COOKIES, COOKIES & MORE COOKIES…
Visit www.lindquistandcompany.com if you want comprehensive information of how to complete a successful kitchen or bath project!
COOKIES, COOKIES & MORE COOKIES…
HOLIDAY BAKING SEASON IS HERE!
When I close my eyes I can imagine the aroma of freshly baked sugar cookies filling my home. We have over 50 different shapes for cut-out cookies that we lovingly decorate each holiday season as part of our family’s tradition. And holiday baking is all about tradition! It’s an important part of what makes this time of year so special. Often beginning before Thanksgiving, holiday baking brings families together. We look forward to assembling all the ingredients and utensils required to produce the wonderful cookies and confections that represent our own family traditions for the holiday season.
A well-designed bake center is a joy to behold during this season of intense baking. The process of creating dozens of cookies and treats is greatly eased through convenience and efficiency. At my own ‘bake center’, I can stand in one spot and with barely a step away, produce any baked product I desire. Everything I need is at my fingertips – accessible and convenient. And clean-up is a breeze.
So what defines a well-designed bake center? There are 4 primary components: designated counter space, appropriate storage, easy access to water and a good oven.
A well-designed bake area should have a minimum of 36” of counter frontage designated exclusively for baking. This designation is important as one should not need to clear a space for baking. If you enjoy baking bread, pies or roll out cookies, consider a ‘cold’ surface such as natural stone that dough won’t stick to while being worked, as well as a lowered counter height of 33”- 34”. This will ease the process of kneading or rolling out dough by maximizing your upper arm strength.
This Bake Center features a mixer lift.
Storage should accommodate a wide variety of items, both large and small. Keep the equipment that makes light duty of stirring, whipping and creaming accessible. A ‘mixer-lift’ is a wonderful convenience if you own a large stand mixer. Drawers of varied depth efficiently store dry goods, such as flour and sugar, as well as large mixing bowls and baking dishes.
Consider transferring your flour & sugar to tightly sealed containers that easily stack in a drawer or on a shelf. Spice containers and small condiments will stay organized in a designated ‘spice’ drawer. And divided compartments create easy access to utensils such as spoons, scrapers, rolling pins, spatulas and whisks. Last but not least, vertical dividers are key for keeping flat and shallow items organized – cookie sheets, cake pans, muffin tins, cooling racks and … well, you get the idea!
Nothing happens easily in a kitchen without convenient water. So locate your bake center within a step or two of a sink; and, if it’s in an island, an auxiliary sink is a nice amenity. Obviously, a good oven is paramount to a successful outcome, but even better is a good convection oven which will allow you to bake several sheets of cookies simultaneously, resulting in more time to decorate those cookies. So what will it be … a frosted pink angel or a yellow reindeer?
