Food: 7 Tips From MoSB

I’ve mentioned that SB is not a baker. Baking requires too much equipment, too much precision. There are measuring cups and spoons and mixers and teeny tiny amounts of things that, when altered a teeny tiny amount, mess everything up. For me, it is a lot of work for very little (and often very inedible) pay-off. 

My mom, on the other hand, is a fantastic baker. This is MoSB: 

SB and MoSB. This is not how we dress when she is baking.

I’ve watched my mom bake many times, and brownies are something she can make in her sleep. After countless bake sales, birthdays, and care packages, her recipe (which I am not going to give out here, even though MoSB believes that recipes are to be shared) still stands up. What follows are some tips from MoSB, on baking brownies. 

Tip #1: Line your baking dish with Baker’s Joy and parchment paper. This is a relatively new addition to the process, and after listening to MoSB expound on the merits of this system and then watch her struggle to get the parchment into the pan, exclaim “what the hell?” when it wasn’t working, and then finally have to weight down the dish with bowls to get it to stick, I’m not sure if this is a tip everyone needs to use. 

"What the hell?"

Tip #3: When a recipe calls for many eggs, crack each one separately, so that one bad egg won’t ruin the whole bunch.  This is something that my mom taught me years ago, and when I do cook with eggs, I use this tip.  

Tip #4:  Use ingredients you trust.  While my mom and I are both proponents of using high quality ingredients, if she all of a sudden decided to drop a ton of money on Callebaut chocolate for the brownies, they just wouldn’t be the same. And, as I mentioned, it could change the entire chemical make-up of the dessert, causing a shift in tectonic plates, a meteor shower, and the eventual arrival and take-over of Earth by zombies. Don’t mess with a good thing. 

Tip #5: “All in all, this makes for a messy kitchen.” -MoSB 

In other words, just make a mess when you are baking. Don’t try to wash the plates as you go, as I always do (I get a  kick out of having everything clean by the time I’m actually ready to eat, sue me). While my family jokes that my mother uses every single utensil, bowl, and implement in the house when she cooks, we can’t deny that the finished product is always fantastic. 

A delicious mess.

Tip #6:  A ceramic knife is really helpful when cutting brownies, as it will cut straight through and not drag crumbs. You can also use a plastic knife, but you can get a good quality ceramic knife for under $10, so might as well invest. 

Tip #7: Always leave the spatula for SB. It’s just no fun if you don’t get to lick the bowl.