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Maria Short
Baker
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Co-authored Articles (94)
Beginner-Friendly Cake Recipes to Make From Scratch
A step-by-step guide to baking vanilla, chocolate, and apple cakes (plus tips and tricks)There's nothing like the taste of a cake you made in your own kitchen. But is the delicious reward really worth all the work? Belie...
How to
Make Caramel from Sweetened Condensed Milk
Most of the time, people cook caramel by heating up regular or brown sugar until it turns into a smooth and creamy substance. However, you can also make caramel out of sweetened condensed milk, creating the same great sa...
How to
Make Wheat Paste
This mixture of vegetable starch and water has been used as an adhesive for centuries. Street artists and concert promoters use wheat paste to put up posters, craftspeople use it in papier-mâché or decoupage, and prof...
How to
Make Hardtack
Hardtack is a type of hard, dry bread that was eaten by soldiers and sailors throughout history. It is popular among campers and survivalists because it can last for years if stored properly. Fortunately, it's an extrem...
How to Make Nougat
Whip up a showstopping meringue dessert Nougat is a sweet, versatile confection. Hard nougat can be enjoyed on its own in small chunks, while soft nougat can be added to candy bars, cupcakes, and other treats. The basic ...
How to Calibrate an Oven: Digital and Analog
It's frustrating to find that your oven is running too hot or too cold—signs that it's time to calibrate it. Ovens heat in cycles, so it's completely normal that the temperature fluctuates a little. It's when the tempe...
How to Keep a Baguette Fresh with Proper Storage
Plus, learn how to use stale baguettes in tasty dishes It's always a little sad when a perfectly good baguette goes stale before you can eat it. Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your baguette...
How to
Keep Cornbread from Crumbling
Learn the real reason your cornbread is so dry and crumblyCornbread is a classic Southern side dish, and there are hundreds of different recipes for it! One of the most common problems with homemade cornbread is crumblin...
How to
Thin Caramel
Caramel is a deliciously sweet sauce that can turn up the volume on any dessert it’s added to. But if you’re hoping to drizzle caramel over vanilla ice cream or getting ready to dip apples for a fall celebration, you...
How to
Cut a Round Cake
Round cakes are tasty treats that, at times, can be difficult to cut into enough pieces to serve everyone. In addition to the typical method of cutting a round cake into triangle-like slices, round cakes can also be cut ...
How to
Make Brown Food Coloring
If you don't have brown food coloring on hand or don't want to go with the store-bought variety, there are ways to mix it up yourself at home. Read on to learn how to blend colors for that perfect brown and how to use co...
How to
Make a Piping Bag
A piping bag, also known as a pastry bag, is a cone-shaped bag that you fill with icing, frosting, or sauce. You apply pressure to the bag to dispense frosting, icing, or sauce in a specific pattern to make your dish bea...
How to
Thicken Custard
Custard is typically an egg-yolk-based sweet cream dessert that can stand on its own or as an ingredient in other desserts (like crème brûlée or pie, for example). If you've tried making custard from scratch, you alre...
How to Make Blue Food Coloring Naturally
Wondering how to liven up baked treats and other dishes with a bright blue color? Buying artificial blue food coloring is always an option, but you can also make your own homemade food coloring for a healthier, natural a...
How to Bake Using a Bread Machine
Making a perfect loaf without all the fuss Do you have a bread machine, but no manual, because you bought it at a yard sale, inherited it from a relative, or just lost the manual? Instead of storing it in a cabinet and a...
How to
Make Butter
Homemade butter tastes much better than industrially produced store-bought butter, and only takes about 20 minutes of work to make. For a flavor no longer widely available in many regions, add bacterial cultures to make ...
How to
Freeze Cupcakes
Cupcakes don't always have to be eaten right away. If you're willing to save some for later, and want them to last for a longer period of time, you can consider freezing the cupcakes. It's important to take caution when ...
How to
Tell if a Cheesecake is Done
Cheesecake, whether you like New York or Italian style, is a light and delicious dessert. Because it contains a fair amount of milk or cream in addition to soft cheese, it can be hard to tell when it is done. However, th...
How to
Bake in a Halogen Oven
Halogen ovens use a special halogen heating element in the lid of the machine to heat the device faster than conventional ovens can, and a fan inside the machine promotes better air circulation and even cooking. Even tho...
How to
Bake Cakes in Springform Pans
Springform pans can be used in place of regular cake pans and allow you to bake some fun specialty items. The detachable base and outer ring make removing your cake from the pan a simple process. By preparing your pan an...
