Are you an artist? Or are you a scientist?

Lynne Guinne

Lynne Guinne

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It has been said "Cooking is art, Baking is science". Is there one discipline that you prefer over the other?

For me, I would much rather cook than bake. Mind you I DO bake, because I enjoy the results of my labors. But when it comes to true puttering around in the kitchen, I prefer cooking. Although I use recipes often, they are more touch points for me than formulas that must be adhered to. I'll juggle some ingredients around, or substitute based on what I have available, or our personal likes and dislikes. And I am not the least bit shy in leaving out seasonings that might be called for but I think are "yuck". I will admit to never being one who liked sticking to the rules. Baking has rules.

Which do you prefer doing? Or are you equally comfortable with both cooking and baking?
 
I do not bake, except during the Christmas holidays, as a "Joint Project" with my 2 five year old grandsons and their mothers, and my Mom and Mom in law.

We prepare Christmas Cookies .. My fave part is the decorative and color schemes, so I would say I am more creative than a scientist .. Cookies are a science however ..

Other than this, I do not have the time to invest, due to my profession. Though I love freshly made breads, we have a bakery a few metres from our apartment.

I enjoy cooking when I have the time .. When my sons were children, I cooked on nearly a daily basis, except weekends when we either ate out or went to my parents or in laws ..

However, now with just the two of us, and our Urban lifestyle, living in a huge metrópolis, we eat our lunches out, as both of us travel frequently, and we meet up for a "tapa" and wine, (part of our Mediterranean culture), en route to our apartment. I only cook during my week off, which is 1 week out of 4 weeks, as it is tourist season. Sometimes, if time permits I shall do something simple for an apartment dinner; a salad and a "tapa" at home. We do not eat full course dinners during the week.

Just am not the type of woman who throws some random whatever on a plate .. Prepping and Cooking are time consuming from scratch, from the Market selection and the prepping, etcetra ..

Cost effectiveness: Due to the reasonably priced selections we have for lunch menus, it is worth it to eat out .. If one were to go and buy a fish, all the salad fixings, fresh herbs, and fresh fruit for dessert, and a bottle of good wine verses plonk, it would add up to alot more than the 7 Euro lunch, as our Company has a lunch affiliated programme with a "ticket discount " at most restaurants so, which accepts the "Company card" which all employees have, and it saves us between 3 and 5 or 6 Euros a lunch. So in actuality, when in Barcelona or Spain, it costs us 13 or 14 Euros for the two of us to have a 3 course Mediterranean lunch with wine ..

Good question.

Have a nice wkend ..
 
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I have to be 'in the mood' to bake (apart from bread which I can do blindfold). The problem with baking is that you can't tell if its worked until the cooking is over. You can't keep opening the oven door and having a taste! So that, in my book, makes it more difficult to experiment with. And creative experimentation is what I like to do.
 
Baking is a bit of a black art to me. I made fresh bread most weeks, but use packet mixes as a base, along with my own twists, and a dough machine. Doing it all from scratch is something I try to avoid - along the lines of what @morning glory said, too many variables without being able to test it until its too late. Sauces are really my thing - the constant tasting and tweeking with flavours and texture. I guess that leans me more towards art than science, and I do lack patience with long recipes, preferring a more intuitive approach.
 
I'm equally at home cooking or baking, although except for baking bread I no longer bake as much as I used to. I tend to bake enough for 4-6 people and what I do not or cannot eat in a couple of days goes in the freezer for later. Although I occasionally use a bread mix (usually some sort of bread I do not eat very often), I usually make everything from scratch and am not afraid to experiment with recipes, especially substituting ingredients when the original recipe contains something I am allergic to or intolerant of, or when I don't have or just don't like some of the ingredients. The first time I make something, I try to make it as true to the original recipe as I can, but after that anything goes. Touch wood, I've never had any out and out disasters, although some things don't turn out quite as expected.
 
To answer the question in the Subject: take a look at how sloppy my plating usually is, and you'll know that I'm clearly not an artist. More seriously, I do use some artistic license when it comes to what goes into a recipe. But, what ends up is something I have to put clearly in the realm of science. I will one day really dive into The Flavo(u)r Thesaurus to figure out some daring combinations, but even then it's science: I like to think that the properties of what works with what are chemical reactions. When I'm developing a recipe. it's as if I'm a scientist in a lab trying to discover a new medicine. Sometimes I get it right the first time; other times, it requires more experimentation. And, I very rarely make something without writing it down, just in case I want to make it again. Is it a recipe or a science journal? Yes, it is.

Now...as to the baking vs. non-baking cooking question: for someone who never thought he'd bake, I certainly do a lot of it. Usually, it's a Moroccan flat bread or a pita or a naan bread. That gluten-free, yeast-free, yogurt-free abomination that I made for my brother? Science...and a not entirely unsuccessful experiment. Sometimes, if my family begs me long enough, they'll wear me down and I'll make them something with no redeeming nutritional value: that's when cupcakes happen.
 
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The Late Night Gourmet said:
To answer the question in the Subject: take a look at how sloppy my plating usually is, and you'll know that I'm clearly not an artist. More seriously, I do use some artistic license when it comes to what goes into a recipe. But, what ends up is something I have to put clearly in the realm of science. I will one day really dive into The Flavo(u)r Thesaurus to figure out some daring combinations, but even then it's science: I like to think that the properties of what works with what are chemical reactions. When I'm developing a recipe. it's as if I'm a scientist in a lab trying to discover a new medicine. Sometimes I get it right the first time; other times, it requires more experimentation. And, I very rarely make something without writing it down, just in case I want to make it again. Is it a recipe or a science journal? Yes, it is.

Now...as to the baking vs. non-baking cooking question: for someone who never thought he'd bake, I certainly do a lot of it. Usually, it's a Moroccan flat bread or a pita or a naan bread. That gluten-free, yeast-free, yogurt-free abomination that I made for my brother? Science...and a not entirely unsuccessful experiment. Sometimes, if my family begs me long enough, they'll wear me down and I'll make them something with no redeeming nutritional value: that's when cupcakes happen.
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Scientist...
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
To answer the question in the Subject: take a look at how sloppy my plating usually is, and you'll know that I'm clearly not an artist. More seriously, I do use some artistic license when it comes to what goes into a recipe. But, what ends up is something I have to put clearly in the realm of science. I will one day really dive into The Flavo(u)r Thesaurus to figure out some daring combinations, but even then it's science: I like to think that the properties of what works with what are chemical reactions. When I'm developing a recipe. it's as if I'm a scientist in a lab trying to discover a new medicine. Sometimes I get it right the first time; other times, it requires more experimentation. And, I very rarely make something without writing it down, just in case I want to make it again. Is it a recipe or a science journal? Yes, it is.

Now...as to the baking vs. non-baking cooking question: for someone who never thought he'd bake, I certainly do a lot of it. Usually, it's a Moroccan flat bread or a pita or a naan bread. That gluten-free, yeast-free, yogurt-free abomination that I made for my brother? Science...and a not entirely unsuccessful experiment. Sometimes, if my family begs me long enough, they'll wear me down and I'll make them something with no redeeming nutritional value: that's when cupcakes happen.
Click to expand...
I think you made a non instead of naan bread for your brother. It was pretty much a non-everything.
 
Duck59 said:
My degree started in sciences and ended in arts, leaving me with the curious choice of a BSc or a BA, so I am a mongrel in that respect. This is probably reflected in my cooking.
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I never actually took a degree in anything but my post-grammar school education started off in arts, turned to civil engineering, back to arts, and ended up in engineering and nutrition over about 50 years. :laugh: At my age, I can't be arsed with qualifications, although I could still apply for the certificates etc if I felt like parting with some of my pension.
 
I'm an "artist"..not a "scientist".
For some reason, never got into baking.
My wife, and now my daughter taking after Mom, are very good bakers (and cooks).
Here's an example of their talents ( Lady & Tramp theme for my granddaughter birthday):
"Spagetti & Meatballs" Cake

"Spagetti & Meatballs" Cake

My wife and daughter are very talented bakers. Used this for a "Lady & Tramp" birthday party...
 
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