Feeling a little flustered about the two dozen cupcakes you volunteered to make for your sister's baby shower? Wondering why you agreed to bring FIFTY cookies to the bake sale? You could just give us a call at Muddy's Bake Shop and let us take care of it for you (901.683.8844 for East Memphis pick up or 901.443.4144 for Midtown pick up). Or, alternatively, you could check out these tips three of our magical ubakers have learned while churning out thousands (yes, literally thousands) of baked goods a day. I asked Tabitha, TJ, and Agoud (pictured below) the question, "What wisdom do you have to share with home bakers to make their time in the kitchen more pleasant and less stressful?" and this is what they had to say.
1. Choose your recipe wisely: Make something that you love for those that you love.
When you enjoy making something, you can tell in the end product. Now me, I like chocolate. I am a 100% chocoholic, so when I bake in the Muddy's Kitchen, my favorite things are making chocolate cupcakes, stirring the melted chocolate for our chocolate buttercream, and spreading chocolate over the fresh-baked toffee bars when they come out of the oven. And I really believe you can see in those things that I make the love that I put into them. -TJ
2. Plan, plan, and plan some more.
Block out PLENTY of time to bake your recipe. Do what you can the night before, and then get PLENTY of sleep before you begin your big baking day. Take care of yourself, and come to the counter with a clear mind. -Tabitha
Study your recipe well in advance, and make whatever you can the day before. Buttercream icing, especially, is something you'll want to make the day before if you're making a cake. And if you're making anything that calls for "room temp" or "soft" butter, don't forget to set it out on the counter the night before. Make a copy of your recipe that you can write on, and check off your ingredients as you add them. We do this with dry erase markers on our laminated recipes all the time in the Muddy's kitchen. -TJ
3. Set yourself up for success.
Do your grocery shopping as early as possible. Check and double check that you have EVERYTHING you need. When you're ready to bake, gather all your ingredients before you begin. You will thank yourself later. -Tabitha
Make sure you have extra ingredients on hand. Extra eggs, should you drop one on the floor, extra oil, should you spill it, extra butter should you burn it when trying to brown it, you know what I mean. -TJ
4. Have fun!
Bake with a partner (preferably one who knows what they're doing)! Listen to music. A bottle of wine doesn't hurt either (um, that's a tip from my own kitchen, not Muddy's)! -TJ
5. You gotta put some lovin' into the oven to get lovin' out of the oven.
Leave the negativity at the door. Negative thoughts and gossiping while you're baking is not going to help you or anyone else. -Tabitha
You REALLY can taste love. -TJ
You've got to approach your work with a positive attitude. Love that you get the chance to bake. Me, I love my job. It's not about the money. It's who I work with and what I do. What wakes me up in the morning is looking forward to who I get to work with and what I get to do. You love your recipe and the opportunity you have to bake for your loved ones, and they'll be able to taste it! -Agoud