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Dry Ingredients | Solid Ingredients | Liquid Ingredients | Fat Ingredients There are many ingredients that have special functions in the baking and cooking process. Some functions are critical to the success of the finished product.

The holidays are all about celebrating with friends and family and enjoying homemade baking. With the holidays being so busy, its difficult to make everything from scratch. Why not host a party, inviting over a few close friends, and bake together, stocking your freezer with a delicious assortment of cookies and bars without spending several days in the kitchen?

Also, see How to Make:Peach Cobbler | Apple Crisp | Apple Crumble | Blueberry BuckleApple Pandowdy | Blueberry Grunt | Peach Slump Apple Brown Betty Brown Betty is a name given to an early era baked pudding dessert made by those who came to America during the 1600's.

Winter Squash Preparation | Winter Squash Cooking | Tips Winter Squash Squash: The fruits of various members of the gourd family, which fall into two classifications, summer squash and winter squash.

Tools for Preparation | Potato Preparation | Potato Cooking | Tips Potatoes The most popular tuber vegetable in the world. It is available in hundreds of varieties, which vary in size, shape, taste, color, and starch content.

Broiled ham is a nice alternative to traditionally baked ham that we enjoy on Easter, Christmas, and other special occasions. Broiled ham can also be served with a ham glaze if desired. See our Ham Cooking Guide for other methods to use for cooking ham.

Apples can be cooked using many methods. They can be cooked on their own and eaten as a side dish, or they can be cooked up to create recipes such as delicious apple butter. Also, to serve with meats, such as ham, pork, and poultry, try making Caramelized Apples as a side dish.

Basic breads are those that are made with a simple recipe of a few ingredients, are yeast leavened, and are usually easy for the home cook to prepare, requiring only basic bread making skills and simple pieces of kitchen equipment.

Reading the Recipe | Ingredient Preparation | Scaling Your Recipe Knowing how to follow and read your recipe will help make your cooking or baking experience a success. Properly preparing your ingredients, using proper cooking times and temperatures, and proper bakeware or cookware all assist in the success of your end product.

Corn | Rice | Rye | Other Grains Types of Flour Ground from Corn Several varieties of corn are used to produce different types of corn flour. The degree in which the corn is milled and processed also determines the type of flour that is produced.

Use the chart below as a quick reference when deciding which apple is best for your particular needs. Variety of Apple Fresh Salad Bake Cook Pie Dried Other Ambrosia X X           Baldwin     X X     Cider Braeburn X X X X X   Sauce Cameo X X X         Connell Red X       X X Sauce Cortland X X X X X   Sauce Crab Apples             Jelly &WineButter Criterion X X X   X   Sauce Elstar X X X   X   Sauce Empire X X X X X X   Fireside X X X X   X   Fuji X X X   X   Sauce Gala X X X   X X Sauce Ginger Gold X X X       Sauce Golden Delicious X X X X X   Sauce Golden Russet X   X     X Cider Golden Supreme     X     X Cider Granny Smith X X X X X     Gravenstein X   X X X   Sauce Haralson X   X X X X Sauce Honeycrisp X X X X X X Sauce Honeygold X X X   X   Sauce Idared X   X X X X Sauce Jonagold X X X X X   Sauce Jonamac X   X X       Jonathan X X X X X X Sauce Keepsake X   X         Lady X           Sauce Macoun X       X     McIntosh X X   X X*   Sauce Melrose X X X   X     Mutsu X   X X X   Sauce Newton Pippin X X X   X   Sauce Northern Spy     X   X   Sauce Northwest Greening     X X X   Sauce Pacific Queen X X           Pacific Rose X X           Paula Red X X X X X   Sauce** Pink Fir   X   X       Pink Lady X X X   X     Prairie Spy X X X   X     Red Delicious X X           Redfree X       X X   Regent X X X X X   Sauce Rhode Island Greening X   X X X   Sauce Rome X X X X X   Sauce Sierra Beauty X     X       Southern Rose X X           Spartan X X X   X X Sauce Splendor X           Dessert Stayman X X X X X     Sunrise X   X   X     Sweet 16 X   X       Sauce Wealthy X   X X X   Sauce Winesap X X X   X   Sauce Wolf River X   X X   X Sauce York Imperial     X X X   Sauce Zestar X   X       Sauce *May need a thickener when used in pies because of the juiciness of the apple.

Bread Shapes | Bun and Roll Shapes Bread Shapes Bread and rolls are produced in all shapes and sizes, which are determined by a number of factors including: The type of flour used for making the bread Whether or not the bread is leavened How the bread is used Local or regional tradition How the dough is cooked, such as baked, steamed, deep-fat fried, etc.

Enriched and/or Flavored Breads Some basic yeast bread recipes are enhanced with other ingredients that change the characteristics of the bread including the texture, flavor, and color.

Among the top criteria influencing the shelf life of bread are the following: the bread ingredients used, the bread storage temperature and humidity levels, the type of storage container used, and the bread storage location.

Proper cake preparation is the basis for a well decorated cake, but before you begin to prepare the cake the proper cake pan preparation should be done. Check your cake recipes for instructions on how to prepare the cake pans because preparation may vary for different cakes.

When preparing fish you want to be sure that the fish is handled properly to ensure it is safe to eat. There are several cooking methods that include baking, frying, and grilling, which all result in a little different taste for the fish when it is done cooking.

Quick Breads Quick bread refers to breads that require minimal preparation time, are made from batter more often than from dough, and are leavened with chemical agents, such as baking soda or baking powder, instead of yeast or natural starters.

Flat Breads Flat breads are made from both leavened and unleavened doughs. Both types have a general flat shape, although leavened flat breads are generally a bit taller and have a softer texture than unleavened flat breads.

The tradition of the King's Cake was originally started as a method of choosing a sacred king during the time of pre-Christian religions of Europe. The cake was baked with a nut or a bean inside and whomever got the piece containing the prize was chosen as the Sacred King. The King's Cake tradition was carried down through the generations and is still a huge part of the Carnival Season and Mardi Gras today.

The history of the King's Cake travels back to the pre-Christain religions of Europe where a man was chosen to be the "sacred king" for a year and then sacrificed to ensure a good harvest.