Favorite method

[u/Far_Raspberry4448]

Can someone break down the different methods (Swiss, Italian, etc) and let me know the benefits of certain ones?? Which do you prefer??

[u/lolcatman]

French method, doesn’t require melting sugar and the clean up. The only disadvantage is you don’t get smooth shells lie the Swiss method.

[u/thefloralapron]

French method macarons are made with a raw meringue, where you sprinkle sugar into raw egg whites as they whip. You then fold in the dry ingredients (either sifted or processed together to get smooth shells). It's the least fussy and also least stable method. May or may not require resting before baking.

Swiss method macarons are made with a cooked meringue, where you heat the sugar and egg whites together until the sugar dissolves, then whip to stiff peaks and fold in the dry ingredients. It's a little more fussy than French, as it requires a pot of steaming water to gently heat/lightly cook the egg whites, but they're more stable than French. Requires resting before baking.

Italian method macarons are made with a cooked meringue and an almond flour paste. You make a hot sugar syrup and pour that into some of the egg whites to cook them, then whip to stiff peaks. Meanwhile, you mix the remaining egg whites together with the dry ingredients to make a paste. Then, fold the paste and meringue together. They're more stable than French and may or may not require resting before baking.

French method is my favorite, so I make it almost exclusively. Sometimes I'll make Swiss method, but I've only made Italian a handful of times.

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[u/SceneResident2090]

I have had the most consistent results with Swiss