By AC Hall

My favorite store-bought baking mixes. Photo credit: AC Hall.

Overall, I consider myself a well-versed baker. However, my method of baking primarily consists of only cakes, cookies, and brownie mixes. Because of this, I can confidently say that over the years, I have mastered the baking processes of Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, and Pillsbury. 

I find comfort in only having to mix the pre-measured dry ingredients with eggs, oil, or water. The mess from the process is limited, and the preparation only takes a few minutes. The recipes have also been perfected, so the cooking time is typically on point, resulting in a golden brown, perfectly-baked treat.

The chocolate chips I used: NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. Photo credit: Toll House (verybestbaking.com).

Being aware of my limited baking experience, I recently decided to challenge myself and bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch by following the Nestlé Toll House recipe. When baking the cookies, I cut the recipe in half, as I did not need five dozen cookies just for my parents and me. I paid attention to the preparation and cooking time when following the recipe. Nestlé suggested that the recipe would take 15 minutes; however, it took me around 30 minutes. If you pre-measure your ingredients and time the process after this point, it may take 15 minutes. But if you are following the recipe meticulously and precisely measuring all of your ingredients, it seems to take longer than the suggested time.

You have very few dishes to clean when baking cookies with a store-bought mix. You do not need measuring spoons or cups; you only use one bowl and only need one baking sheet. However, when baking the Toll House cookies from scratch, I needed two bowls, multiple measuring cups and spoons, as well as a baking sheet. I found baking the chocolate chip cookies from scratch very enjoyable in the moment. However, cleaning everything after the fact was tedious. 

In general, I prefer the taste of homemade chocolate chip cookies, as they are saltier than the ones produced from a store-bought mix. Could you solve the problem by adding extra salt to the premade cookie mix? Yes. This is a possible solution that would create less mess, time, clean up, and an overall better cookie. In the future, I hope to figure this out; however, it may take many trials to perfect the mix.

Front and back of French’s Crispy Fried Onions container. Photo credit: AC Hall.

Like my baking skills, my cooking skills are fairly limited. I am a very picky eater, so I steer towards basic children’s foods, such as mac and cheese, grilled cheese, quesadillas, and chicken nuggets. These meals have very few ingredients, can be bought pre-cooked, and only require microwaving or toasting. So, I once again decided to challenge myself and find a dish that was more adventurous, yet in the range of my comfort zone. My mom suggested I try cooking an “onion chicken” recipe she saw on Facebook. A simple recipe for a crunchy onion chicken is on the back of the French’s fried onions container.

The French’s crunchy onion chicken recipe requires four simple ingredients: French’s fried onions, all-purpose flour, one egg, and boneless chicken breasts. The process was fairly simple. First, I had to beat one egg and dip the chicken breasts in the egg. Next, I mixed my flour and fried onions in a gallon-sized bag. I then placed my chicken in the bag and shook it up. Finally, I removed the chicken from the bag and ensured they were evenly covered in the onions.

I then placed the chicken into a pyrex dish and baked them for 20 minutes at 350°F. The safe cooking temperature for chicken is 165°F, and a good meat thermometer is always a valuable kitchen tool. When cooking chicken, it is essential to make sure that the chicken is cooked; raw meat can carry bacteria, which can lead to food poisoning.

Overall, the preparation and cooking were straightforward. However, I was nervous to try the chicken, even after I paired the chicken with green beans and fresh fruit. I made plates for my parents and myself, and then it was time to try it.

To my pleasant surprise, the chicken was delicious. After biting into the chicken, my dad, Sam Hall, said, “Wow, are you sure you made this?” We were all so surprised that a recipe that was so easy to make and had very few ingredients could taste this delectable. It was like a chicken tender, but instead of it being fried, the chicken was baked and coated in onions. My mom, Lower School teacher Katherine Hall, was pleased with my cooking and said, “You need to cook for us more often.”

From this experience, I learned that I can make a healthy meal at home that fits my pallet and is reasonably priced. This meal was much healthier than the chicken tenders I would have ordered at a restaurant. For anyone learning to cook or bake at home, I suggest you have fun with it and try recipes you would not order at a restaurant, because you may surprise yourself with what you make.

Featured image credit: Neslté Toll House.