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Apr 22
33m 26s

Katarina Cermelj: Cookbook Author, Food ...

Pastry Arts
About this episode

Katarina Cermelj (Kat for short) is an award-winning cookbook author, food writer, photographer and creator of the popular ‘free-from’ baking blog, The Loopy Whisk. She has a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, having previously completed her undergraduate Chemistry degree at the same university. Being a science nerd, she loves to use a very scientific, analytical approach in her recipe development – and she’s also a big believer in not only providing reliable, fail-proof (and always delicious) recipes, but also the reasons for why they work.

Kat’s first cookbook, Baked to Perfection, has been described as "the only gluten-free cookbook you'll ever need" and has won The Guild of Food Writers Specialist Subject Award 2022, the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Debut Cookery Book Award 2022 and was a finalist in the IACP Awards 2022.

Her latest cookbook, The Elements of Baking, is an in-depth (and enthusiastically nerdy) guide to making any recipe gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan or even gluten-free vegan – all while ensuring it still tastes spectacular.

theloopywhisk.com
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: @theloopywhisk

In this episode, we discuss:

  • How an intolerance for gluten and dairy sparked the launch of The Loopy Whisk
  • How her PhD in inorganic chemistry paved the way for a career as a recipe developer          
  • Why the formula matters – using GF flour doesn’t guarantee success          
  • What gluten is, and why it causes some people big problems
  • Tips for making the best GF bread
  • Why sometimes you have to adjust the amount of flour used in GF recipes on the fly
  • What her two cookbooks, Baked to Perfection and The Elements of Baking, are all about 
  • The one GF recipe that Kat is most proud of
  • And much more!
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