The bakery Gesine Bullock-Prado shows the tips and tricks of each baker

Cooking is a science Follow exactly the recipe, get the well cooked that you are looking for, right? Well, somehow.

Gesine Bullock Pastry Prado, who learned to cook while her sister Sandra Bullock works in Los Angeles, completing guides and practicing her skills every weekend, says there are some telltale signs that someone is a freshman baker. Not knowing how to measure flour properly (read on to see what you are doing is wrong) is a big problem, but the star of Baked in Vermont on Food Network tells people that there are some basic and small ones Sharpen. Investing to take your desserts to the next level.

Get a bank scratch.

Metal blade with plastic handle or wood is the only tool that costs between $ 5 and $ 10. Bullock-Prado emphasizes the needs of every single baker. "It's perfect for cutting things, cutting pasta, splitting parts, and cleaning the work surface," she says. "Bank scratches are also the best icing for cake and a great all-rounder."

In the same vein, the chef is a fan of scrappers plastic bowls for "any piece of dough not waste," she says. "Unless you want to lick the bowl and then lick the bowl."

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Measure your flour.

"Most people do not know how to measure flour properly," says Bullock-Prado. When you dip a measuring cup into the flour sack, you often have to pack the flour and use it too much. Instead, "espolvorelo gently into the cup, even hold the cup, not hit the cup, do nothing, then look carefully," he says. Each cup should have 120 grams, so Bullock-Prado recommends buying a kitchen scale to make sure it's in the right place.

Refrigerate your cookie dough

Bullock-Prado stresses the importance of storing the dough in the refrigerator before baking cookies, and in their sandwiches recipe oatmeal and raisins, allow "develop flavor and texture," she says. "Once you do that, they are perfectly soft and slightly crispy at the edges."

The secret to glazing a cake is the heat.

By smoothing the frosting on the sides of a cake layered with a bank scraper, there are two things to keep in mind: should be clean and warm. Even the smallest crumb on the kitchen tool can indicate lines in the glaze, says Bullock-Prado, so do not forget to keep clean all the time. More importantly, the pastry chef recommends heating the scraper. The heat melts the enamel easily and gives it a smooth finish. She uses a kitchen lantern, but do not worry if you do not have one. "You can pass it under boiling water, dry it and peel it," she says.

Cooked in Vermont will premiere on Saturday, May 5 at 10:30 pm ET / PT on the Food Network.

With Poulos

Oatmeal and grape sandwiches ice cream from Gesine Bullock-Prado

1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of sea salt and more to water
1 tablespoon of yeast
½ c. ground cinnamon
¼ c. baking powder
¾ cup (1 ½ bar) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup full of light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 big eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups of plain old oatmeal
1 cup raisins
Your favorite ice cream

1. Sift together flour, 1 teaspoon sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sodium bicarbonate in a bowl. Put aside.

2. Using a stand mixer with defibrillation electrode attachment, butter and cream of the two sugars at medium speed, until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beat well after each addition. Beat with vanilla.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until everything is together. Add the oatmeal and beat at low speed for about 5 seconds. Add the raisins. Cover the dough for at least 30 minutes and allow to cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 °. Take 22 tablespoons (about 3 tablespoons) and put doughs 3 inches apart in two bowls lined with parchment paper. Lightly flatten the dough with the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle with sea salt.

5. Bake until the edges are golden, 14 to 15 minutes, cooking the baking sheets halfway through. Transfer the cookies to a grid to allow them to cool completely.

6. Sandwich 1 scoop of ice cream between the flat sides of 2 biscuits; Repeat with the remaining cookies. Wrap in a plastic wrap and freeze until the ice cream is firm, about 30 minutes.
Power: 11 sandwiches
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Food Hack: Be creative! Bullock Prado suggests rolling up the edges of the sandwich into small chips of candy, pieces of candy, toasted minced coconut or chopped nuts.

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