The Perils (and effects) of baking

By Chef Ed Dychauco

Thursday, June 2, 2011

LAST week was all about the joys and the pains of baking.

Baking, when made from the heart, full of love and passion, makes one totally ecstatic especially when one gets to hear positive comments like: "this is so good!" "This really tastes great!" But it is much more gratifying when one gets to hear..."Can I order?" or "Can you make one for me?"

I always hear people say "I will bake it for my family." That is very typical for an upcoming baker who attends culinary demonstrations, culinary schools or classes. I have met and seen many who eventually went into business since it all started as a hobby anyway. And with the cash coming in, they start to accept orders. Well, there will always be room for more bakers I always tell my students. Besides, if there is truly that "passion," then they are guaranteed a 100 percent mark to succeed!

Learning new skills, new methods, new recipes and upgrading them as we go along is such a time consuming process but it is worth all the time and effort once we succeed. It is worth all the blood, sweat and tears once we get "paid" and of course, the accolades from our family, friends and customers.

Doing these things by oneself is really impossible because of the complexities of baking. Well, I am talking about accepting many orders and doing all of these alone. Alone, meaning no assistant, no help. But if we are talking about a layer or just a few cupcakes or bars, then by all means, anyone can do it in no time!

So, what happens after years and years of doing the same thing over and over again? For one, one get burned out. Of course, we need some variety, don't we? Or maybe, it doesn't pose a challenge anymore to the same everyday life. It gets boring, well unless one is kind of schizophrenic who doesn't want changes in their lives! Ouch!

What about getting physically "burned", from time to time, because of being reckless or something. Oven is hot and it hurts. Not just your hands or skin, but also your face and the whole body! I remember some horror stories about bakers getting burned and losing their hairs, eyebrows, and of course, 1st and 2nd degree burns. All because of a malfunctioning oven. Or just being plain irresponsible or thoughtless about the dangers in using and operating an oven.

Carelessness plays a major part in burning accidents in bakers. One word of advice: if the fire or the flame of the oven seemed to be off, but with the knob still "on," let the oven "breath" for a few seconds or minutes before turning it on again. This is because of the accumulated "gas" inside the oven that can burst into flame when lighted.

What about pains in the hands, fingers, wrists, arms, back, neck, legs and feet? Due to over use? Arthritis perhaps? Or what we would normally call "panuhot," "pasma" or "pasmado? Whatever it is, it shows and we feel and experience it once we age. One thing is for sure, we normally don't have hot and cold running water in our kitchen so the tendency for us is to wash our hands at any point during the baking process unmindful of the long lasting effect in the years to come. Well, I still listen to the elderly once it comes to this prevention. As they say, prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

I have seen and talk to countless friends in the baking industry complaining about all this pains and aches. And some of them have some stopped or have at least minimized doing these things because of it. Lucky for them, because they have many, many assistants to do things for them! What about the "home bakers" who is making a living out of this? Would this be worth all the medications and treatments one would be spending on when they grow old?

I have some people complaining of wrists joint pains. Some have been taking medications, while those who can afford have some kind of "steroids" injected on the area to relieve the pain. But for how long? Maybe we should have our hands "insured"? Just a thought though.

Leg pains. Oh! That happens a lot because of the long hours of standing and walking around. Believe me, after years of doing these things, many people can't stand too long because it really hurts, even if one is on comfortable shoes or slippers.

Assistants that "moonlights" It happened to me. And it sure would and have happened to all of us. Employees would make some alibis to be absent on a particular day, especially when they know you are not busy that day. And where do they go? They go to your "competitors," of course where they get paid more for that day. Maybe not to all, or all the time. But they do. Believe me. That is why, I have well-trained employees all over the city. I wonder if the word "delicadeza" is still alive! Sometimes, little knowledge is also dangerous, if you know what I mean! But no regrets on my part, whatsoever. At least, I was able to share my knowledge to them.

"Give them fish and they eat for a day, but teach them how to fish and they eat for a lifetime!" God is good. "When He closes the door, somehow he opens another door." But I like it this way better. "When He closes a door, somehow, He opens a BIGGER door!" Cool, isn't it?

And many bakers (and of course, cooks or chefs as you might want to call them), get to grow a lot. Sideways, that is. And what comes with that? High blood pressure? Increase in cholesterol levels? Diabetes? Fatty liver? Heart diseases? Musculoskeletal problems? Renal problems and so on and so forth. Whew! Quite a lot, huh? We didn't even get to talk about physical, mental & physiological exhaustion yet! Lack of rest and sleep, perhaps? Especially on peak seasons!

Let's just say, one is lucky if they have all these people working for them. So, technically there is less manual labor to the "baker/owner", right? But what about the purchasing, ordering, delivery, payables, stock inventories, product returns and B.O's, to mention a few? One should also consider "pilferages", wasting of ingredients (that should also include electricity and water), "inside jobs", and many more.

And I am not even done yet. So, let's say everything is going smoothly as planned. Everything is under control and everything is done as it should be. And when some awful things happen, the owner is always the last to know. And what would you do? Would you be able to have those "items" or "money" lost returned to you? How? Would that make you feel better or bitter? Think about it!

Again, don't get me wrong. I still and will continue to love baking where ever I am. That is exactly why I choose to do business in a smaller scale now. Been there, done that. And I am not getting any younger. I want to live. I want to enjoy life. I want to be free. I want to do things, my way, on my own terms. Not anybody's. Now, I also get to go out with my family and friends more. No more pressures or stress. No, I guess I should say there is less pressure and less stress. I also get spread my wings, to travel more and teach others the art of baking. At my very own pace. How can you beat that?

I will be conducting two back-to-back culinary demonstrations next week (June 8th) starting at 10:00am during the World Food Exposition (WOFEX) Mindanao at the Atrium of the Limketkai Mall. Entrance is free and I am inviting all culinary enthusiasts to come and join us! See you there!

(Email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com; website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on June 02, 2011.