This month’s giveaway is the Simply Calphalon 6 Piece Bakeware Set (Non-Stick)

1. You must be a monthly subscriber to the BakewarePans.com Magazine in order to be eligible for inclusion in the giveaway.

2. Employees and their family members of BakewarePans.com | Fettle, Inc. are not eligible for this giveaway contest.

3. You do not need to purchase any products through our website nor will this increase your chance of winning the giveaway.

4. Winners are randomly picked monthly for the giveaway from our database of subscribers.

5. You MUST be 18 years or older in order to claim your giveaway prize.

6. By becoming a subscriber of BakewarePans.com Magazine and confirming eligibility for the monthly giveaway, you agree to hold harmless BakewarePans.com | Fettle, Inc. its affiliates, officers, parents and employees as well as any legal representation for any loss, damage or injury resulting from the giveaway.

7. We reserve the right to substitute the giveaway with something of equal or greater value in case of non-availability at time of giveaway.

8. So in summary, we randomly pick a subscriber at the end of every month to be the beneficiary of a great bakeware product for free.  Can’t beat that with a ladle.

I just adored Julia Child and this is a great little collage of episodes of her baking talents.   Enjoy this weeks selection!

The first time I baked, on my own was 11 years old. I’d had expert tutelage from my mom who had show me all the necessary baking accessories used for the most basic of baked meals and breads etc. Ironically, she really did not prefer baking but was quite good at it, whether it be bread, dessert or full fledged meals. I will admit that I prefer hearty dinners over desserts so that is where my forte lies.

With that said, if you’re a mom, here are the top 5 baking accessories to start out with for any beginner, young or old.

Number 1: A Spatula
I am still to this day infatuated with spatulas. I have all sizes tiny to behemoth and when baking usually use up most of them. I think as a child, I just liked the word itself and I really liked to use it to smooth out any materials (even non-food) but that’s another story for another day. It can’t be argued though that the spatula is one of the baking accessories that would be missed dearly in dessert baking.

Here is a great set for starters… Especially with soft comfortable grips for smaller hands.

Click On Image For Further Product Details

Or if you’re like me and always overdo my baking accessories, here’s a very solid set from Le Creuset that includes four different sizes plus a slotted spatula (love that one) with it’s own crock for storage convenience.  Also, another important baking accessory that is included is the basting brush, also interesting in the hands of a beginner.

Click On Image For Further Product Details

Number 2: The Whisk
In the hands of a 5 year old, a whisk could really be a deadly weapon.   Well, perhaps this 5 year old…  I do confess that up until this day, my tongue twisting traumatic episode with the whisk still weighs heavily on my mind.   However, I learned that this is one tool that I can’t live without when it comes to mixing up all combinations of ingredients.  You certainly can’t be it with a “fork”.   It’s also morphed into many different styles.  In addition to the different styles, the whisk is undergoing some new technological advancements such as the one shown below with built in thermometer… such a stroke of genius, wish I thought of that!

Click On Any Of The Whisks Shown For Further Details

Number 3:  Measuring Cups (… and spoons)

Ah yes, a child’s first experience with measuring cups and spoons can be an outright comedy.  So who cares if there’s a difference between TBSP and TSP??  And if I need a half a cup, just pick up any old measuring cup available and fill it half way right?  Welcome to a beginners first lesson in recipe reading…   We all know what can happen if the recipes calls for 3 cups of sugar and you only use 1 1/2 cups.  Yikes.  Well, aside from learning the measurements, these baking accessories are one of the most important, if not the most important tools you need on hand for baking anything.

Here are some great choices (we usually prefer something similar to the Pyrex measuring cups with the spout as it makes pouring much easier).  But there are obviously several options.

Click On Any Of The Measuring Items For Further Details

Number 4:  Rolling Pin!

Yes, one of my favorites.  I still have my mother’s old one with only one handle remaining.  And no, it was not me that broke it off.  It’s so delightfully seasoned and rolls so smooth, I’ll have it for a longer time still.  This is one of the more fun baking tools in your arsenal and one the kids usually have the most fun with, but just be sure to keep them away from the play-dough, it can get ugly.  Although a skill that will improve with time, rolling out the dough is better accomplished with a quality rolling pin.  Take a look at our top pick for the job.

Click On Product Images For Further Information

Number 5:  What’s A Rolling Pin Without A Pastry/Cutting Board?

One of the best ideas we have seen in a long time is this dough template imprinted on one side of the board.  Could have used that years ago!

HONORABLE MENTIONS…

• Cookie Cutters
• Basting Brushes
• Flour Sifters

Just for fun, we’d like to know your favorite baking accessories either beginner or pro!  So without so much as a rhyme, let us have it below!

Technorati Tags: bakeware, Baking Accessories

Not too long ago, this magazine was a storefront and we sold the highly prestigious Romertopf Clay Bakeware. I was thrilled to bring it on board for my customers as not only are they some of the highest quality bakeware on the market but some of the most elegantly designed. Just take a look at some of our favorite pieces.

If you are unfamiliar with clay bakeware, I wrote a tongue in cheek story about the origins and have reprinted it below:

The Evolution of Today’s Clay Bakeware Pans and the Muddy Chicken That Inspired Them

If you’re a big fan of clay baking and own several clay bakeware pans like I do, you may have heard of the Chinese folklore of Beggar’s Chicken. It’s a fabulous tale with many different versions, one of which is the story that a beggar snuck into a local farm and stole one of the chickens.

While sneaking away with this chicken, the beggar had to be a bit creative as to how he could possibly cook his food. Ingeniously, he wraps the chicken in lotus leaves and buries it in the ground covered in clay mud on top of burning embers. Yet another story is that the beggar stole the chicken from the Emperor himself and cooked it in this manner so the royal guards could not detect the smell.

Regardless, and possibly to his surprise, when he uncovered the chicken and broke through the clay shell, one of the most aromatic and tender cuts of poultry he had ever eaten was discovered. Obviously, this culinary creator must have passed down this secret because in several restaurants today, the dish called Beggar’s Chicken is still being made in the traditional manner of coating in a muddy clay wrap.

For the rest of us, however, that want to achieve the same flavor and tenderness in our food, we have to resort to a more attainable cookware and you can find several brands of clay bakeware on the market today. And to answer a possible question, you do not need to bury these in your backyard fire pit!

So how do the modern version of clay bakeware pans work? How do they hold the claims of being a healthier method of cooking? Well the answer is in the preparation of the baking pan itself. Clay, and in particular unglazed clay that is widely used in today’s cookware, is very porous and absorbs water quite easily.

So in advance of cooking any meal, you must soak the lid and base of your bakeware pan in water for at least 10 minutes. The absorption of this water into your bake ware is released as steam as it cooks in your oven at a moderately high temperature. The steam moisturizes and tenderizes your meal as well as amplifies any spices you have added to the dish.

Why this is considered healthy is due to the fact that you no longer have to add any additional oils or fats to keep your baked food moist. By all means, feel free to fatten up your recipes all you want, but the benefit is that it’s no longer a necessity to keep flavor in your meal when using this cooking method.

Another great benefit to a somewhat careless cook as myself is that there is a very slim chance of burning the pot or the meal. Unless you take a nap for hours after putting dinner in the oven, you’re fairly safe.

Finally, clean up is simple. Fill the clay bake ware with water and vinegar or baking soda and let sit for a few hours and wipe clean with a non-abrasive sponge. I know all of you dedicated dishwasher junkies just groaned but it’s important not to clean your bake ware with anything that is a chemical due to the porous nature of the pot itself.

So give this cooking method a try. It’s cheaper and healthier than take out and makes cooking even for the novice a piece of cake…so to speak.

Many times, bakeware sets will come as a set for a particular purpose such as a bread loaf set, or a cookie sheet set or a cake pan set.  What I really like to see when I’m hunting down sets to purchase is a combination set such as the one Rachel Ray has on the market here.

What I like about this set is that it’s a combination of shapes and contains the main sizes used for each of their functions.  Also, usually buying in sets will lend itself to be cheaper in the long run.

Now if you want to get even more diversified, another even more varied bakeware set comes from Calphalon, a tried and true performer in my own kitchen.  Here is another example of a very useful variety of bakeware pans at a reasonable price, especially when you are initially stocking your pantries.

So you’re probably wondering what I mean by the top 3 must haves.  Well, regardless of whether you are making cakes, bread or just baking some casseroles, here are my 3 baking set requirements…

• SMALL
• MEDIUM
• LARGE

Yes, it’s that simple, at least for me.  Obviously quality is a major factor as well.  I wouldn’t recommend those 60 piece sets for $10 only because my experience hasn’t been all too happy with them, but you could be fortunate and you may not be beating up your bakeware sets like I do.

So never underestimate the importance of different sizes.  Below are a closer look at some more examples of terrific combination bakeware sets you should have ready in your kitchen.

CorningWare is one smart company.   I don’t know about you but I am always carting my cooking out of the house to bring to parties and get togethers.  Either that or I am using them for leftovers to send home with appreciative friends and family.

Well, I must say that I am a big fan of the Corning Ware portables bakeware and I must not be the only one. I actually went to purchase a couple of sets directly from them and they are out of stock as of today.  If you’re not familiar with CorningWares line of portable baking dishes, here is an example of what they look like (photo courtesy of amazon.com).

As you can see, these handy dandy little dishes come with their own carrying case (although I’m sure you can purchase dishes separately).  And not that unattractive either.  Now, the one great thing about these bakeware dishes is that they are convenient for so much more than using to carry from one location to another.

One of the main reasons we appreciate this new brand of baking ware is the lightness in weight.  Baking in itself can be a bit hard on the old arm muscles without having to worry about an extra few pounds of just baking dish.  CorningWare has succeeded in making a lightweight, easy to handle, yet still notably durable baking dish.   This is due to the fact that these bakers are made from three layers of glass called glass laminate.

This glass laminate is also non-porous and makes cleaning them very easy.  They are stain resistant (great if you bake a lot of “saucy” dishes) and can be put into the dishwasher without worrying about ruining them.  Not only that, it also offers the convenience of oven and microwave cooking.  Almost a necessity in these modern times.

So all in all, I think these portable bakeware dishes by CorningWare are a great addition to my cupboards.  Not only that but just by not having the standard heaviness to them, I found it was a great gift for my mother that can’t handle a lot of the heavier kitchen items anymore.

See below where you can find them available and in-stock at this point for more information.  Note that you can buy plastic or glass lids and some of the portables come with different accessories so just be sure you know what you are ordering.

For A Closer Look: