What’s Your Baking Personality?

Cornell University researchers studied nearly 800 family cooks and determined five distinct types of cooking personalities, types which supposedly influence the types of dishes that you make and what your “food biases” are. The study was done mostly to show that what we think we’re eating – healthy, tasty home-cooked meals – isn’t necessarily what we’re putting on the table because homemade doesn’t necessarily mean health food (although it certainly can). The quiz is fun to take, if nothing revolutionary, but I did notice that they really seemed to overlook baking – even though there are distinct types of bakers out there, as well! I tweaked the quiz a little bit. Take it and post your “baking personality” in the comments!

1) When I bake, I typically:

a) Opt for one of a handful of very familiar recipes that I make all the time.
b) Pick a recipe and follow it step-by-step.
c) Tweak the ingredients of a recipe to cut down on fat or sugar.
d) Go all out and create impressive, professional-looking delicacies.
e) Rarely use recipes as written and like to experiment with ingredients and flavors.

2) Some of my favorite ingredients are:

a) Chocolate, butter and vanilla.
b) Flour, eggs and sugar.
c) Applesauce and brown sugar.
d) Scratch puff pastry and browned butter.
e) Herbs and edible flowers.

3) In my free time I like to:

a) Visit with friends and family with baked goods in tow.
b) Organize the house and clean the kitchen.
c) Exercise or take a fitness class to burn off those extra cookies.
d) Read cookbooks or take cooking classes.
e) Watch cooking shows and read food blogs to stay ahead of the food trends.

4) My favorite things to bake are:

a) Classics, like chocolate chip cookies and brownies.
b) Cakes, because there is a lot of variety in the flavors, but the technique is always similar.
c) Recipes that include whole grains, or cut down on the added fat.
d) Breads, where I can try to achieve the perfect crumb.
e) Ethnic sweets and desserts from other countries.

5) Other people describe me as:

a) Really friendly.
b) Diligent and methodical.
c) Health conscious.
d) Intense and passionate.
e) Curious or innovative.

Which letter did you choose most often? Don’t worry about overlap – most of us fall into more than one category, and the quiz is just for fun. Here’s what your answers say about your baking style:

a) Giving: Friendly, well-liked and enthusiastic, giving bakers seldom experiment, love baking and like to serve tried-and-true family favorites that they know are crowd pleasers, rather than risk experimenting with the unknown.

b) Methodical: Talented bakers who rely heavily on recipes because baking is considered to be a science for a reason! They know that they’ll get the results they want that way. And usually, their creations look just like the picture in the cookbook.

c) Healthy: Healthy bakers love to be in the kitchen, but worry about the side effects of eating too many treats. They experiment with alternative ingredients to cut down on the “unhealthy” parts of recipes, usually white flours, sugars, eggs and fats. Health comes first, even if it means making a few compromises with taste and texture.
d) Competitive: Pros do it, so there is no reason that the competitive bakers shouldn’t be able to do it, too. Competitive bakers have dominant personalities, are perfectionists who are always trying to improve their own skills, and love to impress their guests.
e) Innovative: Creative and trend-setting, innovative bakers seldom use recipes and like to experiment with ingredients, cuisine styles and methods.