The process of baking involves the use of cooking food using dry heat in an oven for a prolonged period of time. Food cooked using this method include cakes, cookies, pastries, pies, and breads. Most dessert and snack items are cooked this way. Baking sometimes can be an activity between parents and children in making popular snack items like cookies and brownies. The children and the adult help each other in making the mixture called cake batter or cookie batter before arranging it in an oven-safe dish (depending on the recipe) before the adult places it in a preheated oven.

1. The process of baking involves the use of cooking food using dry heat in an oven for a prolonged
period of time. Food cooked using this method include cakes(chef etoile), cookies, pastries, pies,
and breads. Most dessert and snack items are cooked this way. Baking sometimes can be an
activity between parents and children in making popular snack items like cookies and brownies.
The children and the adult help each other in making the mixture called cake batter or cookie
batter before arranging it in an oven-safe dish (depending on the recipe) before the adult places
it in a preheated oven.
Aside from desserts and snacks, meals can also be
made this way. A popular dish made by baking is
Garfield the cat’s favorite dish - the lasagna, which
consists of layering flat and wide lasagna noodles in
a dish with meat and/or cheese sauce and topped
with cheese before baking (usually until the cheese
melts). Seafood like mussels and scallops may also
be baked for delicious appetizers in a party.
Unlike frying, which needs oil or fat to cook the food,
baking relies solely on heat to cook the food. It also
cooks for a more prolonged period of time. Such
examples are chips and crisps. Pita bread, for
example can be sliced to bite-sized pieces and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper
before putting it in an oven to make pita chips. A “healthier” way to cook french fries is also by
baking the potato slices with salt and pepper. However, some cake pans need to be greased with
butter and sometimes dusted with flour before pouring the batter to ensure that the cake does
not stick to the pan. That is why some recipes use baking as a “healthier” or “fat-free”
alternative to those who want to enjoy their foods but are under a specific diet program.
Another popular dish made by baking is pizza,
which is made by baking a flat, round bread with
toppings. It is usually baked in an electric oven.
Some restaurants use a coal-fired brick oven to
bake pizza resulting in a crispier crust as the pizza
rests directly on hot bricks or stones.
Conventional pizzas popular today are baked in
pans, like pan pizzas or deep-dish pizzas, which
may be filled with cheese, ham, spinach,
vegetables, or meat.
From appetizer, to main dish, and dessert and
some snacks, baking produces a lot of treats that
are popular to many of us. It has been a form of
recreation too among family members to bond as
well as to make delectable treats.
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