batkaren (a/k/a kt roth)Phrases like “piece of cake” and “easy as pie” are super misleading about baking’s difficulty level.
Princess of Whales 
@batkaren I never thought of it like that but you’re so obviously correct!
ink and yarn@batkaren I always thought it was more about the eating than the baking 😁
JL Roberson@jlroberson @batkaren Ah, but *serving* the pie is an entirely different skill from *eating* the pie! 🍽️ 🥧
RM@batkaren you’re right. It should be “easy as toast” or “piece of bread”
John Wilson@batkaren
Breakfast of Champions
Grilled fondue chees sandwich and Key Lime Pie
S★m V★rm★@batkaren I think it's related to how much one has to do when receiving either in the face
BunRab Is Old And Tired@batkaren "Easy as soup" would be a lot closer!
Stephen Sjolander@batkaren I guess I always thought those phrases were referring to ease of eating…
Max Leibman has moved!@batkaren I thought “piece of cake” was about the relative ease of *serving* the cake.
Which, come to think of it, I often find to be surpringly difficult, too.
K. Lily, Jasper, Daphne@batkaren i giggled a little too hard at this, but its very true! I have heck of a time getting pie crust cooked all the way through without burning the top. Too many times the bottom still tastes 'doughey'.
Badtux the Snarky Penguin@batkaren Cake is pretty easy, until it comes time to frost it.
I've never mastered the art of pie crust. Ugh. So my pie is bought frozen from the supermarket, and heated up an hour before mealtime. Yay.
Carmen M@batkaren probably because they were coined by people who had servants and cooks.
Alan Gamrican@batkaren From my own experience in the hospitality industry, the "Pastry" station was the most difficult due to the scientific precision necessary to elevate the art to the highest expression. There was no place to hide any mistake, especially one that was "baked" into the product early in process. I've always had the highest respect for the Patissier.
Julie@batkaren Never thought about this, but you are right. It should be "simple as soup" or "easy as stew"
Mech0T1@batkaren Wonder if it means how easy it is to *eat* said items ;)
Arindam BasuGreat point. I suppose those are expressed from the consumers’ perspective rather than the creators… 🙂
(((Jann Gobble)))🏳️🌈@batkaren I know it's a joke, but remember, "piece of cake" is essentially "little effort to finish-off" (eat). Easy as pie COULD be the same, but having listened to podcasts like @neilbuttery's, I would think comes from the pies that were flour & water shells - thick & easy to make - followed by pouring in pre-boiled meats & herbs, then baking.
I'd assume it stems from a time when the alternative was stewing over a fireplace in a pot (or pottage) or boiling a gammon (salted/smoked pork leg).
Dr Neil Buttery@neilbuttery @batkaren Having watched Annie Gray UMPTEEN TIMES doing just that, I am SURE they do require a lot of skill to make RIGHT! Especially that huge one she and her team made for Lucy Worsley's special #Christmas #Tudor episode! What was it, a meter across? 😳
I always marveled when I saw her on TV making something really "13th or 16th century-ish"!
ps: Neil has a podcast episode with Annie, if anyone is interested.
PulkoMandy@batkaren if you need a replacement, in French we say (litterally) "fingers in the nose"
https://fr.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/fingers_in_the_nose
https://fr.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/fingers_in_the_nose
Emily in the Library@batkaren maybe it should be as easy as eating a piece of pie or cake. I generally find that much easier to do.
Ara James@batkaren I always interpret those expressions as “eating” cake /pie which probably says more about me than I wish it did.
Andrew Waterloo@batkaren Cakes and pies are much simpler than croissants and souffles :)
I think they really means pleasant, enjoyable, agreeable, etc. Even easy in easy as pie really means agreeable. Easy like Sunday morning.
Walter K. Lew@batkaren Yes, I've always wondered where those homilies come from. As far as batter is concerned, I never try anything above pancakes or matzo balls.
dschulten #FdgoUltras🕯️@batkaren oh so true
MikeZilla Minus One@batkaren well, we are referring to the eating part
Deb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦@batkaren seems those turns of phrase come from consumers of cake, not bakers, right. #typical #privilege
Astrid@batkaren it’s hard to the point we dedicated modern technology to making it easy and now it’s easy to make pie tbh
Jeffrey P. Bigham 🔥🔥@batkaren easy as my decision to devour the pie once it is sitting in front of me?
Andrew Woods@batkaren i always thought the phrases “piece of cake” and “easy as pie” related to their consumption. not their baking. Cake and pie are delicious. Who wouldn’t want cake or pie?! Getting people to say yes to them is easy - hence the expression 😄
Susan 
@batkaren huh, never considered that before 🤔
I just assumed it was because those foods are nice and easy to eat 🙈
I just assumed it was because those foods are nice and easy to eat 🙈
William Leisner@batkaren It ain't no picnic