Baking Radio: Chef Gail Sokol's Baking Podcast

In part 6, the last of her cookie series, and the last show of season one, Chef Gail shares all of her best cookie making secrets to ensure that your cookies come out just the way you like them. From preparing your pans properly, to using the correct mixing tools, you can’t help but elevate your cookie baking game.            

In part 3 of her series Chef Gail discusses the molded cookie and the bar cookie. These next two types of cookies are really hands-on, as the dough is rolled and shaped. These are great cookies to make with the kids as well or find your inner child. A Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, and a nutty Almond Biscotti recipe are given.

In part 2 of her series Chef Gail delves head on into the cookie jar further exploring the first two types of cookies, the drop cookie and the refrigerator cookie! Cookies also follow one of three mixing methods. The mixing methods for cookies are not always clear cut as they are for cakes. Two fabulous cookie recipes are shared.

We all love cookies! There are millions of recipes for cookies of all types. There are so many varieties of cookies, so how do you get a handle on which is which? Cookies are categorized based on how they are placed onto a sheet pan. Chef Gail explores each of the eight categories in detail, giving away her favorite recipes throughout the series.

We all love baked goods, and when they are homemade they are that much more special. Homemade implies that someone cared enough to make them for us. There are times when we may wish to lighten up our homemade baked goods. Learn how to substitute key ingredients with healthier options to create a baked good that is just as delicious as the original.    

Mangos are one of the most flavorful and colorful tropical fruits you can find. Learn about the mangos’ origin and its’ healthy nutritional profile. Chef Gail will teach you how to choose the best mango for your needs, and how to cut it up safely. She shares a wonderful, fruity dessert using the mango.

So many people love brownies. Discover that Chef Gail is a diehard brownie lover as well, and always on the look-out for the perfect brownie recipe. She will give you one of her favorite fudge brownie recipes, and then give you four incredible variations. Learn how to change flavors and dress up the simple little brownie.  

After plating and decorating your beautiful dessert with sauces and/or powdered sugar, learn how to elevate your creation to a multi-dimensional experience using the thinnest of cookies known as wafer cookies or tuiles. Tuile is the French word for “roof tile”. Add texture and crunch to the plate by learning how to make a simple wafer cookie that is most versatile in how it can be shaped, and then placed on top of your dessert.

A slice of chocolate cake or a fruit tart on a plate looks nice, not very exciting, but nice. Learn some easy ways to elevate your desserts to a new level using powdered sugar, cocoa powder, dessert sauces and toothpicks. Picture the dessert plate as your canvas and you are the artist. Listen to Chef Gail’s tips on how to create gorgeous plates on which to place your beautiful desserts.  

The series continues with a discussion on steps four through nine of yeast dough production. Learn what de-gassing or punching refer to, and other relevant terms such as, scaling, rounding , resting, and panning. Chef Gail shares her tips and anecdotes on how to create high quality yeast breads.

Baking with kids can certainly be a challenge, but it can, also, be very rewarding and create some wonderful memories between you and your child. Chef Gail has been teaching children to bake for over 18 years. She shares her knowledge and tips on how to know when your child is ready to create some wonderful foods with you in the kitchen.

Desserts containing fruits is a big subject. Chef Gail defines seven basic fruit desserts, beginning with a Crisp and ending with a Slump. Learn the origins of some of the unusual names of these easy and beloved fruit desserts.

The Chiffon cake as a special type of separated egg foam cake is discussed in detail. This type of cake contains two ingredients that no other sponge cake has- baking powder and oil. Chef Sokol explains what each of these ingredients does for the texture of this specialty sponge cake. A favorite recipe for a Citrus Chiffon cake is given.

Cakes that use the Sponge method are explored in detail. Sponge cakes are leavened with air, and have less fat than other types of cakes. They are made from egg foams or meringues. The two basic categories of sponge cakes are discussed in detail- Whole Egg Foams and Separated Egg Foams. Chef Sokol breaks down the different types of each category of sponge cakes and reviews each type.