{"id":21017,"date":"2019-12-21T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-21T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/?guid=e604718f8e07237d25d5354104cd86ce"},"modified":"2020-01-03T15:05:26","modified_gmt":"2020-01-03T15:05:26","slug":"6-tips-every-holiday-baker-needs-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/6-tips-every-holiday-baker-needs-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"6 tips every holiday baker needs to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(BPT) &#8211; It&rsquo;s the holiday season &mdash; and bakers everywhere are kicking into high gear, filling kitchens with stacks of cookies, cupcakes, pies and candies. Holiday baking should be a joyful experience, sweet, easy and filled with fun memories. Whether you&rsquo;re baking for a few or a flock, here are six tips to help you bake like a pro:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prep ingredients in advance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Get ready for your big cookie-baking day by preparing the dough beforehand. Most cookie dough will keep in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for several weeks. Roll the dough into a log or round and cover in plastic wrap or pre-portion the dough to save yourself even more time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Save time with convection technology<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Convection ovens are the best for baking as they evenly distribute the hot air around the entire oven, so your cookies, cakes and pies will bake faster. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lg.com\/us\/ranges-ovens?FT06000311=FV60008138\"  rel=\"nofollow noopener\">LG ProBake Ovens with Convection Technology<\/a> evenly distribute heat on every rack for optimal performance. They&rsquo;re also Wi-Fi-enabled, so you can control them with your smartphone or voice commands through Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quickly soften butter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It happens all too often. You&rsquo;re ready to get started, only to realize you forgot to soften the butter. When this happens to you, don&rsquo;t delay your baking. Smaller pieces of butter will soften faster than the whole stick. Simply cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit for a few minutes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get creative for easy decorating<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When it comes to decorating, think outside the box. Try using some unique cookie cutters or edible ink pens to sketch any design onto your goodies. And if you&rsquo;re using sprinkles, brush each cookie with a bit of corn syrup to help them stay in place.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keep cookies soft and fresh<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No one likes a crusty, stale cookie. To keep your cookies chewy and soft, put a slice of bread into your storage container. The bread will help your cookies retain their moisture or add it back in if they are already dried out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Check your baking powder and baking soda<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Did you know these important ingredients have a limited shelf life? If they&rsquo;re expired, your baked goods might not turn out as you intended. Add a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup and add one third cup of hot water. If it bubbles, the baking powder is ready to use. To test baking soda, add a quarter teaspoon and two tablespoons of vinegar into a cup. If it bubbles, go ahead and bake with it.<\/p>\n<p>If you&rsquo;re looking for ways to improve your holiday baking, follow these tips for a productive and rewarding experience. For more baking help, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lg.com\/us\/ranges-ovens?FT06000311=FV60008138\"  rel=\"nofollow noopener\">lg.com\/us\/ranges-ovens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img src='http:\/\/www.brandpointcontent.com\/printsite\/ImageWriter.ashx?articleid=35641&#038;memberid=43677' border='0' width='1' height='1' \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(BPT) &#8211; It&rsquo;s the holiday season &mdash; and bakers everywhere are kicking into high gear, filling kitchens with stacks of cookies, cupcakes, pies and candies. Holiday baking should be a joyful experience, sweet, easy and filled with fun memories&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diy","category-home-improvement-blogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21017\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}