Lorraine Pascale's Expert Tips for Better Baking

"Use a good recipe. Start off with a simple recipe if you are not a baker yet, and then work your way up from there," she advises. "Practice, practice, practice!" 

"Check dates on things like yeast, baking powder, baking soda," says Lorraine. 

"Ovens vary a lot," Lorraine points out. "It is good to test your oven and see where the hot spots are in it." Here's her way to do just that: "Put four pieces of bread on a baking sheet and pop [them] in the oven at 400 degrees F. Pull it out after seven or so minutes and you can see if your oven bakes evenly or not, as some pieces of toast will be more cooked than others."

"Improvised baking rarely works," says Lorraine. "Baking is a science and should be treated as such," she adds. 

"To prevent your cake from falling, just don't open the oven during the first three-quarters of the cooking time," she says. 

"Weigh the ingredients exactly," she says "This is really important in baking."

"Have fun! Baking should be a relaxing process," she notes.