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Books and tools of the trade for novice bakers

Books and tools of the trade for novice bakers

Boston Globe01-04-2025

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Note:
Most books are available at the library or on used book sites.
TOOLS
Baking sheets
Basic pans (8-inch square, 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, 9-inch springform, muffin pan)
Bench scraper
Bowls
Digital scale and measuring cups
Ice cream scoops (for cookies, muffins, scones)
Oven thermometer and food thermometer
Parchment paper
Pastry brush
Ruler
Silicone spatulas and metal offset spatula
Sieve
Zester
Whisk
Wire rack
Wooden spoons and kitchen spoons
Note:
Before you buy anything, check out thrift shops, which carry many gently used items.
Sheryl Julian can be reached at

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Books and tools of the trade for novice bakers
Books and tools of the trade for novice bakers

Boston Globe

time01-04-2025

  • Boston Globe

Books and tools of the trade for novice bakers

' ' All ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Advertisement ' ' ' Note: Most books are available at the library or on used book sites. TOOLS Baking sheets Basic pans (8-inch square, 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, 9-inch springform, muffin pan) Bench scraper Bowls Digital scale and measuring cups Ice cream scoops (for cookies, muffins, scones) Oven thermometer and food thermometer Parchment paper Pastry brush Ruler Silicone spatulas and metal offset spatula Sieve Zester Whisk Wire rack Wooden spoons and kitchen spoons Note: Before you buy anything, check out thrift shops, which carry many gently used items. Sheryl Julian can be reached at

A ninth-grader dreamed of a mixer — and the baking community delivered
A ninth-grader dreamed of a mixer — and the baking community delivered

Boston Globe

time01-04-2025

  • Boston Globe

A ninth-grader dreamed of a mixer — and the baking community delivered

This is why I like a When I posted a note on Instagram (@sheryljulian) telling the Advertisement Then the meanies came in swinging. Here's the A simple Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake (see recipe) is one that novice bakers can make in a bowl without a mixer. Sheryl Julian for the Boston Globe Nonsense, says Suzanne Lombardi, a professional baker who has only ever used a KitchenAid. Lombardi is the founder of At one of her first professional kitchen jobs, there were 20-quart and 60-quart mixers, but also a 5-quart they could move around easily. That's when she got the idea that she wanted one. Lombardi is self-taught. When she was coming up, 'there was no internet, so you couldn't just Google something or watch it on YouTube.' She wants to pass on some things to help the young baker. Her list of essential books and equipment (see related story) is short, and includes mastering simple techniques for cookies, loaf cakes, bars. That will dictate what size pans you need. Advertisement Miller ( Her advice for novice bakers: 'Go to trusted sources. There are so many recipes on the internet, but if you're starting out, you don't know if you have a good recipe or a bad recipe.' She offers a simple Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake (see recipe) that novice bakers can make in a bowl without a mixer. Laura Raposa of Bakers she follows include Joy Wilson ( Advertisement At her Foodsmith shop, Raposa has hired many young bakers in the decade she's been in business. Everyone in her shop must use a scale, rather than measuring cups, for its precision. Hanna Feldman, who writes the typefoodie blog, had a KitchenAid mixer she wasn't using and donated it to a 14-year-old girl who is teaching herself to bake. Sheryl Julian You'll find both cups and weights on the popular blog, By day, she works in the pharmaceutical industry. In her sideline, she doesn't market herself as a low-carb or low-sugar recipe creator. If a cookie is diabetic-friendly, she says, it's because she knows what's in it. Feldman got her first KitchenAid mixer as a college graduation gift from her sisters. It's part of the Artisan series, a 5-quart tilt-head stand mixer. When she moved to various apartments with roommates, she didn't want anything to happen to it, so it stayed in the box for years. Once she got married and was in an apartment with her husband, Jake Feldman (her mother-in-law is We met for coffee and moved the box from her car to mine. 'It's been sitting in my office for two or three years,' she says. 'I didn't want to sell it. I thought it would find its way somewhere.' Advertisement It's going to the 9th-grade girl who wished on a star. Could she get by with a bowl and a spoon? She's doing that now. Is an expensive, second-hand stand mixer necessary to make simple cakes and cookies? Of course not. But I don't agree with those who say she shouldn't have it. 'Everyone should support a youth's interest,' someone wrote on the Threads post. 'It's for the good of the village. I wish ppl would figure that out.' Sheryl Julian can be reached at

Dear January
Dear January

Boston Globe

time01-01-2025

  • Boston Globe

Dear January

Before the holidays, I used to say that you could post my diet on the home page of the Where in years past I would recommend half a pound of poultry or meat per person — two pounds for four people — I now think that two pounds serves six. Two vegetables go onto the plate at night, along with a salad. Advertisement Less fat, less creamy pasta, less creamy sauce, less of everything. And so on. We've heard all this too many times and again at the start of every year, January, you remind us in your own inimitable, slightly intimidating, way. But it's frigid out there and I need a warm, satisfying meal. So, brutal January, I am beginning your month with something like Vietnamese pho. This big bowl of soup with meat and crunchy garnishes such as bean sprouts, is a long-simmered process. Advertisement My Quick Pho doesn't have the depth that gives Before the breasts go into the pot, I cover them with boiling water to remove some of the impurities that might cloud the broth. Then shred a little of the meat before returning it to the pot. (The rest of the meat is for chicken salad; you need to cook extra breasts to give the broth a meaty flavor.) I add cooked rice vermicelli noodles and a lot of cilantro or parsley. You need bean sprouts and sriracha. It's a simple bowl, nourishing, filling, spicy, and warming during this cruel month. January, you are right about so many things. It's just hard to acknowledge them all at once. Be gentle with your millions of followers. We're recharging and a little less scowl on your part would be helpful. By the way, Happy New Year. Your frenemy, Sheryl Julian Sheryl Julian can be reached at

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