Trouble Shooting Tip Numéro Deux & What Books Don't Tell You

There are a lot of macaron books on the market and although they are great for general tips and ideas most tend to gloss over trouble shooting.  When I first started making macaron, I remember buying every macaron book I  could get my hot little hands on and scoured the Internet but at the end of the day, I worked things out mostly by trial and error.  I've included my tips below which will become more comprehensive over time. The subject can be rather dry so I've tried to add a little spice... just hope you've got a sense of humour!

Corset couture

Push the temperature of the sugar syrup to the limit.  The sugar syrup creates a strong and stable macaron almost like a ladies corset, it nips, tucks, supports and holds everything in place.  When cooking the syrup, the minimum temp you should aim for is 118°C and the max is 121°C.  Trial each temperature and record your results to determine which one you feel most comfortable with. 

It's ok to venture outside your comfort zone

When using Italian meringue there is actually no need to let the macaron "crust" at all.  In fact, if you let the macaron sit for too long the shells become dull and lifeless and may not develop those pretty little feet we all desire.  This is because the base of the macaron sticks to the tray and has trouble with it's push up bra!  It's ok to let them develop a crust for the recommended time but I wouldn't do it for much longer.  If you're prepared to take risks, pop your macaron into the oven straight after piping...  it's ok to venture outside your comfort zone - believe me it works! 

An interesting situation in the humidity of Hong Kong!

Too many buns in the oven.  When making macaron you may get everything right only to find out that after the cooking time is up you've got a situation you'd rather not have to deal with.  Only bake one tray at a time to reduce the amount of humidity as "humidity" is the enemy of gorgeous looking macaron.

Black book, orange book. little white book... pick a colour!

Sweet nothings whispered in your ear "... every oven is different..." — so bad luck honey work it out for yourself!  Now, how many of us have started out really enthusiastic only to be let down by our oven?  Don't make the mistake of making a lovely batch of macarons only to ruin the whole lot because you're not acquainted with hot stuff.  The best tip I can give you is to make one batch of macaron just to put him/her to the test.  BUT be prepared to throw the whole lot in the bin i.e. your macaron not your oven.  Pipe 4 macaron onto the parchment paper/baking tray at a time (or whatever takes your fancy, also depends how much time you want to spend in the kitchen) and cook them testing out different temperatures and shelf levels — write down the results in your little black book then continue with the rest of the batter.  The batter can remain in the piping bag until you need it otherwise, as mentioned previously, your macaron will end up sitting around like wall flowers looking dull and unattractive.  I twist the piping bag at the top really tight, turn it upside down and lean it up against a large glass jug.  I then put some protection on ahem... cling wrap over the nozzle to prevent the batter from drying out.

A lovely wall flower!

To use single, double or triple layered baking trays that is the question?  In my old oven I used double trays because the bottom heat element cooked the base of the macarons too quickly and burned them.  Now that I have a commercial style oven with heavy duty trays, I only need to use one.  Again, when testing the temperature and shelf level in your oven consider the intensity of the heat source and whether you need to use single, double or triple layered baking trays.

Not one, not two but three cracks!

Showing off your crack!  Some people just love doing this but personally I'm not in the habit because... well I'm a lady (the exception is when you're posing for art of course).  Have I confused you? Well, some books advise leaving the oven door open a "crack" to allow the steam to escape and reduce humidity.  My oven has an option to activate "moisture reduction" so hence, there is no need for me to open the oven door at all.  Having said this, I've actually achieved better results not using this function.  Again, when testing out your oven try leaving the oven door open a "crack" by inserting a chopstick...  ouch!  If you get great results continue to to do this each time you cook your macaron otherwise don't bother.

The daily grind!!!!! Some people recommend grinding their almond meal in a coffee grinder... I say don't bother!  It's more efficient to use a mini chopper or a food processor.  Coffee grinders are great for coffee but not for grinding almond meal, especially when dealing with large quantities.  I started out buying almond meal from the local supermarket and grinding it in my Moulinex mini chopper before making my Tant Pour Tant (TPT).  This has worked fine but now my stocks are exhausted I'm going to start grinding whole blanched almonds - I'll update this post about it at a later stage because I'll probably have to dry the almond meal out in the oven first before making my TPT.

Tried and tested.

Lastly, have a GOOD romance with a copper bowl.  I reckon one of the keys to success with making macaron is possession of one of these little beauties as you get wonderful fireworks between the egg whites and the copper particles and they just seem to bind perfectly  — which means awesome macaron.  Sadly, my Kitchen Aid Artisan copper bowl showed me its true colours after only 7 months and I found out that it was actually copper plated with stainless steel and not solid copper at all.  So to cut a long story short, it has turned into a BAD romance as I can no longer use it and now I need to find a replacement. This also has implications for use of my Kitchen Aid - Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!.


Remember even the best pastry chefs in the world have bad days and yes, if it's any consolation I still have bad days too... today, was one of them:(