11 Baking Ratios Every Pro Should Memorize

Any novice baker can follow a written recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but only a professional baker instinctively knows about how much flour, sugar, eggs or milk they need for fluffy pancakes, chewy cookies or tender crepes. It’s what separates the pro bakers from the fakers. Understanding the base structures of a few pastries, cakes and the like means you can let your creative juices flow when you want to make a batch of cookies on the fly. You can make variations in flavors and add or substitute ingredients, but each ratio represents the basic components needed to create the most elemental version of that food. Here are the 11 ratios that professional chefs in Food Network Kitchen return to again and again.

Baker Move: Pull your butter and eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours before you're ready to bake. Room-temperature butter is better for creaming, and you'll want the eggs at the same temperature to prevent them from seizing. 

Baker Move: Slowly incorporate the liquid into the dry ingredients while whisking constantly for effortless, lump-free pancake batter.

Baker Move: Avoid cracks in your perfectly piped meringues by keeping your oven door closed while they dry out. Yep, that means no peeking. 

Baker Move: Not many novice bakers will start out making eclairs or cream puffs, but if you are up for the challenge, remember texture is key. Add just enough eggs for the batter to ribbon when pulled up by a spatula.  

Baker Move: Soggy-bottomed pie crusts, be gone! Pros know to par-bake their crusts for fresh fillings. 

Baker Move: The key to a crispy fritter is to never crowd the pan. Drop too many in the frying oil at once and the temperature will plummet, producing a greasy, mushy fritter. 

Baker Move: Using a dough scoop (like a small ice cream scoop) to portion equal-size cookies adds a professional touch to your finished cookie plate.

Baker Move: Once you have that ratio down, remember to strain your cooked custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps.

Baker Move: Pros always scoop flour, sugar or other dry ingredient into a measuring cup, then use the back of a knife or other straight edge to level it off.

Baker Move: Crepe batter needs time to set up, preferably overnight in the fridge.

Baker Move: Baking times and temps can vary based on something as simple as the humidity in the air. Pros test the doneness of muffins, quick breads and cakes by simply inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are ready to cool.