Few recipes can intimidate the home chef quite like soufflé, a temperamental dish that requires skill and patience, especially if you want it to rise properly and not collapse before you can eat it. Beyond using a good, reliable recipe, Gordon Ramsay has a great tip for making soufflé with perfectly straight sides for a show-stopping result.

Ramsay gave MasterClass an in-depth look at how he makes his raspberry soufflés. Once he’s filled the prepared ramekins with the soufflé mixture, he gently taps the ramekins to even out the batter, flattens the top with a spatula, then runs his thumb around the inside edge of the ramekin while rotating it so that the sides are cleaned of batter.

Wiping excess batter off the inside of the ramekin results in a soufflé with perfectly straight sides, and The New York Times notes that there should be about a quarter-inch gap between the inside edge of the dish and the soufflé mixture. Ramsay's soufflé is then baked in the oven and served immediately to avoid deflating.