Pastry work seems to be all about flair and talent at first glance. But look at professional pastry chefs and you’ll see something quite different. They are extremely methodical.
Beginners and the pros don’t just vary on their skill levels; they have different ways of thinking.
They Think In Systems, Not Recipes.
The beginner focuses on specific recipes (and the cakes or dessert they yield). Professional pastry chefs think in systems. They learn about the components in a range of desserts.
This means they learn about patterns. Understanding the fundamentals of one item can help you apply that to many other items. It helps you not to start from scratch when making a variation of an original recipe.
They Prioritize Precision Over Creativity
A misconception is that pastry chefs are all about creativity. But that isn’t true. Creativity relies on precision. A professional pastry chef doesn’t play around with quantities or timings; they go on what is proven. That’s because they know how a single error can alter an entire result. It can only work with creativity once there is consistency.
They View Failure As Data.
Where beginners see a failure, the professional sees data. If there is a failure, there is a reason for that. It’s a result of the temperature, the balance of ingredients, the technique and so on. That’s why they are able to move along. Every time something doesn’t work, you learn to become better at it.
Their Simplicity Is A Skill
An often overlooked difference is that the professionals actually like simpler items. They don’t complicate. Where the beginner will be looking for something complex to make, the professional will be trying to perfect simple elements. A simple pastry is better than a complicated dessert that is too much work. It means a lot of attention to detail.
They Pay Attention More Than Instructions
While beginners follow what the recipe says to the last detail, pros go on what they know to be true and what they can observe. That could be how a dough feels in your hand, how a batter is moving and how a dessert looks throughout the baking process. That’s what allows them to change up a situation on a whim or as things are going.
The difference is in your mindset. Once you start to think in terms of systems, of consistency, of learning from mistakes and going with observation over a written direction, you’ll find yourself becoming a pro.