I do have rules. Rules for myself, rules for my kids, Abby and Miriam who love to help me bake, rules for everyone. So, here are the rules:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Follow Directions
3. Read over the recipe before starting
4. Make sure you have all the ingredients
5. Make sure you have all the cooking and baking utensils
6. I do not use brown sugar, molasses, and certain types of cheese as Trish is allergic
7. I do not cook with whiskey, vodka, wine, etc - I never have it in the house
8. Try not to set off smoke alarm
9. Thank Trish as she is running around behind me cleaning up
10. Clean up kitchen when done.
11. ...and most importantly - have fun!! Cooking should be fun!!
Mark's Notes-
Wash your hands - before baking, during baking when handling raw eggs or raw meat, if the kids toddle off to do something else due to short attention span and come back to help bake some more, then they wash their hands.
Follow directions - applies more to the kids than me. The next rule is more for me than the kids.
Read over the recipe in its entirety before starting -
I have gotten burned on this one a number of times. Once at the very end of the recipe I had worked on all morning, it said to serve immediately. I wasn't going to serve it until after dinner. Another time, I was making a strawberry pie. I thought the strawberry pie got baked in the oven. Strawberry pies get stuck in the refrigerator for a couple hours and then you are to server shortly thereafter. Still have not had much success with the strawberry pie - I will detail that adventure at another time.
Make sure you have all the ingredients before starting. I don't know how many times I've started a recipe and then I get half way through it and realize I don't have all the ingredients. Sometimes, I adapt and substitute something else, sometimes I go to the store, sometimes Trish will go to the store for me, and sometimes I have to just throw it away and try again later.
Make sure you have all the baking and cooking utensils. I have not yet seen a cookbook that lists the types of pots, pans, dishes, glasses, etc. that you need to make the recipe listed in a similar fashion as the ingredients. Do I need a muffin pan or a pie plate, do I need a dutch oven or a crockpot, do I need a regular frying pan or do I need a cast iron oven skillet? I think that would be so helpful if recipes had a section labeled 'Kitchen Utensils' and listed everything you will need from measuring cups to whisks, to what type of bowls or pans you will need. They list these out in the recipe. Why not have a short list after the ingredients section? That would actually be so helfpul for me.
I do not cook with brown sugar, molasses, and certain types of cheese because Trish is allergic. This is another reason why I like to do my own cooking.
I also do not cook with vodka, whiskey, wine, etc. I never have it in the house. Some recipes call for adding some Jack Daniels or some Vodka or some wine. There is no harm in baking with these items as it will dissipate while cooking. I just don't have it in the house and I'm not going to go to the store and buy a bottle of whiskey just for a few drops of it. I'll find a different recipe that doesn't use alcohol.
Yes, the smoke alarm has gone off many times in my house as there is a smoke detector right there next to the kitchen. I have even seen flames (small flames) in the kitchen that went out as soon as they started. Still frightening to see that though.
When I bake, Trish will sometimes be running around behind me picking stuff up and wiping the counter down. I sometimes get irritated if I'm scurrying around because I forgot something, but I should be thankful that she is cleaning up what is essentially my mess.
Then when everything is in the oven, then I will finish cleaning up everything in the kitchen and mopping up all my spills. Just part of the cooking experience.
