Cooking vs. baking

Question

How would I adequately differentiate between cooking and baking? In baking, the closer you follow the recipe and the more exact measurements you have, the better it turns out. In cooking savory items, however, you have more creative license. You can add more pepper, less salt, take out mushrooms you don’t like... Oh wait, that’s just me. But you get the idea. Which of these makes the most sense/the best contrast? And feel free to make your own/ rearrange because I'm a bit lost.

Cocinar comidas saladas vs. cocinar pasteles

Cocinar vs. cocinar en el horno

Cocinar vs. hacer pasteles

El cocimiento de comida vs. pasteles

Answer 1

The verb "to cook" uses the Spanish infinitive "cocinar".

The verb "to bake" uses the Spanish infinitive "hornear".

From our SD dictionary - hornear
to do the baking -> cocer el pan; (bread)
baking sheet or tray -> placa (f) or bandeja (f) de hornear
baking tin -> molde (m) para hornear

I hope this helps you to begin to to understand the difference between "cocinar" and "hornear".

Answer 2

Cooking.

Cooking is the process of preparing food, often with the use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training. Cooking can also occur through chemical reactions without the presence of heat, most notably as in Ceviche, a traditional South American dish where fish is cooked with the acids in lemon or lime juice. Sushi also utilizes a similar chemical reaction between fish and the acidic content of rice glazed with vinegar.

- A good cook can be more than capable of preparing food using all the methods that are available, but it is more usual for someone who is extremely proficient in "Baking bread" to be referred to as a "Baker " and not necessarily as a "cook or chef". The baking of Breads is a specific art .

Answer 3

Hornear y cocinar are two very different verbs in Spanish. Hornear means to bake and cocinar can mean to bake, cook on the stove, boil, etc. I hope this helps!

Answer 4

To understand the difference of the two words it may be beneficial to understand what baking is , or does.

- Baking.

baking is a food cooking method using prolonged dry heat acting by convection, and not by thermal radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones.[1] When the desired temperature is reached within the heating instrument, the food is placed inside and baked for a certain amount of time. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, cookies and crackers. Such items are sometimes referred to as "baked goods," and are sold at a bakery. A person who prepares baked goods as a profession is called a baker. It is also used for the preparation of baked potatoes, baked apples, baked beans, some casseroles and pasta dishes such as lasagna, and various other foods, such as the pretzel. Unlike other cooking methods, baking does not alter the nutritional information of the food item. Frying, sauteeing, grilling, etc. all change the fat and calorie content of the food.

Many commercial ovens are provided with two heating elements: one for baking, using convection and conduction to heat the food, and one for broiling or grilling, heating mainly by radiation. Meat may also be baked, but this is usually reserved for meatloaf, smaller cuts of whole meats, and whole meats that contain stuffing or coating such as breadcrumbs or buttermilk batter; larger cuts prepared without stuffing or coating are more often roasted, a similar process, using higher temperatures and shorter cooking times. Baking can sometimes be combined with grilling to produce a hybrid barbecue variant, by using both methods simultaneously or one before the other, cooking twice. Baking is connected to barbecuing because the concept of the masonry oven is similar to that of a smoke pit.

Answer 5

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. I looked up "baking" and didn't see anything but forgot to try "to bake."

Francobollo, you said cocinar can also mean to bake. Do you think the contrast will still be clear?

Thanks!

Well, baking is a form of cooking. But it's normally done using an oven. You can say: "Cociné la carne en el horno" I cooked the meat in the oven. You don't have to say to baked it. - francobollo, Sep 5, 2012