The world of culinary art is vast spread. We shall delve into the nuances as we progress. To start with, the wide range of disciples have different techniques, skills and culinary philosophies associated with it. However, two prominent disciplines that stand out in the world of culinary arts are: cooking and baking. It is understandable that both involve the conversion of ingredients into delectable dishes but differ in terms of techniques and attitude. Usually, cooking is used as an umbrella term for any type of food preparation done by applying heat. Alternatively, baking uses dry heat and thus can be considered as a sub-set. While it’s safe to say that baking is a part of cooking, we cannot go the other way around.
Being thoughtful of these distinctions is fundamental for both, aspiring chefs and home cooks. Let’s dig deeper into the culinary divide between the two.
What is Cooking?
Cooking is the art of preparing food by supplying heat. It comprises boiling, frying, sautéing, grilling, or roasting. The disciple offers flexibility, provides room for improvisation and experimenting in the kitchen. In cooking, recipes serve as guidelines rather than strict rules, encouraging modifications with flavours and textures. Ingredients are often combined in a fluid manner and do not demand precise measurements every time. The focus is on developing layers of flavour, balancing tastes, and adapting to personal preferences.
What is Baking?
Baking, alternatively, is a precise science that requires careful measurement and adherence to recipes. It involves the use of dry heat in a closed environment, such as an oven, to convert raw ingredients into baked goods like bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries. Baking demands precision, from carefully measuring ingredients to following specific techniques and temperatures. Unlike cooking, where creativeness is encouraged, baking demands accuracy to achieve desired results consistently. It’s a discipline that appreciates patience, precision, and practice.
How The Two Differ?
Another significant difference between cooking and baking pertains to the ingredients. We agree with the fact that both put to use some common ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, oil, butter and many more, however, their roles and proportions vary. In cooking, ingredients are often combined in a dynamic and flexible manner, allowing for a wide range of varied outcomes. Alternatively, experimenting while baking will greatly impact the outcome that might not be favorable. Cooking is not backed by specific knowledge, but baking relies greatly on precise ratios of ingredients, specific temperatures and accurate techniques to achieve the desired texture, structure, and rise in achieving desired baked goods.
Concluding
The two represent distinction in a variety of ways yet are correlated realms within the culinary world. To sum up, cooking is an art, while alternatively, baking is a science. Note that presentation is the key to culinary art, food that looks tempting tastes better. But that doesn’t mean we can compromise on taste, presentation is just the cherry on the cake. Quite literally, if cake doesn’t taste good, cherry can’t be a saviour.
