Cooking vs. Baking

I have spent a good part of my life in the kitchen learning how to bake and cook with my family. I've always enjoyed it but I've never thought about whether there was one I like over the other.

Both are useful skills to have and can help you create some amazing and delicious creations. But is there one that tops the other? Is one of these two categories of food the better choice?

I've heard it said that "Cooking is an art, Baking is a science." Now I'm sure that there are some bakers out there reading this and thinking, Baking is an art, and it is but this is referring to the basic definitions of the terms.

Generally in cooking, you are able to make more substitutions and alterations throughout the recipe than you may be able to with baking.

While I wouldn't suggest jumping the shark from the get-go with some crazy spice choices, experimenting is always fun and can really make something your own. You can also take two completely different recipes and combine them into something new.

I did just that with a recipe I've been working on for Cheesy Chicken and Dumplings. This combines a recipe I found for a chicken casserole with the classic favorite.

Now that doesn't mean that you can't have a little fun with your baking.

While baking can go south pretty easily if you alter the base ingredients too much, one thing you can play around with that can create something new is... Flavors!!

That's right nowadays we have all kinds of flavors to try from almond to zabaglione (I have no idea what this extract is, but it sounds like an interesting one).

One flavor I've been getting cozy with lately is Peppermint. This has been my go-to lately for filling, frostings, and plenty of other goodies. One of my favorites I've come across lately is Mint Chocolate Chip cookies.

They take the classic treat and give it a little extra kick. And while it doesn't really change much besides the color and flavor, it does open the door for other alterations.

Imagine having a whole platter of ice cream flavored cookies!

Now back to the main question, is one method better or more useful?

In my opinion...

No.

While cooking and baking are considered to be two different cooking methods, with some minor differences, to me they always seem to go hand in hand.

Honestly, I can't remember what the first thing I cooked was, whether it was making meatloaf with my mother or baking cookies with my grandmother. I do remember the memories and how much fun I've had making delicious foods.

If I absolutely had to choose, I'd probably say baking. There's something about making something and getting to decorate it that I absolutely love. One of my favorite things to do lately when I have free time is to try baking a new recipe and see how it turns out.

But, that doesn't mean that I would give up cooking for anything in the world.

I love both with all my heart and have enjoyed being able to share my recipes and see what people think.

If you enjoyed reading this and want to tell me what you think check out my Author page on Facebook and tell me what you think.

If you'd like any updates on recipes or new posts follow me on Instagram here. And for some short videos for some of the recipes I've done click here.

I've also been trying to put some videos of my recipes on YouTube with some helpful tips.

Thanks for reading!