Fresh from his win at the Asia Pastry Cup 2012 Team Pastry Australia captain and Le Cordon Bleu Sydney head culinary teacher Andre Sanderson shared the secrets of using silicone moulds with baking industry publication, Australian Baking Business.

Appearing in the June/July 2012 edition of the publication Chef Andre explains the benefits of using silicone moulds for creating detailed impressions and main structures when crafting sugar or chocolate showpieces. His mini master class article in the publication included some great tips to ensure that regardless of food medium that you get the best possible outcome for your sweet showpiece.

Air bubbles are a common issue for using both cooked sugar and chocolate, with bubbling occurring where the food medium came into contact with the silicone. To alleviate this problem in sugar Andre suggests heating the surface with a torch and melting the fine bubbles. For chocolate moulds with especially fine detail the chocolate may need to be pre-brushed into the mould to reduce air pockets.