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The Right Tools For the Budding MasterChef
By AnnaMae Sangster, Founder of Butter and Bright
We’ve all been there, the screen flickers and you involuntarily swallow a mouthful of drool. The camera pans out to the frantic pulse of a tv kitchen. The chefs on screen are a mix of all ages and race, they are all similar to you in some small way, all bound by a devotion to the world of food. The kitchen whirls chaotically, spectacularly. A flexible tray with steaming sponge slab is plonked down and rolled ready to be filled and decorated. The smallest offset spatula becomes part of the chef’s hand smoothing silky meringue onto a silicone tray before the glistening sheet is baked into shards. Deft fingers stretch at a silicone mould, gently maneuvering a smooth mousse form to eject. Flashing chefs tweezers skilfully place a tumble of jewel berries and red-veined herbs. Frozen gel spheres are immersed into unctuous pannacotta moulds to form a surprise centre. Tiny crown-like tea cakes are popped from their ring moulds, each immaculately ridged and dredged in syrup and cinnamon.
The crescendo builds, it’s the last seconds, tweezers and spatulas sparkle again, frantic last second touches, plates are perfected, dabbed and jabbed and the countdown screams to a halt, chefs tumble into limp exhaustion, their plates the very antithesis of their struggle and race against time. The plates, minimal, thoughtful, understated, modern, architectural even. Each element playing against the other and creating a delight for senses, creamy, textural, sharp, zesty, fragrant.
You sigh with a mix of contentment and envy. Food and creating food, it’s what you do – you love to feed, you love to create. You know you’d have the skill to make plates nearly as perfect as these you see on screen. You are itching to try. But here’s the catch.
The tools and equipment
Those contestants had basically a full warehouse to choose from! Also while you love the idea of technical, chefy, 40 step recipes – they are impossible to create often!
This is exactly the predicament I found myself in a few years ago. From being a hospitality obsessed child to an adult equally enthralled by the machinations of the restaurant world, the obstacle in our way was always those mentioned.
It was at a dessert class featuring layered gorgeous entremets desserts where the nucleus of the idea for my business came to me. It was unfair I considered that to re create just one of the desserts I had learnt I would have to spend a bucket load of cash on new silicone moulds, particularly if I was to make them for a crowd and needing multiple trays of moulds. Also in true maximalist style – I didn’t want to invest in mastering just one dessert for the rest of my life – I wanted to recreate all of them!
Knowing I couldn’t be the only one in this position I thought – let’s create a haven for home cooks and small business bakers, where good quality, lower priced tools are available with a healthy dose of kitchen hacks / chef shortcuts and a boost of confidence thrown in!
Hence Butter and Bright was born and our vision is to be the resource for those who devour cooking shows and long for tools and resource and ideas to create inspiring plates.
From the moment of packing our first order in October 2017 our vision and mission has remained the same. Many many moulds have passed thru our home garage where I pack orders, our kitchen where I test and perfect recipes and hacks and photograph (badly I admit) efforts, too many to count and I could never pick a favourite one!
Here are some of the results from our moulds:
THE CHIA PUDDING
Click here to read the blog post associated with this beauty that was created by Emelia Jackson of Masterchef fame. Tools used for this dessert are listed here
FIG + PISCO SOUR COCKTAIL WITH HEART ICE
Click here to read about Butter and Bright's collaboration with THE GROUNDS in Sydney.
Heart Mould used here
RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE TARTS WITH JESS LIEMENTARA OF MASTERCHEF FAME
Read about and view the tools used for these lovely tarts here
DARK CHOCOLATE AND PASSIONFRUIT FERRERO ROCHER WITH JESS LIEMENTARA OF MASTERCHEF FAME
Darkly delicious – view the tools used and read about these desserts here
How glorious do these all look? But do you need something a little simpler?
Here are some lovely photos of a few easy treats that have been whipped up in our moulds.
Left to right:
Delicious white chocolate blondies (a packet mix) using Cylinder Tube Mould
Microwave chocolate fudge for Christmas using Art Deco Brick Moulds and Domes
Cheat’s vanilla Ice cream in dreamy Cotton Cloud Moulds
Cheesecake made in Art Deco Brick Moulds
Rhubarb Pannacotta made in our Cylinder Tube Mould
Easy layered trifle with Ice Cream Quenelles and Mini Jelly Domes
In conclusion – Butter and Bright have a firm vision and desire to inspire and help home chefs and small business bakers. Whether you love technical, chefy recipes with lots of steps or quick kitchen hacks both resulting in beautiful, artistic plates Butter and Bright are here to help!
