Okay, so the other day I was getting ready to make some stir-fry, and I realized I was out of my usual cooking oil. I had some peanut oil on hand, but also a big bottle labeled “vegetable oil.” I stood there staring at them, wondering, “Wait, are these basically the same thing?” I mean, peanuts are vegetables, right? technically? My Little Experiment First, I...

Okay, folks, let’s dive into my little adventure with candied fruit for fruitcakes. Getting Started So, I’ve always loved a good fruitcake, especially around the holidays. But the store-bought ones? Meh. The candied fruit always tastes kind of… artificial, you know? So I thought, “Why not try making my own?” That’s where this whole thing started. The Hunt for Fruit First, I needed fruit. I...

Okay, so the other day I was making pizza, and man, was the dough sticky! I struggled to get it all off the countertop. It was a mess! I remembered seeing a baker use a dough scraper and thought, “I gotta get me one of those!” Finding the Right Tool So I did some digging. Turns out, there are a bunch of different kinds. Some...

Okay, so I’ve been craving something sweet and comforting lately, and this Apple Raisin Bread Pudding totally hit the spot. I’m not gonna lie, it’s not the prettiest dish, but trust me, it tastes amazing. Here’s how I made it, from start to finish, in all its messy glory. Gathering My Stuff First, I had to dig through my pantry and fridge to find all...

🔍 The Core Issue of Baking: Why Do Your Recipes Always Fail? Baking may seem simple, but the failure rate is as high as 63% (according to the 2023 Annual Report of the Global Baking Association). The main reason why baking recipes fail is often not the recipe itself, but the details of the operation. For example, over-kneading the dough can lead to excessive gluten...

Okay, so I’ve been seeing these autumn bread pudding recipes all over my feed, and I finally caved. I mean, who can resist warm, gooey bread pudding when it’s getting chilly outside? I decided to give it a shot today, and let me tell you, it was a journey. First, I gathered all my ingredients. I’m talking bread (obviously), some milk, eggs, sugar, spices like...

Okay, so the other day I was working on a cake, and as usual, things got a little messy. I had like three different piping bags going with different colors of frosting, and it was a total circus trying to keep them all from oozing everywhere. I’ve seen those fancy piping bag clips online, but I’m way too cheap to buy them. So I thought,...

Okay, so I’ve been trying to watch what I eat lately, and I’ve always loved Ritz crackers. You know, the buttery, flaky goodness? But I gotta be mindful of calories, so I decided to really look into how many calories are in these things. My Ritz Cracker Calorie Deep Dive First, I grabbed a box of the original Ritz Whole Wheat crackers. I figured whole...

Okay, so I’ve been seeing “edible shea butter” all over the place, and I was like, “What’s the deal?” I’m all about trying new things, especially if they’re good for you, so I decided to give it a shot. My journey starts here, follow along! Finding the Right Stuff First things first, I had to find some shea butter that was actually meant to be...

Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post about building an outdoor bread oven, written in a casual, first-person style, and using basic HTML tags for formatting: So, I’ve always wanted one of those fancy outdoor pizza ovens, but they’re, like, crazy expensive. Plus, I like making bread. I figured, why not try to build my own? It seemed like a fun project, and I...