Do You Have the Recipe Book “Baking All Year Round” by Rosanna Pansino

Hello Yara,
I don't have that book, so I can't help you evaluate the recipes. Also, only you can decide what baking is 'easy' for you or how much many bowls to wash is too much of a mess. For example, some people says it's really easy to make pie crust. I myself find the idea quite intimidating and have no interest in trying; I'll buy a frozen one in the store. So it really depends on the individual. I think your best option is to look through the book, pick out a recipe which appeals to you and just try it! One hint: consider how many ingredients and steps are listed--generally, the longer the list of ingredients and the more steps listed, the more complicated the recipe, which means it might not be a great choice for a novice baker.

i don't have the book.

you do.

wouldn't it be easier for you to just read the book and decide which recipes meet your criteria?

khairete
S.

I don't have the book and you don't say what led you to purchase this one vs. the thousands of other books out there.

Personally, I find photographs really helpful. If you are just starting out and you don't know what to make, I'd start with a recipe with 5 ingredients or less (not counting something like salt & pepper). I use books in the library a lot, and then I decide what to try. If I get a bunch of good recipes from one book, then I buy it.

First, you have to narrow down what your goal or interest is. Do you want to bake something (cookies, bars, cakes, pies)? Do you want to make a main dish? A side dish or appetizer? Start with the category that interests you the most. There are also cookbooks for one-pot meals or one-bowl mixing.

I agree with Anne L. that pie crusts are difficult if you've never done much in the way of baking, and you'll have flour all over the place. It's important to be precise with baking ingredients, so if you aren't ready for that, start with a more "forgiving" recipe for a main dish or a side dish that isn't so dependent on exact measurements. Chopping up a lot of vegetables takes time and a big cutting board, but if you clean as you go (tossing or composting peels and seeds, for example), it doesn't get out of control. Did you ever watch Rachael Ray? She keeps a "garbage bowl" on her counter and tosses in pits, peels, stems eggshells and so on, then she dumps the whole thing when she's done. That keeps you from walking across the kitchen to get to the garbage can with every ingredient. Her magazine also has a lot of 5-ingredient meals for the beginner. She's not the only one who does it so look around.

It also takes experience to make a whole meal of different things with different cooking times. For example, if someone cooks the pasta or rice and then leaves it sitting there for an hour while they make the sauce or vegetables, it takes forever.

Get all your ingredients assembled before you start, and begin with the thing that takes the longest to cook. If you start a pot of brown rice that takes 45 minutes, you then have 45 minutes to make the stir fry veggies or bake some chicken tenders that take 30 minutes, and then you still have time to cut some broccoli to steam in 8 minutes - and it's all done at the same time.

Start simply with one dish and limited ingredients so you don't get discouraged.