Customer Reviews

Baking Basics and Beyond: Learn These Simple Techniques and Bake Like a Pro

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Baking Basics tells you everything you ever wanted to know about baking-and then some. The first section has a list of pans, equipment and ingredients commonly used in baking. Ingredients are listed separately and some information is given for each ingredient such as the types of yeasts and how to successfully use them, the chocolates and how to melt them. Most of the ingredients are staples that you will already have in your cupboards; however, should there be an unusual ingredient a suggested substitution is given such as almond extract for Amaretto liqueur. More is told about ingredients as they are being used. At the end of the recipe are Baker's Notes and/or Secrets to Success, which give extra hints, techniques or substitutions.

At the beginning of each section are more easy-to-follow directions and guidance to help increase your success. Each recipe has step-by-step, clear and understandable directions. The recipes are familiar foods such as cinnamon-coated snickerdoodles, tangy, luscious lemon meringue pie and basic pizza. A few not so familiar but deceptively easy include Tourtiere, the French Canadian meat pie. I recommend the Savory Chicken Cobbler, a cross between a chicken pot pie and chicken and dumplings. This dish is light and easy, using a rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed vegetables. Make_ certain you have several people to share the 4-6 servings, or you will eat it all.

The Beyond part of the cookbook is "embellishments that transform a cake from basic to deluxe." Simple-to-do frostings, sauces, glazes and garnishes that add something special to desserts, taking them from so-so to spectacular.

Calorie count and nutritional values are not in the recipes, however, while you are tasting a piece of warm, fresh-from-the-oven, Grammy's apple pie or Mississippi Mud Cake, calories are not uppermost in your mind.

If you are a beginning cook, this cookbook would be the perfect place to start. Mrs. Sinclair takes your hand and leads you through, telling you what you need to know to complete a successful and delicious food. You can be tossing out scones and popovers like a trained chef. Do not go to your kitchen without this cookbook.

Armchair Interviews says: What time is dinner?

We've made quite a few recipes in this book, and they've all been very good. The pumpkin pie is particularly tasty - with pecans on top! A great book for someone who is learning how to bake.

Several years ago I met Pat Sinclair at a food conference. She told
me she was writing a book on baking techniques along with recipes.

I recently bought Pat Sinclair's new baking book. As soon as I opened
the box, I thumbed through the book and realized that this was a cookbook
in which nearly every recipe sounds good. The recipes are all very
"doable," yet, many have an interesting twist. For example, in addition to a good, basic biscuit recipe, Pat's also has a biscuit recipe calling for Asiago cheese and cracked peppercorns. Similarly, she not only includes a wonderful vanilla bean pound cake, but also one with new twist--Chocolate Amaretto Pound Cake.
The book also contains good, basic information and practical tips
throughout. I look forward to spending a lot of time in the kitchen
with this wonderful collection of recipes and will probably give a copy to my son, too.

I love this baking book--have tried many of the recipes and all have been delicious. Received as a gift, I recently used these recipes exclusively for a "mother-of-the-bride" brunch. I enjoyed rave reviews from my guests. Directions are simple and recipes are easy to prepare. I am now giving this book for hostess gifts. My favorite recipe is the Cherry Brunch Cake--fabulous!

This is a delightful book of recipes; it isn't flashy and has no gimmicks which may be why it isn't on the best seller list. I've only made the biscuits so far but they were easy and perfect. There is a lot of info here for the beginning "from scratch" baker, but the recipes are interesting enough for the more experienced baker. No low fat, no gluten free, no artificial sweeteners, just good stuff. I'm a cookbook junkie and have several baking books, some of which I use, some are relegated to the "give away" pile, this one is definitely a keeper, and one I'll use again. This review refers to the kindle edition, which I had no problems using. You won't go wrong with this one.

I received this copy through some work connections, and am thoroughly impressed. The instructions are easy and entertaining. The shortbread recipe, the first I have tried, is absolutely amazing. The half-batches I make are still more than enough to feed my family (although they wouldn't agree-the record time the batch lasts is five hours). It's a great book for beginners!