Post # 1
Member
4049 posts
Honey bee
I’m not at all a baker. I hate having to measure every little thing out and mixing it together in just in the right order. I feel like I have no freedom!
Cooking though? I am a queen. I’ve been cooking for my family, and now for myself, for a lot of years. I love the creativity of it. I don’t have to follow a recipe exactly. I can throw in my own ingredients and change things up how I see fit. Cooking becomes a creative expression for me. Plus, I love to cook things from different cultures. It is so much fun to explore.
What about you?
Post # 3
Member
524 posts
Busy bee
I really do enjoy both, but I enjoy cooking more. I do like the flexibility of it and the fact that I can be a lot more creative. But sometimes I do like the methodologicalness of baking and the fact that you don’t have to think for something to taste good, you just have to follow the recipe! I’m not really a pro at either yet, mostly because I don’t have access to my own kitchen yet (sad face…but I will soon!) so after I get out of a dorm and into an apartment I plan on honing in on cooking a lot more!!
EDT: Oh and another reason I enjoy cooking more is because I’m gluten-free, and gluten free baking can be extremely finicky!!
Post # 4
Member
8042 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@bowsergirl: Totally agree w. you – I am the same!
Post # 5
Member
14495 posts
Honey Beekeeper
I love to bake. I am a decent cook but I have always just enjoyed baking more.
Post # 6
Member
2270 posts
Buzzing bee
I like baking much more (which is ironic since I don’t eat sugar, gluten, or animal products). I cook for my SO every day and bake for him once a week or so. I like to make as much from scratch as possible so he doesn’t eat a bunch of crap.
I never bake for myself though.
Post # 7
Member
5011 posts
Bee Keeper
I enjoy both and do both regularly. I think baking is more of a relaxation thing at the moment as I have to clean the kitchen as well as Darling Husband has been rubbish of late.
Post # 8
Member
1734 posts
Bumble bee
I like both, but baking comes more naturally to me. I’ve also been baking much longer than cooking, so maybe it’s a practice issue too!
Part of it for me is that when I’m cooking and experimenting or trying something new, I know I’m going to have to eat it, or make something else, LOL. (I’m also like this when eating out — what if I don’t like it and have to pay for it and then make something later TOO? Waaah.) Also, if I’m trying something really unusual cooking or meal-wise, it often involves the outlay of money for something I’m not sure I’m going to use a lot of, or use up the whole way before it goes bad.
If I screw up when baking, I know it doesn’t have to be dinner, and I’m rarely trying things baking-wise that I’m not sure I can execute. Also, there’s a pretty basic set of stuff that I need, baking wise, and I can just purchase a few extras for the given recipe, or even better — borrow them from friends who went ahead and bought the whole jug of molasses or tin of cardamom. 🙂
ETA: It sucks that my husband rarely eats what I bake. This isn’t because I’m a bad baker (I have independent confirmation of this, LOL), but because I love fruit-based desserts (pies, scones, quick breads, cookies), and my husband really pretty much just loves chocolate.
Post # 9
Member
4336 posts
Honey bee
I like baking, but I think I prefer cooking b/c I feel guilty eating all of the unhealthiness that is in baked goods! and I would prefer finding ways to cook delicious, healthy food.
Post # 10
Member
1289 posts
Bumble bee
COOKING!! For me, baking is a science, cooking is an art. I can’t follow a recipe to save my life, I never measure, and playing with herbs and spices is my favorite part! I’m the type who will put cayanne in cookies because I can’t handle not spicing something!
I do, however, LOVE baking bread! I feel like there’s a little more flexibilty in how you prepare it!
Post # 11
Member
7771 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Not really into baking. I used to love making homemade breads, and bagels (DH loves them!) but man is it a labor of love. I cook more because I have to…
Post # 12
Member
2902 posts
Sugar bee
Cooking!! Baking requires waaaay too much patience and precision.
Post # 13
Member
869 posts
Busy bee
I like both, but I would LOVE both if I didn’t have to clean up afterwards. 🙂
Post # 15
Member
4049 posts
Honey bee
@MalbecMe: True! I might bake more if someone would clean all the measuring cups, bowls, spoons, cookie sheets, whisks, and splatter on the countertops!
Post # 16
Member
556 posts
Busy bee
Baking! I’m new to both but I cook 3 squares a day and bake every week. I like cooking but I’m not super comfortable with it yet. Baking has become my happy place. I love it and I’m actually quite good at it. All the measuring, the mess, the wonderful aromas, makes me so darn happy. Every time.
