At Maison & Objet in Paris tomorrow Italian brand Alessi will present a collection of pastry-cooking utensils by French designer Matali Crasset.

Called Essentiel de Pâtisserie, the range includes a whisk, bowl, spatula and serving plate.

Crasset developed the project by observing pastry chefs at work with pâtissier Pierre Hermé.

More about Matali Crasset on Dezeen:

Open Room No. 1 furniture (July 2009)
Tree sculptures for a school playground (July 2009)
La Maison des Petits children's centre in Paris (May 2009)
La Cantine de la Ménagerie de Verre in Paris (May 2009)
Living Wood exhibition at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris, France (December 2008)
In Vino Veritas glassware (August 2008)
Apparitions book (October 2007)
A Rebours furniture (September 2007)
8ème Ciel sex toy (March 2007)
Children’s furniture (February 2007)

Here's some text from Alessi:

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“Essentiel de Pâtisserie” - matali crasset and Pierre Hermé

To understand the main and principal uses of pastry shop utensils, the designer observed pastry chefs at work in Pierre Hermé’s atelier. She studied this cosmos in minute detail, noting how everything including gestures, proportions and deadlines, is precise and rigorous, while utensils are rational and extremely straightforward.

“I decided to define a clear use scenario for each instrument”, explains matali, “with the main aim of maintaining the simplicity I had observed in the patisserie utensils. I therefore designed objects that are at once professional and generous, by which I mean that they are also accessible even to non specialists.

The “Essentiel de Pâtisserie” collection consists of three indispensable instruments for the pastry chef’s ‘panopoly’ – the Cul-de-poule mixing bowl, the Whisk and the Spatula – and a plate for serving cake.

The Cake plate

Says matali, “This plate is a pedestal. As a matter of fact it is there to put the spotlight on the cake, to show off the high quality pastries, and in this sense is an invitation to become a gourmet. The idea came to me while I was pondering concentric circles in pastry making. In this case too, the range of colours has been developed precisely to radiate a harmony that is both lively and stimulating”

The Cul-de-poule mixing bowl

The Cul-de-poule is a semi-spherical stainless steel container that comprises an amusing round bump which allows you to mix the ingredients in small quantities at first, in particular at the beginning of the recipe, hence before increasing the proportions to be mixed in the main container. Says matali, “I love the image of the pastry chef embracing the utensil with a gesture that is both fluid and carnal. In contact with non-slip silicone, the movement is more distinct and effortless and you can use the bump as though it were a handle...”

The Whisk

This utensil combines two elements: a Whisk with elastic wires and a corolla equipped with rigid wires wrapped in silicone. In the flexible version, ie. Without the corolla, it can be employed for light operations such as beating egg whites. With the corolla, on the other hand, the utensil becomes more rigid and can be used for thicker blends such as creams and pastes. Says matali, “Bestowing two distinct uses on the same instrument is a way of simplifying and rationalising the work of the pastry chef. I have combined the archetypal form of the work with the corolla of vegetal inspiration”

The Spatula

The spatula is the upshot of the fusion of a plastic spoon and a silicone blade. It therefore has two functions: the rigid part serves to mix the ingredients at the beginning, while the soft part allows you to finish a mixture and scrape the container empty. Say matali, “For this particular item the idea was to mingle a spatula with a spoon, hence to bring about mutation rather than evolution”