# Baker or Chef?



## Alix (Oct 30, 2006)

I know we've done this before, but we have so many new folks here I am just wondering what everyone really loves to do. So, are you a baker, a chef, a dabbler, a specialist or just doing it because you have to? Love to hear why. I'm a baker although I do everything pretty well. I love to bake. I would bake even if there were no one to eat all the stuff I do. Its just so satisfying to me to take bits and pieces of things and make something so scrumptious.


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## middie (Oct 30, 2006)

I'm a dabbler and a baker


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## Katie H (Oct 30, 2006)

I'm a chef first and a baker close second.  I love to cook just about anything and would 24/7 if I had the money to buy the ingredients.  I so enjoy using all my wonderful cooking toys and cookware.


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## GB (Oct 30, 2006)

I am a chef (well not by trade). I love savory stuff. I love to create things and cook by the seat of my pants.

I am not a big sweets fan and I don't like having to follow recipes to the letter so baking is not my thing, although I do plan to get into bread baking when my daughter is old enough to help me.


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## Flourgirl (Oct 30, 2006)

I'm a little of both I guess. In my professional cooking days, I worked myslef all the way up to sous chef, then switched over to baking and worked as a pastry chef for 3 years. Now that I'm a stay-home mom, I teach mainly savory cooking classes a few evenings a month. Savory cooking is still my favorite.


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## Alix (Oct 30, 2006)

Katie E said:
			
		

> I'm a chef first and a baker close second. I love to cook just about anything and would 24/7 if I had the money to buy the ingredients. I so enjoy using all my wonderful cooking toys and cookware.


 
Oh dang Katie, I should have put something on there about gadgets shouldn't I? I'm going to see if I can edit that in. Feel free to go add that to your vote.


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## carolelaine (Oct 30, 2006)

I like the savory stuff the most, but I do alot of baking.  I love to cook too, it just makes me happy for some reason. I like some gadgets, but there just isn't enough room for all of them.


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## jkath (Oct 30, 2006)

I can't decide if I'm a Baker/Chef or a Chef/Baker 
Either way, I love 'em both!!


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## Franca (Oct 30, 2006)

Well, that was an easy poll for me - I didn't have to think about that at all. Chef, definitely. I am so *not* a baker! My sister is the baker in the family. Don't care about gadgets much, although I do like my panini grill and when I need my Cuisinart I really need it ... but hate cleaning it so I don't use it unless I have to.  I love trying new recipes that sound good, and I love messing with them to make them better or easier or healthier without (hopefully) sacrificing flavor.


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## Franca (Oct 30, 2006)

> I don't like having to follow recipes to the letter so baking is not my thing


That's me! But the idea of bread-making is appealing for after I'm "retired".


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## VeraBlue (Oct 30, 2006)

I didn't see any box for the 'candlestick maker'...??


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## amber (Oct 30, 2006)

Definately a chef (not professional).  I like making savory dishes, either creating them or following a recipe (though I tend to tweak recipes after the first try).  I dont like to bake from scratch, except making pie crusts, or stuffed breads using the frozen dough.  Had a semi-baking disaster with cheese cake tonight (spring form pan had warped a bit, so you can imagine what happened)   I managed to salvage most of it and it rose to about an inch high ...bummer since it's a birthday cheesecake, but oh well, things happen.


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## bullseye (Oct 30, 2006)

Mostly chef stuff.  I rarely cook from recipes, which is ironic, since I have a pretty substantial number of cookbooks.  I read them like novels, and then cook by--as GB says--by the seat of my pants.  I am just starting to get into baking--breads and pies, mostly; not much interested in the sweets . . .


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## luvs (Oct 30, 2006)

chef! us culinary students bicker over who's better, tee-hee.


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## kitchenelf (Oct 30, 2006)

Chef and gadget lover!


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## JoAnn L. (Oct 30, 2006)

Just lead me to the dessert ingredients and I will be happy.


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## thumpershere2 (Oct 30, 2006)

Baking is not what i really enjoy doing but it's ok. I'm not a chef either. I'm just an old fashion cook. Simple but good.


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (Oct 30, 2006)

GREAT question! I loath baking. But love cooking!


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## kadesma (Oct 30, 2006)

_I love cooking, will bake but not the best at it. I do however love making bread, I find it relaxes me and I just love that smell that your kitchen gets as the breads bake. Seeing my family wolf down several loaves at dinner or even before dinner makes me feel so darn good. And when Cade is here, we make chocolate chip cookies and what could be the biggest pain in the world, making cookies all by your lonesome, becomes the best of your day, having that small person your grandson at your side and watching the smile come to his face when he takes that first warm cookie and a glass of milk and smiles. _
_kadesma_


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## Robo410 (Oct 30, 2006)

well, when I get my dream kitchen in a couple months, I'll have the counter space and the ovens to improve my baking.  I have several items under my belt as needs my chefing gigs.  But I'm not a desert freak.  Definately have a savory not a sweet tooth.


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## Barbara L (Oct 30, 2006)

I especially love baking, but chef is up there too.  I am a gadget nut!

 Barbara


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## Andy M. (Oct 30, 2006)

Savory over sweet for me.  S.O. does most of the baking.


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## ironchef (Oct 30, 2006)

Chef and definitely funky. Think Butter Poached Lobster with Lobster Coral Foam and Lemon-Vanilla Bean Sauce.


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## kimbaby (Oct 31, 2006)

I am a chef and proabaly a dabbler to


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## urmaniac13 (Oct 31, 2006)

Interesting, I never thought of being a "chef" and a "baker" separately like this, but come to think of it, I will probably fall into a "chef" category.  As much as I adore sweets and try to make them myself when I can, I am never entirely confident with baking and tend to follow the recipe pretty closely, while when cooking other things I improvise my a.. off, just using the given recipe as a rough guideline or an inspiration.
I would like to get to the same point with baking too one day, though.


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## SizzlininIN (Oct 31, 2006)

Hmmmmmmm I'm not sure where I fit in.   .  People tell me I have eclectic taste in my decorating......I guess I'd have to say I have the same when it comes to cooking.  I like to bake.....I've never had the urge to do it all the time but I have my moments where I really enjoy it.  I love to cook all types of different things..... but I tend to drift to my old favorites as they hold treasured memories of the past.  I follow some recipes ingredient by ingredient and if their a total hit then I leave them alone it they need adjusting then I add my own flavor and it becomes its own. I love to play with all the kitchen gadgets I can get my hands on when I walk in stores that have kitchenware. I don't buy into a lot of them though as I know that they'd just end up in my drawer after only being used a few times. I'm not a specialist of any type of cuisine......however, those dishes that I do prepare are all time favorites in our home. So..........just call me an Eclectic Cook.


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## cjs (Oct 31, 2006)

"Its just so satisfying to me to take bits and pieces of things and make something so scrumptious. "


That's how I feel also!! BUT, not about baking/pastry!!     

I'm a retired chef who loves to watch pastry chefs, but I've always just abhored baking/pastry work. It always seemed to precise and controled for me. Just let me have those bits and pieces and I'm off and running!!

Great, interesting thread!


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## buckytom (Oct 31, 2006)

i wouldn't consider myself a chef, but i'm more experienced than a dabbler.

advanced dabbler? beginner chef?

i am by no means a baker.


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## XeniA (Oct 31, 2006)

Ch..aker.

Can't decide. Love both.


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## miniman (Oct 31, 2006)

We balance out nicely in our family. My wife and I can both do most things, but I specialise more in cheffie things and she is definitely the baker and can make great jam as well.


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## Alix (Oct 31, 2006)

This is really neat to see all these replies. I'm beginning to think I need to start another poll to see what kind of Chefs we have. Beginner, Advanced, Expert, that sort of thing. 

cjs, your comment really struck my funny bone. I consider myself a baker, but honestly I *never* think of myself as precise. I guess when I was starting out I was, but in the course of time I have become rather whimsical about my baking. I toss things together without measuring all the time. Likely, that is because I have a pretty good "eye" and don't need to be meticulous anymore. 

I am so enjoying reading all these responses and finding out how similar many of us are. Cooking is such a creative process and so satisfying to the soul.


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## ChefJune (Oct 31, 2006)

"Chef" is correctly a term for someone who runs a professional kitchen (or a section thereof) as opposed to a home cook who prefers savory cooking over baking...

I enjoy both savory and sweet cooking, and in fact, started out professionally as a baker, and got more and more into the "top of the stove" kind of cooking...  _BUT_ I try to avoid baking because I know I will eat too may of the resulting products!


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## corazon (Oct 31, 2006)

Baker here.

I'm terrible at making stuff up.  I need the guidelines of a recipe.  I can never go to the store without knowing what to buy.  I can't just buy on a whim and make a fantastic meal.  Ah well.


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## Alix (Oct 31, 2006)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> "Chef" is correctly a term for someone who runs a professional kitchen (or a section thereof) as opposed to a home cook who prefers savory cooking over baking...
> 
> I enjoy both savory and sweet cooking, and in fact, started out professionally as a baker, and got more and more into the "top of the stove" kind of cooking... _BUT_ I try to avoid baking because I know I will eat too may of the resulting products!


 
Dang it June, do I HAVE to be correct?? That is really really hard for me you know!  

LOLing at the last comment. Ken complains about my baking for the same reason!


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## college_cook (Oct 31, 2006)

I have alot of great ideas and inspiration when it comes to baking, but sadly, I'm not very good at it.  It seems like baking is a very precise art a lot of times, and that's just not my style.  I love doing savory dishes as well, and I'm good at that, so it's much more fun and satisfying.  I would really love to learn to bake well though.


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## jennyema (Nov 1, 2006)

There should be a box for "I love to do everything" or "I love a challenge"

I love to do everything and anything and have gotten pretty good at everything but cake baking.

I love a good weekend challenge like making consumme or something complicated or exotic.


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## Shaheen (Nov 1, 2006)

I'm a baker. I love making sweet stuff. My mom keeps telling me I'll be diabetic soon! I would love to try to make more savory stuff but that requires too much ingredient shopping and I just don't have that kind of time right now


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## bethzaring (Nov 1, 2006)

I love to cook and I love to bake, but I consider myself foremost a baker.  My most favorite combination to make is soup and bread.  My baking preferences are not necessarily sweets.  I love to experiment baking breads.  I do excel in cookie baking.  Because I am the only one who eats my sweets, I try to not bake sweets very often. Am really looking forward to VB's pumpkin coffee cake recipe, will bake that around Christmas.

While I admire the qualities of a Chef, I will never fall in that catagory.  I cook grub, really good grub, but grub nonetheless. We raise most of the fruit, vegetables and meat that we eat.  I cook and bake from scratch, with the highest quality ingredients I can get my hands on.  We eat what is in season and encourage others to eat locally produced food.  I love to experiment with cooking. I too read many cookbooks, but do not follow a recipe when cooking, except when dealing with an unfamiliar beast. Like recently, I have been cooking beef parts I have never seen before.  I have a bean soup simmering today and will serve it with some whole wheat bread I made yesterday.  And have a pot roast thawing for a veggie soup for the weekend.  Love to cook AND bake......


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## TATTRAT (Nov 1, 2006)

Having done both at a professional level, I think they both have there possitives and negatives. 

I love the percision of baking and pastries, and the outcome, but sometimes I didn't have the patience.

Cooking is instantly gratifying, and there is alot less guess work. Easier to create things on the fly.

I have respect for all of it.


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## phinz (Nov 1, 2006)

Baker and gadget lover. I'm not that much into savory stuff, but am good at it, generally speaking, when I cross over into the dark side.


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## Corinne (Nov 1, 2006)

OK, I guess I'm not a Chef as I voted in the poll. I'm just a home cook. Altho', since I'm still working at the nursing home & running the kitchen in the evenings, maybe I am a chef. But, is a nursing home kitchen a "professional" kitchen? Who knows & who really cares?

I like to be able to play around. Cooking is very flexible. Baking is more strict - you have to play by the rules to make things turn out right, for the most part.


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## SierraCook (Nov 3, 2006)

I am always baking cakes, cookies, and pies for friends, family, and coworkers.  So, guess I am a baker.  But mainly I just like to prepare food that other people would enjoy.  Another category that I have fun with is dips and appetizers.  When I get invited to a party I always ask if I can bring an appetizer or two.


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## jennH (Nov 4, 2006)

i think im a all-rounder.I try to be flexible in cooking because i want to try different kinds of dishes.


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## texasgirl (Nov 4, 2006)

I love to bake, but, I just love making new things, sweet or not, especially for family get togethers.


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## boufa06 (Nov 6, 2006)

I am a chef, baker, dabbler and part specialist all rolled into one.


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## Gossie (Nov 6, 2006)

Why repeat it, just read GB's reply, that's me to a tee!!! LOL


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