Toothpick-Test Alternatives for Perfectly Done Baked Goods (2024)

FAQs

Toothpick-Test Alternatives for Perfectly Done Baked Goods? ›

Our Favorite Alternative to Toothpicks

To determine if a cookie is done, lift up gently on the edge of the cookie with your fingers and if the edge seems firm (as in, it doesn't ooze over your finger), the cookie is ready. The center will still be softer than the edge, but it will finish cooking on the tray outside the oven.

A skewer inserted into the center of a baked item should come out clean. Fully baked items should be springy and resilient to the touch. Remove cookies from the oven when they appear a bit underbaked.

Our Favorite Alternative to Toothpicks

Look at your knife set and find the one with the thinnest blade. Then insert the blade into the center of the cake. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is done. If batter or crumbs stick to the blade, let your cake bake a few minutes more and retest with a clean knife.

Fudgy brownies can be a bit more difficult to judge without using something to test for doneness in the middle. You can use a butter knife to test for doneness – as with the toothpick, you'll want to make sure you don't have an excessive amount of batter clinging to the knife.

Insert a kitchen thermometer an inch or two into the middle of your bread and read the internal temperature. 190°F is typically the recommended temperature, but this will vary based on your type of bread. If you use an instant-read thermometer, do this step carefully with the bread still in the oven.

With cake or muffins gently push the top of the cake. If it springs back it's done. If you leave an indentation in the top it needs more time. With bread, tap the top with your finger.

If you don't have a toothpick, a thin bamboo skewer can stand in its place. You should own a cake tester, but you shouldn't use it for testing cake. Officially-sanctioned cake testers, on the other hand, are made of stainless steel and therefore too slippery to show the full range of what's happening inside the pan.

How do you test muffins for doneness? ›

The best test to determine a muffin's doneness is to insert a wooden pick into the center of one of the center muffins before removing the pan from the oven. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to the pick, the muffins are done. Sometimes outer muffins bake faster than center muffins.

In baking, there are many visual clues to test if a product is done. This includes lightly touching a cake surface, a golden brown color on breads, or inserting a toothpick in a quick bread to see if it is still sticky. Another way to test for doneness is by checking the internal temperature using a food thermometer.

Cakes, Quickbreads, and Muffins

The most common test for this category is the toothpick test, where you insert a toothpick, skewer, or knife in the cake to check for rawness. However, it isn't the only one you can do. The color and surface texture of a baked item are good indicators of its doneness.

Flosser: Dental flossers can be easier to use than traditional floss. They also have a pointed end, which is softer than a toothpick. It isn't as likely to splinter or break; however, don't apply too much pressure to avoid damaging your gums.

Use a toothpick

Whether you grab a wooden toothpick at a restaurant or you use a dental pick at home, the narrow tip is a great tool for loosening stuck food. If your teeth are too tight for floss, you can use the pick in between the two teeth near the gum line as a wedge.