A Quick Word on Baking

Baking is relatively easy as long as you are organized and make sure you follow the recipe. This means you must have the oven at the right temperature, and the best way to do that is to check with an oven thermometer. For fan-forced ovens, as a general rule, set the oven temperature to 20°C (36°F) lower than indicated in the recipe. Make sure the board you are using is free from odours of other cooking (such as garlic and onion). Also, unlike pasta, cakes and puddings need soft flour, so invest in cake flour when starting these recipes. When blind baking, do not fill the flan tin all the way to the top as this will hinder the cooking process and some parts may be raw and others brown.