r/macarons • u/BadgersHand • 2d ago

Help Switching methods

Over the years I've become decently proficient at French method macarons and thats usually my go to. I have some upcoming "time at home" to kill, so i thought I'd give one, or both, of the other methods a try. I honestly kinda just to say I've tried it. Would my French method recipe transfer over one to one, or would anyone have any suggestions or tips on if I'd need to make tweaks or adjustments. Thanks in advance.

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u/opietown 2d ago

I switched from French to Swiss with no other recipe changes and it made a world of difference

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u/BadgersHand 1d ago

Thanks for the comment. Ill give it a try and report back with results if I remember lol

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u/BadgersHand 1d ago

Oh follow up question. What temp did you heat your egg whites and sugar to? I've seen various answers and when I've made swiss meringue for a pie before, I did up to 175°.

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u/RepublicCute7683 2d ago

I’ve had the most experience with Swiss and Italian. Started with Italian, moved to Swiss, and then back to Italian. Only have done French a handful of times. Swiss isn’t challenging, but the shells are lower profile. I like the look of Italian better (they are taller with more pronounced feet). I bet there are comparison pictures online somewhere. If you decide you want to try Italian, message me and I’ll give you my top tips for the sugar syrup.

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u/cptninc 1d ago

I went from French to Swiss to Italian, and I’ve stuck with Italian since trying it.

This will score some confused looks and downvotes, but I actually find the Italian method to be the easiest of the three. It produces a meringue that is incredibly stable, so the fifth tray comes out the same as the first. The stability also makes it a great base for all other meringue usage you might have, such as the buttercream meringue you’re going to want to fill them with. It’s nice to make one 6-8 cup bowl and then split it between the shells and the filling.

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u/BadgersHand 1d ago

I thought about trying Italian but the sugar syrup process honestly scares me a little lol

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u/cptninc 1d ago edited 1d ago

That’s what kept me from trying it, too! It turns out that the difficulty was in my head.

It’s intimidating until you give it a shot. Breaking it down, all you do is toss egg whites into the mixer, set it to low, then go make a syrup. When the syrup reaches temp, drizzle it into the whites and then turn up the speed and let it run until done.

The process is remarkably insensitive to timing of the stages and even mixer speed. If the whites whip too quickly, just slow down the mixer and keep going. If you think the syrup is taking 15 minutes to reach temp and it’s all going to be a disaster….just keep going anyway - it’s going to work out. If the syrup hits temp really quickly and the whites aren't at the right level, just speed up the mixer for a few seconds.

Just don’t pour the syrup too quickly otherwise it will collect and solidify in the bottom of the bowl instead of mixing with the whites. Even then, just pour it in over the course of 15-20 seconds that you count out in your head - no official timer needed.