Boston Pastry Chefs' Top Tips for Home Bakers

"Start with something easy, like cookies. With so many different cookie recipes, the baker will not get bored but can practice all year long for holidays and special occasions."

"Read your recipe fully before starting your project. People get excited with pictures and titles of dessert, but allowing yourself to read through the recipe beforehand will give you confidence in the kitchen."

"Invest in a scale. It may take a few minutes to convert ingredient amounts from volume measurements to weights, but you will only have to do this once for each ingredient. As you use different ingredients, you will continue to build this reference tool. Not only will this yield more consistent results, it will make clean up easier."

"Start with the basics! Find a cookbook that inspires you but also lays out the essentials really well. Learn the core recipes — a really great pate brisee (pie dough) recipe or a classic buttermilk cake can be imagined and adapted into almost anything your heart desires!"

"Use a cheese grater for biscuits — use frozen butter and grate into the flour. Flaky deliciousness."

"Watch the Food Network shows; read cooking magazines and cookbooks; try not to limit yourself to one chef, author, or subscription. If something doesn’t come out right the first time, don't get discouraged. With every mistake, there is opportunity to learn; sometimes the mistakes come out better than the original product."

"A Kitchen Aid mixer: It's worth the price, doesn't break, can handle fairly big home projects, and has tons of attachments, like dough hooks and paddles and pasta extrusion. Digital scale: It's more exact than a leveled measuring cup. Silpat sheet: It'll never stick."

"Start by buying a good quality kitchen scale. This is the professionals' number one tool for precise recipes. Skipping the cups and tablespoons to use a scale will not only make less to clean up, but it is much easier to replicate and give others your recipes."

"Educate yourself on the ingredients involved. If you understand what each ingredient does, then you're more likely to have a greater end result."

"Start off with easy-to-follow recipes and a trusted book. I love Jacques Pépin's pastry recipes."

"Advice that I really need to heed myself is to make sure you have all your mis en place in place and to clean as you go. There's nothing more disheartening than getting halfway through a recipe just to realize you're just a little shy on flour/sugar/milk. And trust me, the recipe won’t work the same without the right amounts. Cleaning as you go just means you can enjoy your treats right away when you’re done instead of having a mountain of dishes to clean! Other tips: You don’t need every little kitchen tool that stores sell. It'll just clutter your drawers and cabinets, collecting dust. And my favorite Pinterest-type tip? When I make things like chocolate chip cookies, I'll double the recipes and scoop/form half the dough, freeze it on a tray, then stick it in Tupperware. That way, when all my fresh cookies are long gone and I just want one, I can take out one of the scoops of cookie dough and pop it in the toaster oven (or two, or three, or just eat it raw — who am I kidding?)"

"My ultimate tip for home bakers is to purchase a good scale! Accurately weighing your ingredients will ensure consistent results each and every time."

"Home chefs should learn the basics before getting super fancy. Learn to make a basic pastry cream, a basic pie crust, and then progress with similar recipes that use similar techniques so that you can start understanding how connected processes are. Also, keep reading and researching. There is so much amazing information available now."

"Look for cookbooks and recipes that list ingredients by weight, and invest in a small kitchen scale. Serious home cooks can achieve much better consistency and quality with this approach rather than standard measurements."

"Try making a meringue. It's impressive but very easy."

"My tip for home bakers trying to up their game would be to think about the finishing touches that can make homemade desserts special. If you're making brownies, top them with a shiny (and easy!) dark chocolate glaze and toasted coconut, or cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans. Use a very hot knife to cut perfect squares and plate them on a nice platter, evenly spaced out. A couple other examples are using a piping tip instead of a butter knife to frost cupcakes and adding sprinkles or shaved chocolate as a topping. Sometimes just one extra touch will turn the same cupcake or brownie recipe into something magnificent and professional."

"Buy a scale. The amount of flour in a cup can vary greatly based on how much it is packed in. Weighing in metrics is way more precise, and it’s easy too! You don’t have to bend down and stare at your measuring cup and try to figure out if your sugar is level."

"Don't take shortcuts; it's not worth it in the end! More often than not, the end product ends up in the garbage because it's sub-par or totally ruined. When I was a pastry cook, I tried to take shortcuts; I always had to throw the product out and start over."

"Don't be afraid to try something new. Look for a technique that's familiar but has an ingredient that you've never used before. Or vice versa — try a new technique with familiar ingredients. Take your time, and read the recipe twice through before beginning."

"Invest in professional tools and equipment. I would highly suggest a French-style wooden rolling pin as you have more control and can really feel and work your ingredients during preparation."

"Having the proper equipment to get the job done. Baking is very technical, and any slight variations can affect your outcome tremendously. That goes from measuring to using the proper equipment to bake and/or cook your delicious goodies."

"Keep it simple. Try to master your technique over glitz."