Kathy Gunst

This book caught my attention because it sounded familiar: using baking to help with strong feelings. I didn't know it was a movement with a hashtag and everything, but if one looks at the comments of many of the readers you will find Tangerine Jones, a black woman who started the actual movement in order to bake for others in times of need, in protest, in conflict and in injustices.

This book is different. It wants to be more than it is; it has a background in the kitchen by professional chefs, bakers, recipe makers, etc. It is an interesting collection of recipes to me. I was honestly surprised at the amount of eggs, sugar and actual butter that were in the various concoctions. Many of the recipes sound delicious and actually doable for a moderate baker. It just seemed off though that the majority of the recipe submitters were white with all of this butter. I mean, aren't white women especially aware of what butter, eggs and sugar will do to their figures. I picture these women making these decadent desserts and then watching their loved ones eat them up, without even tasting the end product. There was one honest essay/recipe submitter that discussed body issues and how she does just that and she is learning how to not hate cake.

This book also has an interesting political agenda: making sure that female voices and personages are represented in the decision making arenas of our nation, states, cities, communities. This is an honorable thing and I am intrigued, but I had never heard of the EMILY list before this book. I was more interested in the small essays supposedly by the submitter before each recipe and then the larger essays. The larger ones seemed the most authentic; I was surprised again, by the publication of one submitter who didn't "get" the movement. I would have thought that one would have been tossed, but it wasn't.

In the end, I decided to read the whole book because I wanted to see if there truly was a connection between politics and baking. I can see baking as a calming influence when upset. I love kneading dough and have done that when mad, but it hasn't always made for good (edible) results, so I stick to rage gardening. I love the connection of baking in all the women's lives and how they share it with others. I just don't get how baking will change anything. I wish it would.

Side note: when doing an internship for Occupational Therapy, we had a recipe for "Angry Cookies." The patients loved it and it was a real work out for those who were frustrated, upset, angry. They were calmer, less pissed afterward, and got to enjoy a snack that they created. 1994.

Look up Tangerine Jones.… (mais)

Recommended by Amanda G.

From Brita: https://www.eater.com/cookbooks/2020/2/19/21142732/rage-baking-tangerine-jones-r...

You've heard of "baking with love" - now try baking with anger. Some of the contributors in this collection use baking to calm down emotionally and reset mentally: it's a physical process that requires time, focus, patience, and accuracy, and it rewards that attention with tangible, delicious results. Others doubt "rage baking" will have much effect unless those who do it also put efforts toward activism and work for change. But leaving the "rage" part aside and concentrating on the "baking" bit, this collection of recipes looks sound; there is plenty of excellent general baking advice included; the photos are nice (though there isn't a photo of every recipe); and there's a section in the back for mail-order sources.

Quotes

We can't even fully experience the despair and anger of one event before the next one is already happening. (Tess Rafferty, "The Revolution Will Be Catered," p. 5)

"There is a lot of justifiable rage in this world but, for some reason, I've had my rage portrayed as, well, not a rational response to things." (Ani DiFranco, p. 64)

Recipes I want to try:

Ruth Reichl's Oatmeal Cookies (p. 4)

Katherine Alford's Marbled Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies (p. 12)

Grace Young's Chocolate Cherry Biscotti (p. 22)

Kathy Gunst's Rhubarb Cake (p. 78)

Pati Jinich's Almond and Chocolate Leche Cake (p. 89)

Carla Hall's Root Beer Cake with Chocolate-Root Beer Glaze (p. 112)

Alice Medrich's Chocolate Pudding Now (p. 121)

Katherine Alford's Strawberry, Mint, and Lime Tart (p. 159)… (mais)

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Rage baking. It is totally a thing, a philosophy, a need to whip batter, pound dough, make something beautiful and delicious out of aggressive physical action. I've done more than my share of rage baking, especially in the past few years. I was pretty excited to read this book--to commune with other women like me. Therefore, I was surprised to be disappointed by it.

The book is a mix of essays, a couple interviews, and recipes. The recipes are organized into sections such as cookies and bars, pies, etc. There's no such organization with the other content. Beyond the recipe grouping, there's no sense of flow at all. It makes the book feel oddly disjointed, unsure if it wants to be a cookbook or empowering collection for female bakers... and it could have certainly been both. The included recipes are generally interesting, but the little intros often don't feel that connected to the 'rage' theme at all.

I think the book would have also benefited by looking more to history for recipes and essays. As it is now, it's quite focused on the current political climate (and comes from a fiercely liberal standpoint), and because of that, it will quickly become dated. A sense of inter-generational rage-baking would have bolstered the book; one of my favorite pieces, "My Two Mothers" by Kate Alford, hit on this feeling nicely and left me wanting for more. I also loved and strongly related to "F*** You, Cake (P.S. I Actually Love You)" by Von Diaz, which explores the love/hate regard for food so many of us experience.

While not a bad book by any means, Rage Baking didn't leave me feeling inspired or with a sense of a common bond. Instead, the book felt muddled to me, a promise unrealized. Maybe I should vent my frustration with some baking.… (mais)