What is baked in the present tense?

Answer 1

I bake. To bake.

Additional information:

When the word is used as an adjective, describing a type of food, it is always in the past tense: Baked chicken, baked macaroni, baked apples.

The word is in the past tense because the food being described was baked in the past - or possibly, it will have been baked. "We plan to have baked chicken for lunch tomorrow."

The word generally is used in this way for foods that might be prepared in a number of different ways. Chicken might be stewed, roasted or baked. Apples might be raw, fried, candied or baked. One would not describe cake, cookies, pies or muffins with the adjective "baked," because those pastries have no other way of preparation. They are always baked, so the adjective is not needed.