Technical pastry notions

 

For many people the recipe is everything.
If you really want to improve your skills, however, you should not limit yourself to following a recipe: as much as it can help you achieve good results, a recipe is something of an end in itself, a tool that allows you to be a perfect maker.
What makes you go beyond recipes is the knowldge of raw materials and ingredients, of methods and techniques, of chemical and physical reactions.
Trusting it will save you time and you will not have to “roam around” the website, I have collected here all my posts about raw materials, ingredients, methods and techniques.
Have a nice dessert…without recipe!

Raw Materials & Main Ingredients

Gelatin leaves
Isinglass: the animal – derived gelatine
The Importance of Flour: Basic Concepts to Avoid Buying Mistakes
The Importance of Flour: Basic Concepts to Avoid Buying Mistakes
Sugar – The best antifreeze!
Sugar – The best antifreeze!
Some Fuctions of Salt in Desserts
Some Fuctions of Salt in Desserts
Its Majesty the Egg
Its Majesty the Egg

 

Balanced combinations of ingredients

Balance for shortcrust pastry
Balance for shortcrust pastry

 

How to balance choux pastry
How to balance choux pastry

 

How to balance pastry cream
How to balance pastry cream

 

Balanced combination of semifreddi and parfait
How to balance semifreddi and parfait

 

Ice Cream: production process and maths
Ice Cream: production process and maths

 

Shortcrust pastry

Mixing Methods for Shortcrust Pastry
Mixing Methods for Shortcrust Pastry

 

Types and Classification of Shortcrust Pastry
Types and Classification of Shortcrust Pastry

 

Does shortcrust pastry require baking powder?

 

Puff pastry

Suggestions to prepare an excellent puff pastry
Suggestions to prepare an excellent puff pastry

 

How to make quick puff pastry
How to make quick puff pastry

 

Waterproof coating for puff pastry
Waterproof coating for puff pastry

 

Tips to roll out puff pastry
Tips to roll out puff pastry

 

The-dough-that-rises-without-yeast-puff-pastry
The-dough-that-rises-without-yeast-puff-pastry

 

Sponge cake

Converting cake tin sizes, ingredients amounts and number of people for sponge cake
Converting cake tin sizes, ingredients amounts and number of people for sponge cake

 

Tips to avoid Problems with Sponge Cake
Tips to avoid Problems with Sponge Cake

 

Heavy, medium or light-textured sponge cake?
Heavy, medium or light-textured sponge cake?
How to make Siphon Sponge Cake in the Microwave Oven

 

Butter-type Cakes

 

Meringues

How do you make meringues?
How do you make meringues?

 

Microwave pasteurized meringue
Microwave pasteurized meringue

 

There's more than one meringue
There’s more than one meringue

 

 

Glazes

Mirror glaze: recipes and tips by Pianeta Dessert
Mirror glaze: recipes and tips by Pianeta Dessert

 

Glazing can be a nightmare if you don't know what to use!
Glazing can be a nightmare if you don’t know what to use!

 

Chocolate

How to temper chocolate
How to temper chocolate

 

 

Other processing techniques

How do you make macarons?
How do you make macarons?

 

Storage

Baking