What the heck do you do with parchment paper? How do you use a pastry bag? Buddy Valastro, author of Baking with the Cake Boss, lists everything you need for at-home baking success—including how to avoid grating your knuckles on a microplane zester.

BRUSHES
I recommend that you have three types of brushes as part of your kitchen arsenal. A pastry brush is the best way to apply syrups and other soaking liquids to sponge cakes, to work with melted butter, and to apply water to fondant if you don’t have a water pen (see page 195). (A squeeze bottle with a sponge tip applicator or a spray bottle will also work.) A bench brush has long, stiff bristles and is made for sweeping flour off your work surface. I rarely see these in home kitchens, but I recommend you own one because it makes it very easy to get your surface clean. A large makeup brush, sometimes called a powder brush, is useful for patting down sugar or cornstarch on your work surface when you are working with fondant. Use it to get any lumps or clumps out of the sugar or cornstarch, whether on your work surface or on the fondant itself.

MICROPLANE ZESTER
In the old days at Carlo’s we made our lemon zest by rubbing lemons on one of those old-fashioned box graters. It wasn’t the best way to go—the now-familiar recipe instruction not to shave off any bitter pith with your grater wasn’t even on our mind—but we didn’t know any better. (We also had to garbage the occasional batch when a guy grated a little of his knuckle into the bowl along with the rind!) Then along came the Microplane zester. It’s a common kitchen tool today, but was originally devised as a woodworking tool. It’s got dozens of minirazors that produce a snowy zest from lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits.

MIXING BOWLS
Ceramic and glass mixing bowls are perfectly fine options, but I prefer stainless steel for a very practical reason: They don’t break if you drop them. Get yourself a good assortment of mixing bowl sizes—generally speaking, I like to use a bowl that’s large for a given task because it helps keep ingredients from splashing or flying out of the bowl when you whisk or stir.

PARCHMENT PAPER
Always have some parchment paper on hand: You will use it to line baking and cookie sheets for a variety of items, and I often use a parchment pencil (see page 185) for decorating pastries, pies, and cakes. By the way, if you’ve ever wondered why some recipes call for parchment paper and some don’t, it’s almost always a matter of preventing what you’re baking from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Parchment can sometimes be left out if you’re baking a batter with a high fat content, because it will release just enough fat to keep itself from sticking. (In this book, I don’t use parchment in these cases.) Whatever you do, if you don’t have parchment paper, don’t substitute waxed paper instead. Waxed paper smokes like crazy and will fill your oven and kitchen with that smoke and set off your smoke detector.

PASTRY BAGS
The pastry bag is one of the most important tools for a baker. At Carlo’s and in this book, it is are used for everything from piping out cookie dough to filling pastries to icing and decorating cakes. There are four main types of bag: polyurethane, canvas, disposable, and makeshift. I don’t necessarily favor one over the other; instead, I like different bags for different jobs. For piping cookie dough and thick, heavy batters, the gold standard is a canvas bag, because of its durability. You can really squeeze it, using as much pressure as you like or need to, without fear of busting it open. For decorating and piping with buttercream, I prefer a polyurethane bag because I find it lets you feel closer to the cream, giving you a greater sense of control. If you’re working with anything that will stain a polyurethane bag, disposable pastry bags are perfectly acceptable to use instead. For example, dark buttercreams such as black, red, and green will all stain a bag, so I recommend a disposable bag for working with them. A makeshift bag isn’t really an “official” type of bag, but it can be a lifesaver if you don’t have a bag on hand and want to do something that requires it. You can fashion a makeshift bag by using a large (1- or 2-gallon) resealable plastic bag: Fill it with whatever you’ll be piping, fold the top closed, and snip off a corner to act as the “tip.” You can’t get much finesse with a makeshift bag, but it’s a perfectly viable way of frosting a cake, filling cannoli, icing cupcakes, and applying meringue to a pie. A note about working with pastry bags: When you are working with meringue, buttercream, and other sensitive mixtures, the temperature of your hands can cause what’s in the bag to soften. Different people’s hands have different temperatures; mine, for example, tend to generate heat, so after ten minutes of piping, I often squeeze out whatever’s left in the bag, then refill the bag with more of whatever I’m piping. If your hands run hot, you may need to do the same.

PASTRY BAG TIPS
At the very least, you should have a #6 plain and a #7 star pastry tip for piping cream, frostings, and fillings. For decorating cakes and cupcakes, a good set of interchangeable decorating tips is essential. There are many sets on the market that feature a variety of tips; you might want to purchase one, or you can amass a collection as you bake more and more recipes, but always check before embarking on a new recipe to be sure you have the necessary tips. You can purchase them individually if necessary, or if you don’t want to buy a whole set right off. Interchangeable tips are small tips shaped to produce specific effects, such as grass, leaves, or the shape that mimics rose petals. You affix these to pastry bags with a coupler that acts as a dock or port for them. In addition to empowering you to create visual effects, tips and bags are also convenient: If you need to create different effects with the same color icing, you don’t need to fill different bags; you just change the tip. Throughout the book, I indicate when an interchangeable tip is called for; if a recipe does not indicate “interchangeable,” then you just drop the desired tip (a regular pastry tip) into the bag before filling it with the desired filling or frosting.

RACKS
You should have at least two racks for cooling cookies and pastries after baking. (If space on your counter is limited, or you want to avoid resting hot trays on it, you can let the trays cool on top of the racks until the cookies are ready to be transferred.) Racks are available in a variety of sizes; I recommend having at least two nonstick racks, 17 by 12 inches each, which is toward the larger end of the size spectrum.

ROLLING PIN
Everybody in the kitchen at Carlo’s has his or her own opinion about rolling pins. There are only two main types of pin (three, if you count polyurethane), but we’re as personal about them as a hustler is about his pool stick. Both wooden and marble pins are fine; the overall weight and balance are more important than the material. For rolling out cookie dough, pie crust, and raspberry bars, I like a straight wooden rolling pin. (In reality, I leaned to roll those items with a broomstick, but you don’t want to do that at home!) For tougher jobs, such as rolling out rugelach, pasta frolla to stripe a wheat pie, or puff pastry dough, a wooden, steel, or marble pin with ball bearings that allow the cylinder to spin is better. Those ball bearings help a spinning pin make its way through denser dough. (But I generally use a wooden pin here as well. I’ve done it so many times that I’m comfortable with it.)
For rolling fondant, I recommend a polyurethane rolling pin because it stays at a good neutral temperature and has a terrific weight for pressing out the fondant, which can become uneven. You don’t want to use wood for fondant because wooden rolling pins tend to develop little divots over time, and these will get imprinted into the fondant.

SCALES
Some ingredients are measured by weight rather than volume, so if you don’t already own one, I suggest purchasing a kitchen scale. Digital battery-operated scales can be purchased for about $20 and many are small enough to tuck away in a drawer or cupboard when not in use.

SCRAPER
In a home kitchen, a rubber spatula fills in for most of the things we use plastic scrapers for in a professional bakery, namely folding ingredients together and scraping mixtures out of a bowl or a pot. But I still recommend owning a plastic scraper because a spatula keeps you at a bit of a remove from the food you’re working with, and sometimes you want to have a greater feeling of control. In our kitchen at Carlo’s, we also use a metal scraper for scraping our benches (wooden work tables), especially for removing caked-on flour. But I don’t recommend this tool at home because so many home kitchen surfaces are delicate or prone to scratching.

SIFTER
For ensuring the even distribution of leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder, and loosening up compacted flour and other ingredients, a sifter is essential. If you don’t yet have a sifter and are dying to get started, in its place you can pour your ingredients into a fine-mesh strainer and gently shake it over the bowl into which you are sifting, but the result won’t be as fine.

SPATULAS
The three types of spatula called for throughout this book are so different that it seems odd to call them by the same name. Cookie spatula or pancake spatula: This is probably the first spatula you ever heard of, meant for lifting baked goods out of pans or turning cookies or pancakes as they cook. Sometimes also called a “turner,” it’s the one we use for checking doneness on cookies and pastries and for lifting them out of their pans. Icing spatula: Many baking books recommend an offset spatula (aka angled spatula) for icing cakes, but I like a plain old flat icing spatula (we call it a “bow knife” in the Carlo’s kitchen), which gives you a greater feeling of control because of its straight shape. I like an 8-inch icing spatula, which I find works well for any task. Rubber or silicone spatula: This common kitchen tool gets used a lot in baking, mainly for folding two mixtures together or for scraping mixtures out of bowls. It’s a good idea to have a set that includes small, medium, and large spatulas in order to be able to accommodate any size job.

STAND MIXER
If you can afford it and have the room for it on your counter, there is simply nothing better for mixing than a good, sturdy stand mixer, which is basically a miniature version of the mammoth industrial mixers we use at Carlo’s. You’ll need the paddle, whip, and hook attachments. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a hand mixer for many recipes (I’ve indicated which ones in the book), but the motors aren’t generally as powerful as those on a stand mixer and your arm isn’t as durable as the stand itself, so you’ll need to take the time to let ingredients such as butter, cream cheese, and shortening really soften before you begin mixing with a hand mixer. If you do use a hand mixer, set a damp kitchen towel under the mixing bowl to hold it in place. It’s a tried-and-true trick that makes mixing much easier than trying to mix with one hand while holding the bowl with the other, especially if you have to pour or drizzle liquids into the bowl while mixing. In some of these recipes, you can simply use your hands to mix. I’ll tell you when that’s the best way. Just make sure that your hands are immaculately clean before using them.

THERMOMETERS
For checking the temperature of batters and buttercream, a kitchen thermometer is the only way to go. I suggest that you take advantage of modern technology and purchase an instant-read thermometer that gives you quick, exact, digital information. It’s a good idea to have an oven thermometer to be sure you’re baking at the right temperature. Even if your oven reads correctly today, it might begin to run a little hot or a little cold over time. Position your oven thermometer on the same rack you’ll be baking on, which will almost always be the center rack.

TIMER
Don’t rely on your memory in the kitchen; it’s a recipe for disaster. (“Did I put the cake in the oven at 5:45, or was it 5:54?”) Get a timer. In particular, I recommend a timer with at least two clocks in case you’re doing more than one thing at a time.

WHISK(S)
It’s a good idea to have a large and a small whisk on hand for beating mixtures of varying sizes by hand.

WOODEN SPOON(S)
For stirring mixtures as they cook, a wooden spoon or two should be a part of any kitchen arsenal.

Lettuce can be a basic term for all greens; in Italy they grow an amazing variety. In America we tend to stick to the same old standbys; in Italy they have fifty varieties of treviso! I am constantly awed at what I find in the Italian markets when I wander around the countryside. Italians like their greens crisp, bitter and colorful, and this style appeals to me. A classic example is arugula. In Italy, some varieties of arugula are large and soft; others, small, crisp and spicy. I happen to like the wild variety, the small, bitter, almost blue-tinged sylvetta.

With the greening of the American food industry, arugula no longer rests in the hands of the Mediterranean farmers. We produce amazing arugula here. Nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to a freshly made salad of arugula and real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese tossed with great olive oil and sea salt.

Early on in my career I became impassioned by the world of warm salads, which the Italians have enjoyed for centuries. I am particularly enamored with the classic bagna cauda, which I have adapted to my taste. I often wonder why eggs taste better in the hills of Piedmont than in downtown New York. I think pedigree might have something to do with it. In any case, a perfectly poached egg atop a curly endive salad, mixed with freshly picked herbs, pancetta, crispy torn bread croutons, true balsamic vinegar and, of course, that fantastic walnut oil from Abruzzi, is heaven!

I quite like the idea of a colorful, composed salad. Roasted apples, toasted walnuts and freshly made goat cheese, delicately but firmly tossed with lemon juice, good olive oil and black pepper, is an autumnal treat.

Then there is my absolute favorite: the raw vegetable salad. I was a picky and not at all adventuresome eater as a child. I came late to the game of delicious, freshly picked vegetables. Raw beets, asparagus, summer squash and even Brussels sprouts have all entered my daily menus. The only “trick” with raw vegetables is to choose farm fresh. A Brussels sprout gone past its primeis no one’s friend. My first raw salad came in the guise of a shaved black truffle and mâche (lamb’s tongue lettuce) salad — very decadent, and truly delicious. I have tried to enhance my repertoire along this theme. A trick I employ with raw vegetables is to use a lovely and sharp Japanese mandoline. This amazingly simple and precise tool makes quick work of a raw artichoke, caulifloweror turnip, making delicate, tender shavings. Again, tossed with great olive oil and salt, they are transcendent.

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Cool off on a hot summer day with this stove-free soup recipe from The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List…Endless Recipes, by Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins.

Gazpacho

Serves 6

3 medium tomatoes, diced, or one 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons diced shallot or 1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until blended to desired consistency.
2. Chill for 1 to 24 hours. Serve cold.

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• Buy a copy of The Stocked Kitchen
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You only need two things for a great steak: quality meat and a hot grill. (While you’re at it, throw in some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for enhanced flavor.) That means the onus of turning out a great steak rests squarely on the shoulders of the hunk of meat that you select. Here’s what to look for:

Color
The color of the meat is a great indicator of how much it’s been aged. Good or bad. Proper aging of steak yields a slightly darker, more brown color. It might not be the prettiest steak in the butcher’s case, but it’s the tastiest, with the richest, deepest flavor. Improper aging — aka steaks that have been sitting in the butcher’s case too long — will look dull, slightly grayish. To recap: good aging – color deepens; bad aging — color fades.

Marbling
Those white flecks in the meat are fat, and fat is flavor! Look for a good quantity and an even distribution of the white stuff to ensure that every bite will be a flavorful one.

Size
When it comes to steak, size definitely matters. If the cut is too thin, it will be difficult to develop a good char on the outside without overcooking the interior. If it’s too thick, you might burn the exterior before the interior reaches a level beyond that of steak tartare. Go for a steak that’s atleast 1/2 inch thick and up to 2 inches thick.

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Whether you’re an urban dweller with a window box, you’ve cultivated an acre of countryside, or you find yourself somewhere in between, planting your own herbs is the perfect way to brighten up your surroundings and your cooking. It’s a great money saver too. A few young plants from your local farmers’ market or garden center will produce fresh herbs all season long and cost the same as one dinky bunch of herbs from the grocery store.

Essentials: If you only have room to grow a few herbs, try these. They grow very well in most environments and are the most commonly used in our kitchen.

• basil
• parsley
• cilantro
• mint
• thyme
• rosemary

If you have the space, add these to your garden:

• dill
• tarragon
• marjoram
• oregano
• chives
• sage

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Whether you’re an urban dweller with a window box, you’ve cultivated an acre of countryside, or you find yourself somewhere in between, planting your own herbs is the perfect way to brighten up your surroundings and your cooking. It’s a great money saver too. A few young plants from your local farmers’ market or garden center will produce fresh herbs all season long and cost the same as one dinky bunch of herbs from the grocery store.

Essentials: If you only have room to grow a few herbs, try these. They grow very well in most environments and are the most commonly used in our kitchen.

• basil
• parsley
• cilantro
• mint
• thyme
• rosemary

If you have the space, add these to your garden:

• dill
• tarragon
• marjoram
• oregano
• chives
• sage

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• Browse more books by Brooke Parkhurst
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San Francisco had some damn good pizza when I was growing up. I played in a lot of pizza joints as a trombone-playing rock ’n’ roller, and Tommaso’s in North Beach was way ahead of the curve. The restaurant has been offering wood-oven pizza since 1935, and hungry customers still line up around the clock to eat at this landmark.

I’ve eaten pizzas all over Italy, and one standout was in the old Milano train station many years ago. I noticed three things: a roaring wood fire, a reluctance to hurry the pie, and dough that was both tender and sticky. The image of that perfect pie has stayed with me, and over the years I have worked hard to replicate the dough. Flour is critical. I’ve tried bread flour, organic pizza flour and Italian hard wheat flour, and I have settled on one that is readily available: King Arthur white organic flour. It is perfect. It does change according to the season, and altitude is a huge factor, as is relative humidity.

I agree with the argument that fresh dough is not as delicious or as imbued with that certain tang as it is when enhanced by adding old dough. Therefore, I find that saving the dough for a day in the fridge helps achieve two things: a crisp crust and a better taste. I want bubbles to appear as the dough bakes, and day-old dough helps to promote those bubbles. Don’t keep the dough in the fridge for longer than a day or it will look like pita.

Yeast is a major factor. I like fresh yeast, but it is sometimes hard to come by. Granular yeast is convenient but has a less interesting flavor. I add some organic unprocessed honey as a feeder for the dough. A little stale organic beer is good as well. Sea salt is important for texture and flavor, and last, the water needs to be fresh. If your water is hard, too warm from the tap or otherwise suspect, use bottled water.

Ovens are an exciting subject. I have used electric, wood-burning, grills, gas, gas/convection, and a new-fangled device with convection and microwave. I find that an oven with a tight seal is not as good as one that has a bit of a gap that allows it to breathe. The addition of a pizza stone is nice, but unnecessary. An old-fashioned perforated pizza pan is good, but a simple baking sheet works well, too. Your oven needs to have constant, regulated heat; always use a thermometer. I worry about the crust more than the top, and always check the pizza’s bottom as it bakes. Timing can be erratic; the first pie is always a tester.

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Look your best for photographs
Unlike photographs taken at events such as weddings or reunions, pictures from a vacation usually do not capture us looking our best. Yet we show them off for years to come. If you know you will be photographed at a special destination or a picturesque spot, make sure that your clothing does not clash with the backdrop. During my trip to India, on the day I visited the Taj Mahal I wore a cream-colored top and scarf that I knew would look great in the photo with the surroundings. This may sound like compulsive planning, but being photographed at one of the wonders of the world is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I knew that I was going to have those photos forever. You will be thankful for years to come by making sure that at times like these you are wearing something flattering and your hair and makeup look good.

Smart packing tip 1: How to select clothing for travel
Plan ahead and lay out your wardrobe on the bed to begin the “editing” process. I place my shoes on the floor near my potential outfits so that I can mix and match and see how everything works together. Omit items that you can do without to avoid overpacking. Think about ways to maximize what you have by pairing things and layering them, which should allow you to pack even less. For instance, bring a cardigan that can work with a skirt, pants, and a dress. Select a blouse that is versatile enough to go with the pants and the skirts you are bringing. And choose a pair of shoes that look good with all your outfits. Always pack flats for walking and heels for going out to dinner.

Smart packing tip 2: The space-saving, wrinkle-free packing solution
Because I often travel for work, I have gotten packing down to a science. Here is the most effective way to fit more items into carry-on luggage and ensure that they will not be wrinkled upon arrival. Instead of folding each garment, lay them out on top of each other and roll them into one large, compact parcel. Start with one article of clothing and smooth it out on a flat surface. Be sure to smooth away any wrinkles with your hands, since creases will lock into the fabric once it is packed. Place another piece of clothing on top of that one and smooth it out, and so on, stacking them like pancakes until you have assembled a nice flat stack. Fold in the sleeves on top of the pile and carefully roll the entire stack inward, as if it were a yoga mat, into one big roll. Your shoes (tucked in shoe bags) should be placed around the perimeter of your suitcase, with the roll of clothes in the middle. Compress it with your hands before closing the bag. Upon arrival, you will be surprised at how smooth your clothes have remained.

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SAVORY

• Barbecue sauce
• Beef and chicken bouillon cubes
• Bread crumbs
• Curry Powder
• Dijon mustard
• French onion soup (dry mix)
• Fresh vegetables
• Garlic
• Ketchup
• Lemons
• Mayonnaise
• Minced ginger
• Peppercorns
• Pesto
• Pine nuts
• Refrigerated piecrusts
• Rice
• Sea salt
• Sesame seeds
• Soups (canned): asparagus, celery, etc.
• Sour cream
• Soy sauce
• Spaghetti and noodles
• Vegetable broth
• Vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce

SWEET

• All-purpose and self-rising flour
• Bamboo Skewers
• Canned fruit: pineapple, pear
• Cinnamon
• Coconut, shredded
• Condensed milk
• Cornstarch
• Cream
• Cream cheese
• Eggs
• Evaporated milk
• Food coloring
• Fresh fruit
• Gelatin
• Graham crackers
• Honey
• Jams: apricot, strawberry, etc.
• Jell-O
• Marmalade
• Mixed dried fruit
• Mixed spices
• Nutmeg
• Puff pastry and short crust pastry
• Sugar (confectioners’, granulated, superfine, brown)
• Vanilla cake mix
• Vanilla extract

Try These Healthy Recipes from 4 Ingredients
–Asparagus with Balsamic Dressing
–Baked Salmon with Pesto Crust

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachael Bermingham, author of 4 Ingredients: More Than 400 Quick, Easy, and Delicious Recipes Using 4 or Fewer Ingredients (Copyright © 2007 by Meymott Enterprises Pty Ltd PR International Pty Ltd), is the energetic, dynamic, and proud mum of Jaxson and six-month-old twin boys, Bowie and Casey. She has written six bestselling books in the last four years and is regarded as one of Australia’s number one female authors.

Kim McCosker, author of 4 Ingredients: More Than 400 Quick, Easy, and Delicious Recipes Using 4 or Fewer Ingredients (Copyright © 2007 by Meymott Enterprises Pty Ltd PR International Pty Ltd), is the proud mother of three boys (Morgan, eight; Hamilton, five; and Flynn, two), the lady who had the idea and who is now the coauthor of the internationally bestselling 4 Ingredients series, which includes 4 Ingredients, 4 Ingredients 2, and 4 Ingredients Gluten Free.

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• Read the Introduction to 4 Ingredients
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Asparagus with Balsamic Dressing
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches asparagus
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

Preheat the broiler. Brush the asparagus with some of the oil, then broil for 5 minutes, or until tender. Serve drizzled with combined remaining oil, vinegar, and diced tomato.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Rachael Bermingham is the energetic, dynamic, and proud mum of Jaxson and six-month-old twin boys, Bowie and Casey. She has written six bestselling books in the last four years and is regarded as one of Australia’s number one female authors.

Kim McCosker is the proud mother of three boys (Morgan, eight; Hamilton, five; and Flynn, two), the lady who had the idea and who is now the coauthor of the internationally bestselling 4 Ingredients series, which includes 4 Ingredients, 4 Ingredients 2, and 4 Ingredients Gluten Free.