Guy Allan Davis - Things To Look For In A Cake Designer

Having worked as a pastry chef, cake decorator and wedding cake designer for much of his career, Guy Allan Davis is aware of what people are looking for when they seek talented cake designers. If you are looking for a cake designer, try to find all of the below before making any choices.

Examples of Real Work

Anybody can talk about how good they are, but it is the ones who can show you who should be given the most credit. When speaking to potential designers you should ask to examine examples of their work. This will allow you to see if the work is crisp and professional, as well as getting an idea for what the designer will bring to the table in terms of ideas.

Try Some Cake

The design of the cake is important, but it will mean little if the cake tastes awful. When you meet your designer you should ask to try a few samples. Most will offer this to you on their own accord, so be wary of any who are hesitant in providing samples or who try to change the conversation when you ask for a taste test.

Inspect The Setup

Professional cake designers, like Guy Allan Davis, will have all of the tools of the trade. As Allen states himself: “I have acquired an extensive collection of tools for my craft,” which is something that you should look for in all cake designers. Furthermore, the best designers will also offer contracts and other professional documentation if you choose to work with them.​

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Guy Allan Davis - The Benefits of Xanthan Gum

While Guy Allan Davis has worked to bring back time-honored entremets and traditional pasties from Europe, he also recognizes the need to innovate to ensure his creations are as enjoyable as possible for modern diners. In addition to focusing on presentation in the food that he prepares, he has replaced gelatin with Xanthan Gum in many of the baked goods that he creates. There are many people who may not have heard of Xanthan Gum, which is a thickening agent that is becoming increasingly popular for use in food and the creation of cosmetics due to is strong binding properties. With that in mind, these are all of the advantages that this agent has to offer.

Gluten-Free

Gluten is often considered to be vital in baking, not least because it is the component in bread that causes the flour to stick together. However, increasing awareness of gluten intolerance has led many to seek alternatives. Unfortunately, baked goods that are made without gluten tend to be dry and crumbly. Xanthan Gum provides the ideal solution due to the fact that it offers many of the same properties of gluten when it is added to a liquid, without containing the gluten that can aggravate conditions like celiac disease. As such, it can be used when creating gluten-free foods to improve the texture and make the end product less gritty.

A Healthy Additive

In addition to being used to make gluten-free foods, Xanthan Gum has come into wide use as a food additive, particularly for dishes that require binding agents. The fact that the gum prevents the formation of ice crystals has led to its use in the creation of frozen foods, ice creams and other frozen desserts. It also has similar characteristics to ketchup in that it can be squirted out of a bottle easily and settles on the plate quickly, making it simple to use for chefs and food preparation specialists.

Cosmetics and Medicine

Further to its myriad of uses in food preparation, Xanthan Gum is also regularly added to lotions and other liquid cosmetics, primarily because of the binding properties that were previously mentioned. It allows for a smoother and more even application of cosmetic creams, so that they can be more effective. It has also been used in various medications and pills, plus it is often taken as a standalone substance by people with dry mouth as its properties allow it to act as a synthetic saliva.

Allergy Warning

While Guy Allan Davis advocates the use of Xanthan Gum in baked products, it is important to point out that some people may be allergic to the agent. In these cases, it is best to avoid Xanthan Gum altogether, so ask about it when buying food or cosmetics.

Guy Allan Davis - Becoming A Pastry Chef

Guy Allan Davis is a pastry chef who prepares many different kinds of desserts and bread. He also makes wedding cakes. He is focused on providing his customers with a consistent experience and is always looking for new recipes to please them. If you are thinking about becoming a pastry chef, these tips can help.

Culinary School

If you want to become a pastry chef you should get the proper training by attending culinary school. You will learn different baking and cooking techniques and will be given time to perfect your recipes and your skills.

Internships

While you are attending culinary school or after you graduate you will want to work with other professionals and have a chance to apply the skills you learned or are learning in culinary school. You can do this by completing an internship at a restaurant or under a chef.

Entry Level Jobs

You may not be ready to open a restaurant or bakery as soon as you graduate culinary school, but you can work as a pastry chef at an entry level position. You may be an assistant baker at a restaurant or you may even be able to work under another baker in a bakery. You can then work your way to other positions.

If you are looking to become a pastry chef like Guy Allan Davis, the above tips can help you. Being a pastry chef can allow you to be creative and make a living doing what you love.
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Guy Allan Davis - Cleaning Your Chocolate Molds

Guy Allan Davis makes wedding cakes and other pastries for a living. He uses many different techniques to decorate his masterpieces and molded chocolates are some of his favorites. If you are going to use chocolate molds, you need to know how to clean them properly. These tips can help.

Spray Them Ahead Of Time

Spray the chocolate with a non-stick spray to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the molds and to make them easier to clean. You can choose from a variety of different types of cooking sprays so choose the one that works best for the type of chocolate you are using. Make sure the mold you are using calls for non-stick sprays.

Soak Them Overnight

You should soak your chocolate molds in warm water overnight to help loosen up the chocolate and make them easier to clean. Some types of molds may even be able to be soaked in dish soap and water.

Dishwasher

Many types of chocolate molds can be washed and cleaned in the dishwasher. Dishwashers have the ability to scrub the molds well and can remove chocolate that may be stuck in the small or tight parts. You may want to soak the molds before you put them in the dishwasher.

Guy Allan Davis enjoys making molded chocolates and using them to decorate the desserts he makes. If you use chocolate molds to create decorations for your pastries and treats, make sure you know how to clean them properly.
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Guy Allan Davis - Using Local Ingredients For Cooking

Guy Allan Davis has been a pastry chef and baker for several years. He loves being able to prepare tasty treats for people to enjoy and takes pride in using local ingredients to create them. There are many benefits of using local ingredients in cooking. If you are a chef or baker, you may want to consider using local ingredients in your recipes too.

Helps The Community

When you buy from local farmers or buy local products, your money is going back into the community. Not only are you supporting a small business, but you are helping to improve the community and helping the people who live there better themselves and make a living.

Fresher

Buying from local sellers means you get the product when it is fresh and new. Most people bring their homegrown or homemade products straight to the market or store to sell them so you know they are fresh when you buy them.

Healthier

When you buy from a local vendor, you know what you are buying. Most of these products are probably produced on a small scale and contain very little preservatives and may not have been sprayed with pesticides or other things.

There are many reasons to use local ingredients in your foods. If you are a professional chef or baker like Guy Allan Davis and want to add something unique and special to the food items you prepare, consider using local ingredients in your cooking.

Guy Allan Davis - How to Develop and Advance Your Career

Guy Allan Davis is a pastry chef and a wedding cake designer. He knows that taking practical steps to advance in your career can help you reach financial goals and feel a greater sense of job satisfaction. To advance your career and do your own job well, you need to constantly improve yourself.

To move forward in your chosen career, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses and improve both. Find ways to improve your weaknesses and build your strengths; this will help you to do what you do well even better.

 

Career planning is essential; plot a course for your career and take the necessary steps that you need to get to your desired career destination. If you know where you want to go, you stand a much better chance of getting there.

The most successful and happiest professionals are those who understand their work, and what it takes to do a good job. To develop and advance your career, hone your technical competence and know exactly what the management or client expects from you.

Networking is an important way to build and expand professional relationships; attend networking events in your field and follow up with contacts you have made. Also, learn to listen more to others: get to know what others in your workplace like or dislike, and try to understand them on a human level without judging them.

Finally, if you don't have a mentor, consider finding one. A mentor, formal or informal, can be a valuable asset in developing and advancing your career.

Guy Allan Davis is a master chef and a member of World Master Chefs Society. He specializes in patisserie designation in pastry. He graduated from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada.

Guy Allan Davis - The Use of Reduced Sugar in Desserts and Chocolates

Of all the styles employed in making desserts, using less sugar doesn’t sound particularly appealing. However, pastry chefs are embracing this trend, and not just for the publicity. As Guy Allan Davis knows, one of the main reasons for cutting on sugar is for health reasons. For many diabetics, consuming a low-sugar diet is one of the recommendations. Additionally, pastry chefs are also using less sugar to produce better tasting desserts.

Using reduced sugar in desserts and pastry products doesn’t always make for an easy baking process. More to just making food taste sweeter, sugar is one of the ingredients that give desserts their texture and impacts the lifespan of the product. So if a chef is going to cut back on sugar, they have to be creative and find other ways to make up for its advantages.

Many chefs have looked into various ways in which they can reduce sugar without affecting the quality of the final product. For some chefs, this is achieved by using three-quarters of half the sugar a dessert recipe would call for. Doing this has an effect on, for example, cakes and cookies. But they have to be careful with how much sugar they cut back, otherwise, chefs risk making unpalatable products.

Beyond reducing the sugar by up to half the required quantity, professional chefs can rely on other sources of natural sweetness, like dried fruit, honey, and chocolate chips, among others.
In his career, Guy Allan Davis has supplied an outstanding product line, including artisan bread, pastries, cakes, and chocolates.
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