Why are macarons so expensive?
為什麼馬卡龍這麼貴?
獲得12.7k好評的回答@Kelsaey L..Hayes
Because they are extremely tricky to make and many of their ingredients can be expensive and/or difficult to source.
因為它們很難製作，很多原料都很貴或者不易獲取。
Macaron shells are made by folding almond flour (or some other nut flour) and confectioners sugar into a meringue (sugar and egg whites). Sounds easy enough, but it has to be done just right. The ratio of sugar-to-almond flour-to-egg has to be very precise — you have to weigh your ingredients to the gram; you can't do it by volume. I suppose you could but it could easily mess up your batch.
馬卡龍的殼是一層杏仁麵粉(或其他一些堅果麵粉，糖和調和蛋白製成。聽起來簡單極了，但是要做到恰到好處很不容易。糖、杏仁麵粉、雞蛋的比例都必須非常精確。需要將原料按克稱量;另外，你不能按體積來計算。我覺得其實你可以按體積來算，但是這樣很可能會搞砸的。
Assuming you've even measured the ingredients properly, you need to fold it correctly. Under-mix and they'll be stiff. Over-mix and they'll be goo. You have to pipe the shells to be uniform in size, rest them so they can lose their peaks and watch them like a hawk for as long as they're in the oven. If anything anywhere in the process goes wrong, the entire batch can be lost. And macarons are as much about looks and style as taste; a cookie that tastes good but is burnt, missing its foot or cracked will not cut it.
即使你恰當地稱量了材料，你還必須正確地把它們捲起來。不充分混合他們會變硬。過度混合它們又會太軟。你必須把這些殼都捲成統一的尺寸，把它們放在一邊，讓它們變得柔軟，從放進烤箱的開始一定要一直看著它們。如果步驟中的任何一處出了差錯，整個一批就全部白費了。一個小曲奇味道很好但是烤焦了、少了一個角或者破了是不會有什麼影響的。但是馬卡龍的外形、樣式和口味一樣，都很重要;
The fillings don't have to be that difficult. I've used buttercream, ganache and candied fruit, among others. It's the shells that pose the difficulty, and unless you want a plain shell, you'll need to invest in good-quality vanilla, edible flowers, cocoa, flavor compounds, spices and dye. Most of that ain't cheap, and neither is almond flour, unless you buy it in bulk.
內餡沒有那麼難做。我用了奶油乳酪、巧克力醬和果脯等等。其實是殼使得製作難度提升，而且如果你不想讓殼平平的，你就需要買很好的香草醬、可食用的花瓣、可可粉、混合調味劑、香辛料和染料。它們大都價格不菲，扁桃仁麵粉也是，即使你批發，還是很貴。
In summation, the comparatively high cost of macarons is a function of their difficulty to make; the time it takes to make them; and the cost of their ingredients, many of which are highly specialized. Most people are also unwilling or unable to make them at home (they are not cupcakes and there is no boxed mix for them), so they're willing to pay more to get them from a bakery.
總的來說，馬卡龍的高成本來源於它的製作難度、製作時間和原料價格，這其中的大部分都需要很專業才行。大部分人也不願意在家製作它們(它們不是杯子蛋糕，也沒有混合好、方便製作的原料包)，所以人們願意花更多的錢去麵包店買馬卡龍。
（編輯：何瑩瑩）