Chef’s Corner: Baking Staples and Equipment

Escoffier Online’s chefs help answer real cooking questions. Whether if has to do with cooking techniques, recipes or technology questions about our fully online program our chefs are here to help our students! For this Chef’s Corner our chefs help answer questions about baking staples and equipment.

1. I need to buy a torch to make creme brulee. What’s a good brand?

Escoffier Chef: I recently purchased the kitchen torch which is sold at William Sanoma and I really like it, its a quality tool.

2.  I’m about to make my butter cream and I wanted to know can it be left out for a couple of hours until I bake my cake? If it needs to be put in the fridge how long will I need to leave it out to get to room temperature.

Escoffier Chef: Yes, at this stage you can let it sit out. No need to refrigerate it, that would be for overnight storage.

3. For the puff pastry it calls for a bakers flour, is that the same as the bread flour?

Escoffier Chef: Yes, bakers flour is the same as bread flour.

4. I’m trying to make the Choux Paste. It turned crispy and brown and the butter cooked out of it. I never saw a white film on the bottom of the pot. I only have non stick pots and pans, is that why it didn’t work or was the heat too high or maybe a combination of the two?

Escoffier Chef: It sounds like it’s the pot. It’s best if this is not made in a non stick pot. The film on the bottom will actually help catch the dough so you can work it around the pot, without that I can see why the butter was able to come out and started pan frying the dough which would make it crisp and brown.

5. When we make the creme brulee, what kind of coffee beans do we use? French roast, columbian, french vanilla, hazelnut?

Escoffier Chef: The coffee bean is for flavor, you can use any kind you like.

If you have a questions for our chefs or are interested in learning more about our programs, contact us at (877) 452-5489 or [email protected]

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