Baking banes and boons.
Baking is exciting.
It's exciting because whatever you throw in the oven usually looks and smells nothing like the final product, so quoting Ariel, "It's like magic".
It's also the very nature of its unpredictability that makes it so frustrating sometimes. I doubt anyone enjoys wasting ingredients (2 cups of flour, hey!) on a failed baking endeavour which may have been caused by forgetting an ingredient, improper mixing, over-beating, not knowing what the jargon means (folding? What's that?), and various other factors (*cough* the lack of a state-of-the-art oven *cough*).
So here I present to you the pros and cons of taking up baking as a hobby:
Pros :
1. It's exciting.
Magic is exciting. The smell of baked goods is exciting. And you never know what's gonna come out of the oven.
2. It's fun.
There's something fun about measuring two cups of this, one tablespoon of that, three teaspoons of this, and two eggs into a huge bowl and seeing it all come together. It's also a really good recreational activity for couples, 'cause you can always use an extra pair of hands. (Tip: Jia Wern's my cheap labour for mixing when things get tough.)
3. Cakes and cookies can be yummy.
I say "can be" because that depends on whether the magic gives you something good or not. Too much flour, and you get a dry cake. Too little sugar, and you get...healthy cookies! Just kidding. I'm definitely more into "Yummy" than "Healthy", hence the half cup of vegetable oil that went into my banana bread. Oh so delicious and moist!
4. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.
HAH! I can bake! Some people call baking an "exact science", so...*adds ability to resume*
Cons:
1. Baking results in a lot of food.
You never knew so little flour could translate into so many cookies. And if they're a failed experiment, you may have a hard time downing all of them. In such cases, it is always handy to have a human trash can i.e Jia Wern. This also explains why my own family was never big on baking. We just don't eat a lot of anything.
2. Baking fails, a lot.
So many things can go wrong. 'Nuff said. Don't be deceived by all the pictures of my successes - I obviously don't post my baking fails on Instagram or Facebook. It can be depressing so you need to have emotional fortitude. Since I prefer not to waste stuff, it can also be a real conflict to decide whether or not to just stuff it down, or throw it away. Jia Wern aka trash can isn't always a viable option if I want to keep him in good shape. =P
3. Baked goods just aren't my thang.
I have never craved anything from a bakery even though I agree that bakeries smell divine. I'm just not a tart, cookie or bread kinda person. I hope that explains why I don't gobble up all the cookies and tarts during CNY visits - it's not that they're NOT delicious, aunty, but I just like the bak kua and sour plums more. =P
4. Baking is a hobby that needs to be paced appropriately.
You can't bake 7 times a week if you need space in your fridge and your husband can't (and SHOULDN'T) eat cakes/cookies for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. AARGH BUT I WANNA TRY THAT OTHER RECIPE! Patience, my young padawan.
5. Baked goods aren't very...slimming.
1.5 cup of sugar, 2 sticks of butter, half a cup of oil...hmm. And all that starch from flour. I seriously don't know how food bloggers don't just balloon from eating their own stuff. Because no one eats cakes as the main course, right? It's more of a dessert item...which means adding hundreds of calories to your main course.
There you have it, the pros and cons of baking. Not so glamorous anymore eh? =P
It's exciting because whatever you throw in the oven usually looks and smells nothing like the final product, so quoting Ariel, "It's like magic".
It's also the very nature of its unpredictability that makes it so frustrating sometimes. I doubt anyone enjoys wasting ingredients (2 cups of flour, hey!) on a failed baking endeavour which may have been caused by forgetting an ingredient, improper mixing, over-beating, not knowing what the jargon means (folding? What's that?), and various other factors (*cough* the lack of a state-of-the-art oven *cough*).
So here I present to you the pros and cons of taking up baking as a hobby:
Pros :
1. It's exciting.
Magic is exciting. The smell of baked goods is exciting. And you never know what's gonna come out of the oven.
2. It's fun.
There's something fun about measuring two cups of this, one tablespoon of that, three teaspoons of this, and two eggs into a huge bowl and seeing it all come together. It's also a really good recreational activity for couples, 'cause you can always use an extra pair of hands. (Tip: Jia Wern's my cheap labour for mixing when things get tough.)
3. Cakes and cookies can be yummy.
I say "can be" because that depends on whether the magic gives you something good or not. Too much flour, and you get a dry cake. Too little sugar, and you get...healthy cookies! Just kidding. I'm definitely more into "Yummy" than "Healthy", hence the half cup of vegetable oil that went into my banana bread. Oh so delicious and moist!
4. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.
HAH! I can bake! Some people call baking an "exact science", so...*adds ability to resume*
Cons:
1. Baking results in a lot of food.
You never knew so little flour could translate into so many cookies. And if they're a failed experiment, you may have a hard time downing all of them. In such cases, it is always handy to have a human trash can i.e Jia Wern. This also explains why my own family was never big on baking. We just don't eat a lot of anything.
2. Baking fails, a lot.
So many things can go wrong. 'Nuff said. Don't be deceived by all the pictures of my successes - I obviously don't post my baking fails on Instagram or Facebook. It can be depressing so you need to have emotional fortitude. Since I prefer not to waste stuff, it can also be a real conflict to decide whether or not to just stuff it down, or throw it away. Jia Wern aka trash can isn't always a viable option if I want to keep him in good shape. =P
3. Baked goods just aren't my thang.
I have never craved anything from a bakery even though I agree that bakeries smell divine. I'm just not a tart, cookie or bread kinda person. I hope that explains why I don't gobble up all the cookies and tarts during CNY visits - it's not that they're NOT delicious, aunty, but I just like the bak kua and sour plums more. =P
4. Baking is a hobby that needs to be paced appropriately.
You can't bake 7 times a week if you need space in your fridge and your husband can't (and SHOULDN'T) eat cakes/cookies for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. AARGH BUT I WANNA TRY THAT OTHER RECIPE! Patience, my young padawan.
5. Baked goods aren't very...slimming.
1.5 cup of sugar, 2 sticks of butter, half a cup of oil...hmm. And all that starch from flour. I seriously don't know how food bloggers don't just balloon from eating their own stuff. Because no one eats cakes as the main course, right? It's more of a dessert item...which means adding hundreds of calories to your main course.
There you have it, the pros and cons of baking. Not so glamorous anymore eh? =P
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