TIL that my failed macarons were actually a humidity problem, not a technique problem

I had been making macarons for about 6 months and they kept coming out with no feet or hollow shells. I tried everything, different meringue methods, aging egg whites, sifting almond flour three times. Nothing worked. Then my neighbor who used to work at a bakery in Portland told me to check the humidity in my kitchen. I bought a cheap hygrometer for $12 and found out my kitchen was averaging 65% humidity. Once I started running a dehumidifier for a few hours before baking, my macarons came out perfect on the first try. Has anyone else run into this issue with other baked goods like meringue cookies or angel food cake?

2 comments

2 Comments

seanperry26d ago

Respectfully I gotta disagree here. I think people blame humidity way too fast when it's really about technique. I've been making macarons for years in Florida where humidity is always 70% plus and they turn out fine without a dehumidifier. The real game changer for me was learning to properly macaronage and watching for that lava flow consistency. Also oven temp and rack position makes a HUGE difference. I think your neighbor gave you an easy answer but you probably just got better at the process over those 6 months. Correlation doesn't equal causation. Sure humidity CAN be a factor but it's rarely the MAIN one people make it out to be.

eva_lewis26d agoMost Upvoted

Haven't you ever had a batch that looked perfect one day and completely failed the next for no obvious reason? Technique matters, sure, but humidity can absolutely mess with your timing and how long it takes for that skin to form.