1 . Cake moulds are cake pans in fun or functional shapes. You might often see them referred to as cake forms or cake shapes. Cake moulds are especially designed to make it easier to bake a cake.     1    

Generally, a cake mould is often made out of silicone (硅酮).     2     Also, it bends easily, making it easier to remove the cake from the pan without damaging it.

Cake moulds are sold in kitchen supply stores and baking stores.     3     A cake mould might also refer to a cake pan used for a specific purpose, such as a muffin (松饼) pan. They are generally fairly inexpensive and last a long time.

    4     You might buy a cake in the shape of a castle for a princess birthday party, or in the shape of a football for a sports enthusiast. Animal shapes are fun to make, and kids can help. For the holidays, you might make a pine tree-shaped cake, or for graduation, a cake in the shape of a graduation cap.

It can be difficult to remove a cake from a cake mould without damaging it. Even if the pan is non-stick, which most are, you should still grease (抹油) the pan well before baking.     5     When you are ready to remove the cake, place a plate underneath the pan and flip (翻动) it over so the cake can slide out neatly onto the plate.

3 . It was May 1945 when what would become one of America’s most popular home-cooking techniques first entered the English dictionary. In her cookbook, How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, 55-year-old Chinese immigrant (移民) Chao Yang Buwei described a process common in her homeland, where cooks would cut meat and vegetables into small bites and tumble (翻滚) them rapidly together over heat. “The Chinese term for the technique, ch’ao, cannot be accurately translated into English,” Chao complained. For short, she decided, “We shall call it ‘stir-fry.’” The term soon made its way into the American language and has since taken on a life of its own.

Chao came to cooking unexpectedly. A doctor by profession, she gave up her medical career to move to the United States in 1921 after her husband, the famed linguist (语言学家) Chao Yuanren, was offered a job at Harvard. Bored at home and only able to speak a little English, she turned to cooking dishes that reminded her of China: soups with mushrooms and pork flavored with soy sauce.

She eventually agreed when a friend begged her to write a cookbook. Chao’s eldest daughter helped her translate recipes from Chinese to English, before her husband put the finishing touches on the language, often adding phrasing that even Chao recognized as awkward. This stylistic conflict resulted in a cookbook that Chao was “ashamed to have written,” as she declared in an author’s note.

The cookbook succeeded, going into multiple printings by the end of 1945, though critics largely overlooked the anger in Chao’s words. English-language Chinese cookbooks had been published as far back as 1911 in the United States, but Chao’s was the first that refused to westernize Chinese cooking. She may have given America a well-worn phrase, but she knew that some aspects of the immigrant experience resist translation. Chao’s contribution to American food culture should have been enough to make her into headlines, but the New York Times did not even honor her with an obituary (讣告) upon her death. How many other cooking pioneers like Chao, immigrants who didn’t silence their difference in order to gain broad approval, still await rediscovery?

7 . The Comfort of Cooking

Most people like eating delicious foods since they believe those foods can make them relax and help get rid of (摆脱) the tiredness of daily lives.     1     Cooking can provide you with many benefits. It can also be fun and a comfort for you when you are feeling down. Can you remember your first time of cooking? Perhaps it’s making dumplings with your grandma, cooking scrambled eggs with tomatoes alone, or helping your family to prepare a large meal during festivals.

Cooking has been found to improve confidence, according to The Mental Health Foundation.     2     You can use different ingredients (原料) and your imagination to create whatever you want to. Just following the cookbook or the video is also meaningful. You will get a sense of achievement when you see the final works after all the hardships.

    3     You will be freed from your worries or anything else that troubles you when focusing your attention on cooking. There is no time for your mind to wander. It is common that we may come across something unexpected which is a burden to us, but remember to find a way to relieve the pressure. Cooking is a calming activity waiting for you.

Cooking is a great way to experience different cultures as well. Different countries have different ways of cooking which lead to various featured foods.     4     By cooking those foods, it seems that you are a native to that country.

Cooking also brings people together. Prepare a meal for the family reunion. Invite some friends to your home. While you are doing the cooking, happy laughter and cheerful voices may fill every corner of the house.     5    

8 . If you’re feeling in the mood for grilled food but don’t have a barbecue, then deciding what product to purchase can be a bit difficult. So to help you get a better understanding of just some of the choices available, here’s our guide to buying a new BBQ.

The first decision is how your BBQ is going to be powered. There are essentially two main choices: the traditional way with charcoal, or the quick and convenient way with gas. For those who get frustrated with the process of lighting coals and waiting for them to reach the desired temperature, then gas is the easy option. It’s clean and gets up to temperature in an instant. But for many, the main fun of a barbecue lies in the back-to-basics cooking that hot coal brings natural barbecue fire. You’ll also find a far greater range of charcoal barbecues.

For anyone who likes to throw a garden party with a busy barbecue at the centre of the action, there are some vast grills (烤架) available. But unless you’re regularly feeding the masses, then these BBQ beasts can be impractical. Smaller meals are better suited to smaller equipment, so be realistic about the size that best suits you.

While facing the barbecue selection of your nearest retailer, you’ll notice that some of them have lids. These will usually be round and will make you pay more than the lidless options. But if you want the benefit of being able to cook larger items over a longer period of time, such as a whole chicken, then a lid will be essential.