All about the profession of pastry chef

Traditionally, the end of any holiday, an important dinner is dessert. Sweet always gives pleasure not only to children, but also to adults. There are a lot of goodies, but to create a real masterpiece that will become the highlight of the holiday is a real professional. Everyone who wants to master the skill of creating delicious and beautiful pastries and cakes needs to know everything about the profession of a pastry chef.

The profession of a pastry chef implies the ability to create sweet desserts, which includes all kinds of cakes, ice cream, sweets, chocolate, sweet buns. The confectioner is not only engaged in manufacturing according to traditional recipes, he is developing new ones and can work on improving existing ones. This specialty includes the ability to originally and skillfully decorate any cake.

Typically, customers provide only a verbal description of a future masterpiece, and the confectioner will have to realize the most unimaginable ideas and please the most fastidious client. But only a true master who loves to create and experiment can do it. The profession of a pastry chef is quite in demand today. And these specialists can work in the following institutions:

• bakeries;
• Confectionery
• Cafe;
• restaurants
• factories;
• bakeries.

Those who decide to devote themselves to this profession certainly see its advantages in it. The following points can be attributed to them:

• there is always the opportunity to show your talents and please people;
• the profession is always in demand, you will not remain without work;
• You can realize your opportunities by opening your own enterprise;
• decent pay for their work;
• There is always the opportunity to please loved ones and friends, and in solemn occasions to prepare a truly exclusive gift.

Without cons, too, could not have done. These include the following:

• working conditions cannot be called light, most of the day you have to be on your feet and often at elevated temperatures;
• tasting your sweets may not be reflected in the figure in the best way, and you can’t do without samples in any way;
• You should always be careful when using products, because you need to be responsible for the health of people who decide to try the cooked products.

Taking the first steps in the profession, the pastry chef does not know how much. But over time, he gains new knowledge, gains experience, his qualifications are improved. The level of skill is indicated by the ranks that are assigned to the confectioner. With increasing discharge, you usually have to demonstrate your knowledge to get a new level. There are 6 of them.

1. At this stage, the pastry chef does the simplest job. He can control the process of the equipment, load the filling, take baked products. If he makes cakes or makes complex desserts, he does it under the strict guidance of a more experienced professional.
2. Preparation of syrups, creams, fillings, simple dough is quite beyond the confectioner's ability at this stage. He also loads the dough into the machines, then takes it out, cuts it into pieces, if necessary.
3. It is possible to independently prepare the dough, bake rolls, cookies, cakes, decorate simple cakes. Equipment control is also not excluded from the duties.
4. At this stage, the confectioner is familiar with most types of raw materials and can prepare a sufficient number of various sweets. He can create certain elements of complex jewelry.
5. Having received the fifth category, the confectioner can control the entire process of preparing a complex cake and any other dish. It can produce the most complex finishes for custom made cakes.
6. The professional at this stage masters all the secrets of mastery. He can make real works of confectionery art, knows everything about the combination of different ingredients and can make recipes himself.

A highly skilled confectioner is distinguished from an assistant confectioner by the degree of responsibility, the number of duties and skills. A professional can carry out the entire manufacturing process of any product, as well as lead a team of craftsmen. The assistant confectioner fulfills all the requirements of the manager, performs simpler work, prepares the ingredients, mixes them. While the confectioner can do the most delicate work, thinking through jewelry and implementing the process itself.

Having received the appropriate education, the confectioner acquires the knowledge necessary in the process of work. He should know everything about the combination of products, the intricacies of making dough of various kinds, fillings, creams, all kinds of fillers, be able to decorate any cake, sweets, cakes. But not only professional qualities are important for the confectioner. There are many factors that can help in the work and are important for a true professional.

These include ability to think creatively, have a sense of style, good taste. Without these qualities, it will not be possible to cook a real sweet masterpiece. In addition, the responsible employee must be neat, clean, have good health and be hardy.

Job responsibilities directly depend on the qualifications and rank assigned to the confectioner. If at first his duties include elementary actions, for example, preparing dough and light creams, then High rank implies responsibility for the entire technological and design process. But there are things that every pastry chef should do. He must calculate the right amount of raw materials and choose the right ingredients so that the product is not only tasty, but also beautiful. He must properly prepare the cream, the success of the preparation of the dish as a whole depends on the taste qualities of which and the observance of technology.

The confectioner must comply with all hygiene rules, as this is extremely important, and people's health directly depends on this. He must monitor the shelf life of the products, know how to store raw materials and finished products and comply with all standards. Each specialist should be able to handle all the necessary equipment and know what equipment and devices he will need when preparing this or that dessert.

To get the profession of a pastry chef, you can enter a technical school, college or university, it all depends on the plans. Basic knowledge and elementary skills can be obtained at the school, and if there is a desire to achieve serious success in this area, need to go to college. Upon admission to the school you need to take exams in subjects of a regular educational school. It can be mathematics, Russian, chemistry, biology.

Subjects that are directly related to the work of the pastry chef are to be mastered in the process of training at a technical school or institute. Even after receiving a secondary special or higher education, there is always the opportunity to take advanced training courses or to study independently. This will provide an opportunity to improve, learn something new, improve your level and achieve new successes in the chosen field.

The profession involves a variety of earnings. It all depends on where the confectioner will work, in what area he lives, how much time he is busy at work, what qualifications and experience he has. For example, a beginner in a small cafe is paid a little at first (this may be, for example, a salary of 20 thousand rubles). While a specialist with great experience, who is popular, receives about 30 thousand. But in fact there is no limit. It all depends on how much the director is willing to pay to a good specialist, if it is a private institution.

You can work independently at home, then earnings will depend only on how many pastries and cakes are made, and this is directly related to the number of customers. Usually tasty and beautiful works are remembered, they are told to friends about, such a confectioner is recommended to each other. So there is a popularity and demand.

Before you reach some heights, you need to start from scratch, maybe do not the most attractive and creative work, listen to what the master says. A student without experience has the opportunity to observe the work of professionals, gain experience. But this does not mean that the beginning confectioner must strictly follow the instructions of the boss, you can also prove yourself, demonstrate your taste, strive to learn the basics of the profession. The assistant confectioner can quickly get a new rank, it all depends on his efforts and skills.

Over time, you can become an individual entrepreneur and produce your products. There is always a chance to earn some money and open your own little bakery or pastry shop.