Pastry chef and author Ravneet Gill wants to dispel the fear around baking. Her latest book The Pastry Chef’s Guide: The secret to successful baking every time is aimed at chefs and home bakers who fear baking, and includes the principles of patisserie—anything from ingredients to lining your tins.
“Everyone, literally everyone can bake,” stressed the seasoned baker in an interview with Whistles. “The internet is full of resources to the point where you can troubleshoot any issue you may have. It’s obvious to say but practicing technique and always tasting your food will get you there. If you want to take the plunge and become a chef, spend a week or two in a kitchen you admire to get a feel for it—it’s quite a different world from the one you may imagine,” she explains.
Having worked as a pastry chef for eight years, Gill contributes to numerous publications—including The Guardian, Observer Food Monthly, Feast, and Courier Magazine—and is currently set to be a new judge on Channel 4’s Junior Bake Off alongside Liam Charles and host Harry Hill.
According to Gill, with baking, some people take to it immediately, while others decide that a slightly different approach may work for them—like working in a production kitchen or a bakery. Gill reminds her readers and followers that while pastry is an art, it is also food, so you should always stay in touch with your ingredients, reflect the seasons in your food, and, for the love of God, never use strawberries in December.
Purchase her book here, and follow her Instagram for more.
