Baking 9-1-1: Rescue from Recipe Disasters; Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Baking Questions; 40 Recipes for Every Baker [Paperback]

Sarah Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2003

Baking is a science. But who wants to spend hours in the kitchen experimenting?

Thankfully, Sarah Phillips does. She has discovered what causes baking disasters and shows bakers at all levels of expertise how to avoid them. With unique tips and exhaustively tested recipes, Baking 9-1-1 takes the guesswork out of baking and explains:

• How to make a cake that won't fall in the middle
• What it takes to bake a flaky piecrust
• The easiest way to prevent a cheesecake from cracking
• How to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie that's thick and chewy
• The trick to storing baked goods
• The answers to niggling questions such as "Does butter really need to be room temperature?" and "What is the difference between one cup flour sifted and one cup sifted flour?" among many others.

The recipes in Baking 9-1-1 solve bakers' most frustrating problems. They include an all-purpose pie dough, a lemon meringue pie that doesn't sweat, thick and rich chocolate ganache fudge sauce, no-fuss buttermilk biscuits, and dozens more. Baking 9-1-1 is the source for foolproof answers that simply can't be found anywhere else.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this thorough, detailed volume for the novice home baker, Phillips notes that "perfection is highly overrated"-and that in baking, it's also hard to come by. A professional baker herself, Phillips has compiled answers to crucial questions about the alchemy of this particular culinary art in a book organized by subject (baking basics, techniques, breads, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, etc.). She spells out the "kitchen chemistry" behind how ingredients interact and what techniques produce different outcomes. She explains, for example, how sugar acts as a preservative in creamy icings that can be left at room temperature, or how gently folding egg whites (instead of frantically stirring them) into a batter produces a light and fluffy cake. All of the 40 clearly written recipes are the author's own time-tested concoctions, and she includes personal tips in a sidebar called "Sarah Says" (e.g., "Dough rises best when the top has been rounded and smoothed"). Although she readily answers virtually every imaginable question (either in the book or on her garishly designed but helpful website, baking911.com) in the quest for oven excellence, Phillips reassures would-be bakers that worrying about the outcome of a chocolate cheesecake is a waste of time: "Be yourself and do what you can do-and always pat yourself on the back for trying to make something homemade." A handy resource for the neophyte, and a creative answer to baking emergencies, this basic guide emphasizes the science, rather than the art, of baking.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

John Mack Carter former President, Hearst Magazines Enterprises, and Editor-in-Chief, Good Housekeeping ...the art of baking calls forth a never-ending variety of questions....Now comes sweet-talking Sarah Phillips, professional baker, with all the answers.

Reese Schonfeld Founding CEO, Food Network The go-to guide for baking emergencies....Keep this one close by your oven.

Toba Garrett author of Creative Cookies and The Well-Decorated Cake, and Chef/Instructor, The Institute of Culinary Education The perfect companion to a baker's library. Sarah guides you step-by-step in solving your baking needs. Her great ideas will help you achieve great results.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743246829
• ISBN-13: 978-0743246828
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best How-to baking book ever!, July 27, 2005

By 

LJ - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baking 9-1-1: Rescue from Recipe Disasters; Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Baking Questions; 40 Recipes for Every Baker (Paperback)

If you love to bake - BUY THIS BOOK! I read it for hours the first day I received it & thoroughly enjoyed the hundreds of tips & chemistry `lessons'. Alton Brown once said - "while cooking is art, baking is not -- it is mostly chemistry" - & as such, this book helps you understand why your brownies fell in the middle or why your whole wheat bread isn't rising... It takes you step-by-step into the how's & why's of baking unlike any other book I've seen.

Also, don't hesitate to use the author's great "Ask Sarah" website if you have a problem that isn't covered in her book (www.baking911.com). Sarah is very quick to respond. I am a professional baker (we manufacture Java Bites Espresso Cookies sold here on Amazon) & she helped me out of a jam during the early recipe developement of this cookie line.

One note of caution: If you are looking for another recipe book - this is not it. While the recipes in her book are excellent, you won't find them in abundance. This is more of a how-to-bake-practically-anything book, with a sampling of recipes to support all the tips. You can find a plethora of recipes on her site though.

Good luck - & happy baking!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have for Baking, August 10, 2006

By 

Mystie Richards "Baking Friend" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baking 9-1-1: Rescue from Recipe Disasters; Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Baking Questions; 40 Recipes for Every Baker (Paperback)

I bought this book because I was just the average cook searching for a cookbook that would tell me what to do exactly and why. I learned so much from this book and now I consider myself a good baker. My family and friends and people I don't know want me to make them deserts. I consider this to be a great accomplishment and exactly what I was looking for. If you want to be a good baker buy this book you won't be disappointed and you will learn the proper way to do it. The baking911.com site is fantastic and if you want to know more ask Sarah. I've never met this woman, I consider her to be a good friend and a fantastic chef. She has done alot for all of us who are learning and explains it in layman terms. She even has a online school at baking911.com and I have taken the classes. A major plus. I believe this is the best cookbook I own and I have more than 50 and at the best price.You will find many pictures and more recipes at the web site. Baking Friend Mystie Richards Florida

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent baking book, no other needed, December 14, 2004

By 

party girl (homewood, il) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baking 9-1-1: Rescue from Recipe Disasters; Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Baking Questions; 40 Recipes for Every Baker (Paperback)

I am an excellent cook and baker--Trial by error. However, upon reading and purchasing this book, it added to my knowledge and explained why certain things occurred. Normally, I would know certain procedures to follow just through trial and error, however, this book tells you why. It gives you the nuts and bolts. You know how parents would say "do, this or that, and really didn't say why, they just knew. Well, sarah says, do this and that and then tells you why.