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

by Sarah Phillips (Author) "THE BAKER MUST WORK within the parameters of a recipe to produce a baked good that will rise, set, and taste the way he or..." (more)
Key Phrases: spoon into dry measuring cup, microwave proofer, wire cake rack, Sarah Says, All-Purpose Pie Dough, Whole Grain Wheat Bread (more...)

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
"...the art of baking calls forth a never-ending variety of questions...Now comes Sarah Phillips with all the answers." -- John Mack Carter, former President, Heart Magazine Enterprises, and Editor-in-Chief, Good Housekeeping

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

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. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743246829
• ISBN-13: 978-0743246828
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #214,114 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Leslie J. Estes "www.javabites.com" (Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars comprehensive guide, November 15, 2003

By	Judy Saffan (Weston, CT United States) - See all my reviews

Whatever your level of expertise, this book can help you. Whatever your question, you will find the answer in this book. Sarah makes the world of baking less intimidating to the novice while also addressing more sophisticated techniques for the more skilled baker. No baker should be without this book in the kitchen!

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

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.