disgusting.

[Anonymous]

^you’re