As one of the girliest things imaginable, it makes sense that so many women around the world are avid bakers. Many women even make a living off of baked goods, more so than men. Baking is rewarding, relatively-easy to do and most importantly fun. Here are my thoughts on baking.
The best thing about baking is how simple it is compared to what we’ll call “cooking”. While cooking typically involves making a real meal that involves meats, vegetables, starches and everything in between, baking is more about just making baked goods – things like cookies, cakes and various types of desserts. The concept of baking resolves just around the oven and typically nothing more. No boiling water or making things on the stove or anything like that, as is the case with cooking. Recipes are just about as simple as you can get when it comes to baking. Typically you simply have to mix ingredients in bowl and put them on a baking sheet or similar and let the oven do all of the magic for you.
This simplicity is exactly why they are the perfect activity for young women to engage in. Rather than jump right in to full-on cooking, baking is a nice way to ease girls into the kitchen. They can quickly and easily familiarize themselves with where a lot of the baking ingredients are, along with the many of the baking utensils, and use that as a stepping stone to eventually cooking more complex foods in the future. There’s a reason that so many guys struggle with cooking anything in their later years, and that is in part because they’ve never actively baked beforehand, making the jump to full-blown cooking that much harder for them.
Another often overlooked concept is the fact that girls love to bake at an early age in part because they are kids at heart. What I mean by this is simply that kids are often fixated on sweets, and so baking gives them an opportunity to make such treats for themselves. Yes, sugar is not the healthiest, but when kids are going to eat cookies and cake anyway, it is much more beneficial to have them bake it themselves. It teaches young girls the value of hard work and being self-sufficient. Plus it gives them an avenue to create social connections, whether it be with their friends in high school currently, or with coworkers or other acquaintances in the future. I mean, who doesn’t love freshly made baked goods? I actually have a coworker who makes fresh baked cookies for us every single Monday, and even though he is actually a guy, the concept still holds true – baking is a way to make positive connections with people.
Baking is also a great way to let young girls bond with their mothers, older sisters (or even father figures on occasion). Because baking does require some instruction who knows how it’s done, girls typically end up learning from someone in their family who already knows how to bake and who is willing and able to teach them. This is a great bonding experience, and one that is very lighthearted in nature. And even after girls have been taught everything they need to know to bake on their own, often times they still enjoy baking with their mothers or whoever the case may be. In this case, baking truly becomes a bonding experience that lasts well after there is even any need to have supervision, and I think that is so cute when that happens. I used to bake with my mother every Sunday until she passed away, and I will always cherish those moments with her.
Although I’ve already touched upon the fact that baking is delicious, there is also an emotional component that comes with baking. When you are baking something, you are literally creating something of value to the world, and not just for yourself but for others to enjoy as well. It truly is a rewarding feeling to bake something delicious and to be able to share your creation with others. And it’s not about recognition either – it’s about giving something of value that others will enjoy just as much as you do, if not more. And seeing the look on their face when they bite into your one-of-a-kind cookie or cake and seeing their eyes light up in delight. Seeing their reaction and the joy in them simply makes me feel good inside. And that’s a big reason why I still bake to this day.
In conclusion, baking is something that I definitely feel should be a part of every girl’s childhood. They teach girls about various life values, give them a bonding opportunity with their loved ones and create social connections that make the activity rewarding on a deeper level than most people realize. If you don’t know how to bake yet, then I highly recommend you go ahead and try it out as soon as possible – even if you aren’t totally in love with baking like I am, trying it out at least once will be something that you won’t regret!