Duff Goldman Reveals The Red Flags To Look For At Your Local Bakery

When it comes to expertise in baked goods, look no further than celebrity pastry chef Duff Goldman. From his masterfully detailed cakes featured on the mega-popular Food Network show, "Ace of Cakes," to perfecting something as simple as a chocolate chip cookie, to say Goldman knows bakeries is an understatement. But, as Goldman recently shared in an interview with Business Insider, not all bakeries are created equal — and he wants you to look out for a few red flags next time you're choosing exactly where to buy your breads and pastries.

Although these tips may not make or break your shopping experience, Goldman says these are just some of the things he looks for when he walks into his local bakery — starting with cleanliness. Although the exterior might look updated and sleek, it's important to investigate further for signs of a bad restaurant that you shouldn't ignore. Are the cases holding the baked goods clean, or are they littered with crumbs? Is there grease or food buildup? Use your best judgment, but if the answer is yes, it could be a red flag.

Like any aspect of cooking, smell is a strong indicator of whether or not an establishment serving food is up to par. Although the classic "smell test" isn't wholly reliable for identifying if food is bad or good, it's still an incredibly useful tool when it comes to choosing a bakery. The smell test not only applies to checking if a single item is spoiled or old — it applies to the entire space.

Goldman suggests following your sense of smell when you walk into a bakery. As you would expect, it should be emitting a pleasant aroma — like freshly baked bread and pastries. Clearly, whether or not the baked goods on offer actually smell deliciously inviting is a good indication of whether or not the food itself will be tasty. But if you're getting a whiff of cleaning product, or worse, a stale, unpleasant odor, it might be time to move on.

From storing ingredients at the correct temperature to the golden FILO rule (first in, last out), food freshness and safety is key at every level. Sure, baking typically doesn't utilize easily perishable products like fish or vegetables, but the freshness of each ingredient — such as flour, sugar, and other dried goods — still makes a huge difference. Bakeries often offer samples, which is a great test of freshness that you can actually taste. But if you can't, Goldman recommends using visual cues. Are the breads starting to wrinkle? Are the pastries looking dry or breaking apart? These are telltale signs the baked items have been sitting for a while and are beginning to stale.

But beyond these helpful tips that put your senses to work, there's one "sense" Duff proclaims is more important than any other — your gut. If a bakery doesn't pass the "vibe check," even if it smells incredible, you may need to go back to the drawing board.