Sticky Fingers
Do recipes turn out better when they're made by hand? Is the flakiest pastry made by hand, or is it indistinguishable from the batch made using a food processor? Are hand-mixed meat balls better combined and plumper than ones stirred and scooped with a spoon? Sticky questions, indeed...
Perhaps I'm old-school in preferring things made by hand - both to appreciate the technique and satisfaction of "making it from scratch" and to have a closer feel for how a dish is coming together, which I think helps with the quality of the end product. There are notable exceptions - what can be mixed in a stand mixer almost inevitably is mixed in a stand mixer, for instance. And I always think it's better to use a bit of gadgetry along they way rather than not to make it at all.
One of the pitfalls of the do-it-by-hand approach can be getting very sticky delving into the mixing bowl. It's not a part I especially enjoy. But I do like the fun of these meringue rings (meringues?) which aren't as gooey as they look...
