About Suzannah's Kitchen
What is Suzannah's Kitchen?
Suzannahs.Kitchen is an eCommerce website with recipes for lots of scrumptious desserts. The blog features ideas as well as tips and techniques, largely from the French school of baking and patisserie. A large online shop has everything you need for baking, kitchen, organization, and entertaining.
About Suzannah
I've loved cooking, but especially baking, since I was a little girl. Making a cake from a box lacked interest. What was in the box? Surely I could put together those ingredients just as well myself- and surely I could!
I enjoy the art and science of baking. The challenge of getting the measures and temperatures just right. The pleasure of folding by hand and feeling the ethereal lightness and coherency of the batter. Being able to feel when a batter is mixed enough, but not too much. To feel when it has enough air in it and not too much.
I bake French macarons, madeleines, mousses, and many delicate treats that are so wonderful because of the nuances involved in the techniques.
Cooking is in the Hand
I have tried and done most everything by hand. Some things I love to do by hand because you can feel and you have finer control by hand. My mother-in-law was a great cook and baker and she always said, "Cooking is in the hand!"
Basic Tools
There are essential tools for working "by hand". You still need bowls, mats, spatulas, whisks, pans, and such. Good knives are essential. There is nothing a food processor can do that I can't do by hand just as well and just as fast.
Equipment & Gadgets
Quality appliances and hand-held gadgets can make an onerous task a joy! That is why I bring to you the wonderful things I use working in the kitchen to make the process easier.
Some of the kitchen tools I swear by. Some have so many uses, like those silicone baking mats! I use them for more than baking. I use them all the time!
Recipe Conundrums
It is common for bakers to find that recipes rarely work out the way they are supposed to, even when you follow the recipes strictly. That is why I like to share what I have learned through the years. You'll learn things that recipes may not tell you- after all, a recipe is not a course in baking. With the information I give you, you will be able to produce recipes with so much more success!
Recipes
I'll share some of my favorite recipes with you. I learn from the best. I read and test bake recipes from all over. I work with them, make changes, fix things that don't work, until I finally have a recipe that I love and can reproduce with consistency.
I also try to make my recipes very clear and easy to follow. Procedure writing is a learned skill. Years as a technical writer and a teacher have taught me to hone this skill. I hope it helps you.
Preparation-Planning
An efficient procedure that makes work easier, smoother, faster, and outcomes better is a hallmark of a professional, no matter what you are doing. I guide you through organization, setting up your environment, planning, and getting it done in the best way possible.
Organization
I'm also a nut for organization. I'm a certified organizer, and I love organizing. A well-organized kitchen that is functional and efficient is so important. A well-organized kitchen (and home) is efficient and easy to maintain and keep clean. If you have trouble cleaning or maintaining the order of anything, organization is at fault.
Aesthetics
Function and form go hand in hand. They are both important. Things can be functional and attractive at the same time. I love finding useful things I need that are attractive. I love to choose decor that is useful. It's a win-win. There is no need to settle. Beautiful surroundings, pleasing aromas and tastes are part of the joy of living.
Let's Have Some Fun!
This blog is for people who enjoy baking, cooking, organizing, and caring for their kitchens and homes.
Yes, I really do have a fireplace in my kitchen - finally - I've always wanted that. I love a cozy house with the aroma of freshly baked breads and cakes. Don't you? We'll get along great!
Suzannah