Baking Ingredients: When To Splurge And When To Save

Anne DEL SOCORRO via Getty Images For chocolate chip cookies, you can skimp on the quality of the butter, not the chocolate. If you watch enough fancy baking shows for long enough, you’re sure to eventually be exposed to “the talk.” That’s when the pastry chef of the moment pulls out the Tahitian vanilla beans, To’ak Ecuadorian chocolate or Plugra European butter and explains why having the highest-quality ingredients makes a big difference in your baking. “When I’m making chocolate desserts, I prioritize using high-quality cocoa powder and chocolate, but then I’ll use standard all-purpose flour, butter, eggs and milk for the rest of the recipe,” she said. “When I’m making something in which vanilla needs to shine, I’ll invest in vanilla beans for their rich aroma, but then I may economize on other ingredients.” Penny Stankiewicz, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus, added this thought: “My rule of thumb is, if an ingredient is a key player, a dominant ingredient, or when there are only a few ingredients in the recipe, the quality matters so much more.” Making a case for the cheap stuff. “At a kids’ party, they may go very crazy for anything, despite its quality,” said Michael Zebrowski, associate professor at The Culinary Institute of America and author of “The Pastry Chef’s Little Black Book.” “Always know who you’re baking for, and buy accordingly.” Kwee agreed: “Lots of people recognize Valrhona and Callebaut as top-tier baking chocolates, and I do love baking with them, but for a cheaper alternative, I also love Ghirardelli bittersweet 60% cacao baking chips and even Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips.