Archive for January, 2012

How long can I store chocolate I’ve melted and formed into molded pieces?

Question by Allison H: How long can I store chocolate I’ve melted and formed into molded pieces?
I am making “chocolate leaves” for my wedding but I want to get them done when I have the time (i.e., now as opposed to a few days before the wedding). I am assuming I will need to freeze these. The molds are detailed and we’ll be piping another color on top just before wrapping and getting them out to the wedding. So how long can I store my leaves for and in what kind of container situation?

Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by Doc Hudson
Personally I’d wait a while I’d wait quite a while before I started making those leaves.

Sometimes frozen chocolate discolors from the freezing. I’d suggest that you not store them more than a month, and if possible I’d story them in a refrigerator or at room temperature rather than in the freezer.

If you don’t freeze them, you won’t have to thaw them and risk melting.

Good Luck.

doc

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Posted by Chocoholic - January 24, 2012 at 3:40 pm

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Desserted: Recipes and Tales from an Island Chocolatier

Desserted: Recipes and Tales from an Island Chocolatier

Desserted: Recipes and Tales from an Island Chocolatier

If you’ve ever had a fantasy of living on a Maine island, this book is for you. It,s just icing on the cake it that is also happens to involve chocolate. Kate Shaffer and her husband moved to remote Isle au Haut nearly seven years ago. Once there, they were inspired to open a chocolate company and cafe featuring delicious chocolate and fresh Maine ingredients. Now their products are shipped all over the world ~ and their island cafe is a true Maine destination. This armchair travel log and cookbook all in one describes the fantasies ~ and fantastic realities ~ of island life in Maine while featuring more than forty-five of Shaffer,s delicious recipes for her renowned chocolates and chocolate-inspired recipes from her seasonal cafe.

List Price: $ 29.95

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Posted by Chocoholic - January 24, 2012 at 9:43 am

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Homemade Chocolate Candies

If you truly are a chocoholic like you say you are, you might be interested in making chocolate candies all by yourself. Fret not, the process in creating most of the candies that you love is actually easier than you think. And with practice and regular taste testing, you can even come up with a recipe that is all your own.

Homemade candies always have a special place in our hearts and it’s always entertaining, and even more so when you gather little children and teach them how to make one.

The key to making excellent homemade candies is to follow all the steps vigilantly. If it particularly says to stir constantly, then do so. Otherwise, your chocolate will end up burnt or with a grainy consistency.

Whether you are cooking with milk, dark, or even white chocolate, you must always keep the temperature exactly like how the recipe that you are following states.  If you are planning on giving it as a gift, you must place it in an attractive container.

Cookie s’mores is a good alternative which replaces chocolate by using fudge striped cookies instead. Putting in marshmallow in between two cookies would form a sweet sandwich without even the help of chocolate. On the other hand, peanut butter s’mores is made out of peanut butter cups rather than plain chocolate.

If you’re looking to give it to a diabetic, try looking up for recipes that don’t call for anything that have sugar. These recipes utilize artificial sweeteners that are diabetic-friendly.

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Posted by Nikita Gould - January 19, 2012 at 12:39 pm

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Chocolate Ingredients

Chocolate has never failed to entertain people. Aside from its beyond pleasant taste, it can enhance one’s mood due to its nutritional contents. However, chocolate is not always healthy. When its processing takes too long, it is bound to lose its flavonoids which have antioxidant qualities that help fight free radicals that can cause certain types of illnesses.

To boost the value of chocolates all the more, manufacturers have come up with the idea of putting in ingredients that add up to their nutritional value and palatability. Such ingredients can be classified into two categories: common ingredients and exotic ingredients.

The most common ingredients are nuts and fruits. Nuts that are usually found in chocolates are almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts. Nuts are known to pack a lot of nutrition. Studies have shown that it can enhance the brain activity and it even helps in fat-burning, great for the figure-conscious people.

Previously, the only fruits used in chocolates are berries. As time passed by, chocolate has become more out of the ordinary and it now contains other fruits such as coconuts, oranges, pineapples, and even exotic fruits like durian. Berries are known for their antioxidant properties while the other chocolates add fiber and vitamins. Other common ingredients put in chocolates are honey, butter cream, and caramel.

Exotic ingredients that manufacturers are putting in their chocolates such as wasabi, curry, and even red chili pepper that gives a different kind of kick. Other exotic ingredients found in chocolates are fungi in the form of mushroom and plants like tongkat ali and even roses. Mushrooms contain vitamin B2 and it is proven to help in the production of red blood cells and calcium in the body. Tongkat ali is an organic drug which is proven to help in energizing a person, while roses contain vitamin C which is known to boost the immune system.

There are other exotic ingredients that are not listed here. So go ahead and try them out yourself!

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Posted by Nikita Gould - January 18, 2012 at 12:15 pm

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Chocolate Business Gifts and Unique Corporate Gifts

Running out of ideas to promote your business? If printed papers or cards have crossed your mind, don’t even bother resorting to it.

Instead, be deliciously unique and have anything you wish printed on chocolates! Be it your business name, logo, name it. 50% of what you pay for go to charity, so you can also rest assured that you don’t only get to help your business, but those in need as well.

Enjoy this video on chocolate business gifts and unique corporate gifts.

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Posted by Nikita Gould - January 17, 2012 at 5:00 pm

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How do they make “white” Chocolate ?

Question by [Un]beloved: How do they make “white” Chocolate ?

Best answer:

Answer by santiago
White chocolate is a confection of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk solids. Unlike chocolate, white chocolate contains neither chocolate liquor nor cocoa solids. White chocolate does typically include lecithin as an emulsifier, and certain flavorings, particularly vanilla or vanillin. The low melting point of cocoa butter allows white chocolate and chocolate to remain solid at room temperature, yet melt easily in the mouth. As such, white chocolate has a texture similar to that of milk chocolate, and through the use of undeodorized cocoa butter, retains some degree of its flavor.

White chocolate can be difficult to work with as occasionally when melted the cocoa butter can split and create an oily compound that cannot be recovered and must be discarded. As with chocolate, as soon as any water is introduced into the melted product it rapidly turns lumpy, grainy and unusable. It must then also be discarded. Some brands respond better to baking than others. Some have a tendency to brown from being baked.

Like chocolate, it may be purchased in large or small bricks, but these can often be difficult to work with as one must cut off chunks with a knife, often resulting in inaccurate portioning. Pastilles (small chips) are often a more precise way to use white chocolate.

White chocolate can be used for decoration of milk or dark chocolate confections or in any way the chocolates might be used.

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Posted by Chocoholic - January 17, 2012 at 5:24 am

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Silikomart Silicone Chocolate Dinosaur Mold

Silikomart Silicone Chocolate Dinosaur Mold

Silikomart Silicone Chocolate Dinosaur Mold

  • Chocolate dinosaur mold; made from 100-percent food grade silicone
  • Durable and versatile; can be used for cooking in a traditional oven or microwave or freezing
  • Can go straight from the freezer to the oven
  • Can be used in temperatures from-76 degree F to as high as 446 degree F
  • Made in Italy; dishwasher safe

Make your chocolates look as good as they taste with the Silikomart Chocolate mold. Mold is durable and versatile; it can be used for cooking in a traditional oven or microwave or freezing. It can, in fact, take temperatures as low as-76 degrees F (-60 C) to as high as 446 degrees F (230 C) and can go straight from the freezer to the oven. Flexible with deep cavity and easy to use. Great for making chocolates, butter or ice. Mold can be washed either with hot water or in the dishwasher. By Silikomart. Approximately, cups measure 1.57 by 1.18 by 0.47-inch. Made in Italy.

List Price: $ 10.99

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Posted by Chocoholic - January 16, 2012 at 2:51 pm

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