I've kept things simple with the French method so far, and I've always been very nervous about over macaronnage-ing, but I just watched a video in which the host used the Italian method and seemed to just go to town on the batter (once the tant pour tant is incorporated) like there was no risk of over-doing the macaronnage step.
Does the syrup in the Italian method make the meringue more resilient as it cools? Are there any other differences between the results of the two methods than simply how they're achieved?
Any comments about preferred methods would be appreciated as well!
Best Answer
I'm not sure how I missed this answer before I posted the question, it wasn't a very difficult thing to Google... Anyway, here seem to be the differences between the results of the two methods:
As far as I can tell the smooth, matte, fancy looking macarons seen across the internet are the Italian method (I'm guessing that the syrup helps with the shell). The French method is less steps, but I will definitely need to give the Italian method a shot!
Sources: