Baking soda vs baking powder is one of the most common baking questions. Both make cakes, cookies and pancakes rise. However, they work in different ways, and using the wrong…
Good baklava storage keeps the layers crisp and the syrup sweet for days. Because baklava is full of sugar syrup and butter, it keeps well at room temperature. However, the…
Flat choux pastry is one of the most common baking problems. Instead of rising into tall, hollow puffs, the dough spreads in the oven or collapses as soon as it…
A good no-bake cheesecake should be creamy, rich and firm enough to slice cleanly, all without turning on the oven. You do not need gelatin for that. Instead, the secret…
Fried qatayef should be crisp and golden outside, with a warm walnut filling that stays sealed inside. However, the most common qatayef frying problems are pancakes that open in the…
Crackly top brownies have a thin, shiny crust that shatters when you cut them, over a dense and fudgy center. That glossy top is not luck. In fact, it comes…
Rubbery knafeh cheese is a common disappointment: instead of soft, stretchy strings, the filling turns firm, squeaky or chewy as soon as the knafeh cools. Usually, the cause is the…
Most sponge cake mistakes happen in just a few moments: when you whip the eggs, when you fold in the flour, and when you open the oven. Because a sponge…
Sugar syrup crystallization turns smooth, clear attar into a cloudy, grainy syrup with hard sugar crystals at the bottom of the jar. It happens to many home cooks; however, it…
Dry basbousa feels sandy and crumbly instead of soft and syrupy. Usually, the cause is too much semolina, too little fat, overbaking or the wrong amount of syrup. Fortunately, each…