7 hours ago, weinoo said:A question - what books have you read about these processes?
I have several books (in pdf format, although I'd like to have physical copies). Not enough time to read them all with trying to finish my studies but I'll get there, it's a process. So far I've got:
- Ratio by Ruhlman - read extensively, and has served me well thus far
- King Arthur's baking company book - literally just downloaded it
- Figoni - how baking works - read 10%
- Bo Fridberg - the professional pastry chef - skimmed, used some recipes for fruit and chocolate sauces
The final one is more a compendium of recipes and techniques, and is not what I'll focus on - tends to not talk about why a certain ingredient is added. I'll add Bakewise and Cookwise to the mix.
7 hours ago, weinoo said:
And can you tell us what equipment you're using; e.g. what type of oven are you using, cookie sheets, baking sheets, etc.
Yeah, I was actually thinking of making a detailed list of what I have and making a "rate my setup" kind of thread. I am living in a small 30m2 apartment which has only one room where the bed and kitchen is (thankfully the bathroom is separate). The oven I have is fairly okay, tested it with an oven thermometer and it is accurate. Come to think of it, probably should get a room thermometer for stuff like butter and confections (that I'll get into later).
EDIT: Type of oven - non-convection.
As you might imagine, space is at a premium. I have one cookie sheet, a large 27 x 15 cm pan, two round detachable-rim cake pans (one 26, other 16 cm, around), a loaf mold and a tart pan. The cookie sheet needs a bit of a clean from years of neglect by former tenants (and me admittedly) - I am buying my own cookware from late. I could provide pictures - what is important about pans and sheets? They are not warped but are fairly thin - thus don't hold heat very well. The stovetop is a problem - only electric coils which are slow, fine for stocks but not so for searing meat. I also have a portable induction burner which is better for sauteeing.
I can make a collage of pictures and if you wanted you could advise what should be bought. I am planning on buying another cookie sheet and a pie pan - tart pan is too shallow.
