Ah, the Dutch...my latest adventure:Baking!!!

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KathiM
KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am attempting to bake bananna bread here in The Netherlands...now, the first hurdle was to find measuring spoons I could understand...Theelepel and Eetlepel just don't cut it, and most recipes here measure spices and leavening stuff (baking powder, etc) by weight in grams. But, each spice can weight different amounts, so it's not a straight conversion. And I was using a recipe from The Food Network, so, it was in teaspoons and tablespoons. I finally found some 'normal' measuring spoons in a specialty store...lol...

Next hurdle....NO such thing as baking soda. Baking powder, yes...but no soda...people just stared when I asked...more than likely thought 'silly American!'...BUT....after research on the Web...Baking Soda is a different name here..and VERY common for use for tummy upsets...just like in the States..., but not used in cooking. I bought some, for triple the price I'm used to...you know, the stuff in the orange box, put in your fridge, etc...99cent only store sells it...

Next hurdle...the oven. Now, Farenheit is the American standard, but in the rest of the world...well, it's celsius....that was relatively easy...I already have, as an internet favorite, a converter. This was from all the times I get asked 'now, how warm is the weather in America?' And when I respond 'Oh, about 100 degrees', I was met with shocked faces...celcius is 0 at freezing, where Farenheit is 32...and it's not a straight convert...lol...100 degrees is about (wait while I check) 38 celsius. Again, these people were thinking 'silly American', I am fairly certain...but not in a bad way...just like you would to a cat who tears up your couch...ROFL!

The final hurdle was an international one. I am used to baking in a gas oven....most houses here (including this one) have electric. Patience is the key word...lol...it can take longer for things to brown...but you must watch, otherwise it blackens before you know it, and it's food for the birds...too burnt, and the birds write a Letter of Complaint to the Dutch green agency, and you are SUNK!

Now, I'm ready to enjoy my bananna bread with my dutch friends. The trouble is that they were expecting REAL bread...this is cake to them. So, I just shake my head and think 'Ah, the Dutch'....lol!

BIG hugs! Kathi

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  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #2
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    Kathi, I so enjoy your
    Kathi, I so enjoy your writtings, You are always a pick me up. Even when your the one that needs to be picked up off the ground. Stay Happy, and safe. Hugs
    Kathy
  • teresa41
    teresa41 Member Posts: 471
    #3
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    Kat11 said:

    Kathi, I so enjoy your
    Kathi, I so enjoy your writtings, You are always a pick me up. Even when your the one that needs to be picked up off the ground. Stay Happy, and safe. Hugs
    Kathy

    i love bannana bread
    i love bannana bread enjoy!



    teresa
  • mariam_11_09
    mariam_11_09 Member Posts: 691
    #4
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    Thanks for sharing this. I

    Thanks for sharing this. I had a similar experience when I came to the US just in reverse, from celsuis to Farenheit, grams to ounces, kilos to pounds and kilometers to miles and so on. Now I have been here so long I have forgotten about metric and think I would have the same experiecne as you if I went back.

    And, we in other parts of the world thought banana bread taste like cake not bread and coffee cake was meant to taste like coffee but didn't.
  • MyTurnNow
    MyTurnNow Member Posts: 2,686 Member
    #5
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    Great story, Kathi!! Enjoy
    Great story, Kathi!! Enjoy your bread...or cake.....or whatever you call it!! LOL
  • GreeneyedGirl
    GreeneyedGirl Member Posts: 1,077
    #6
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    mariam_11_09 said:

    Thanks for sharing this. I

    Thanks for sharing this. I had a similar experience when I came to the US just in reverse, from celsuis to Farenheit, grams to ounces, kilos to pounds and kilometers to miles and so on. Now I have been here so long I have forgotten about metric and think I would have the same experiecne as you if I went back.

    And, we in other parts of the world thought banana bread taste like cake not bread and coffee cake was meant to taste like coffee but didn't.

    Let them eat cake!!
    And you are such a brave woman to attempt the challenge of weights and measures ala' european baking practices!
    I love how you just jump in with both feet~ and don't give in! True Survivor characteristics my friend!! As marie antoinette said "Let them eat cake".
    M
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #7
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    Ah...I remember it well! I
    Ah...I remember it well! I dont know why we don't use the metric system here in the US like the rest of the civilised universe! LOL

    Just like the "Royal Burgers" at McDonald's in many European countries...why? Because there can't be a "quarter pounders" using the metric system! :-)

    It's always something, isn' it???

    I know your Bananan Kaffee Kuchen was delicious!

    Hugs,
    Chen♥

    PS as a kid, my dad would shock our German neighbors when he would invite them over for dinner and serve all-American corn on the cob. Corn was only pig-fodder to the Germans; not something ever grown for human consumption! They never knew what to do with it, and it was a blast teaching them how to eat it!

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