- Use a good, name brand flour & sugar - I prefer Domino's in the yellow plastic container and either Pillsbury, Gold Medal or White Lily all purpose flour . Does it cost more? Not enough to notice in your overall food bill, and if you are spending your time over the stove, you might as well cook with the best.
- Throw away those old spices! All of my spices are current, and I usually order from Penzeys; they are small containers so I know they are just a few months old. I grate whole nutmeg because I like the good clean taste.
- Good pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract are a must; I use both in my grandmother's pound cake recipe and I wouldn't risk my ingredients like eggs, sugar and flour to be enhanced with an imitation extract.
- My cookware is heavy quality; some are Club, belonging to my mother from back in the day; some are pieces I've saved for and bought individually. My cookie sheets are either food service baking sheets or the air-bake cookie sheets, but I line all of my cookie sheets with parchment paper - it makes a big difference if the bottom of the cookies are as pretty as the top. You'll notice a better texture all around.
- Wooden spoons keep my cookware from being scratched; I was lucky enough to find a bundle of Amish-made wooden spoons.
- Clean fresh eggs - they are just a must. And for cookies, I let the eggs come to room temperature.
- Butter, margarine or shortening; I like unsalted butter, a good margarine that's 80% vegetable oil (Kroger has a good brand - it says "Better for Baking" on the package.) And Crisco shortening is the only thing I buy. You can't beat it.
With the economy being what it is today, many people are going to make homemade gifts - I've been using the tips above for years, and I have people who ask to be on my gift list. And believe me, if I can do it, anyone can do it!
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