The Making of a Pastry Chef: August 2011

Hints and Allegations

Hints and Allegations

Baking is really easy most of the time. The hard part is following the instructions. As with nearly most things, practice makes perfect.

You do NOT have to put your bowl and beaters in the freezer prior to making whip cream.

Vanilla Sauce=Creme Anglaise

Sweetened Whip Cream=Chantilly Cream

It is always advisable to coat your mixing bowl with lemon juice prior to making a meringue, just to make sure there isn't any fat left in the bowl (say from the last buttercream you made).

In my humble opinion, American Buttercream is the reason why many of us don't like buttercream. Take the time to learn how to make Italian buttercream; it's worth it.

Invest in an ice cream maker (I got mine for $35 on sale during the off season). The difference will amaze you.

Regardless of what Food Network chefs and my own instructors have taught, you can refrigerate batter overnight that contains baking soda or baking powder in them and still achieve a good rise in your baked products.

Pre-scooping cookie dough and freezing them until your ready to bake them off is a very good thing indeed.

8.20.2011

Eight Days a Week...or 64 work hours a week

Yep. Between last week and this week, I will have been on 11 days straight, one day off, and another six on. I am usually working upwards of 11 hours a day. Everyone in the pastry kitchen is doing the same thing. And I'm not complaining. I love the adrenaline rush of getting everything done. It's like working the hotline only I'm baking.

But I have no outside existence.

I will reapply myself to this blog in the near future with some potentially big news and promises of weekly updates.

See you in a couple of weeks!