Astro Findings
Mistakes are meant to be eaten, especially when playing with candy and chocolate making. Let the good times roll! The purpose is, commence with a great attitude, and just have pleasure. Candy making is not too difficult, and I know that you’ll pick it up very easily, and find out a brand new and fun hobby, with benefits! Wait till you observe the magnificent treats that can be made. Who knows maybe, you will even start a small business and earn a few dollars.
First a word of recommendation: Buy a top notch quality chocolate, not the dreadful waxy tasting stuff that is sold at really low prices. Every single time that I’ve done a flavor test, the test person picks out the better chocolate. It creates a world of difference. My suggestion for a really good melting chocolate would be the Merckens Chocolate® brand. This brand is usually bought in stores that sell cake and candy decorating supplies.
There are several methods to melt chocolate to a superbly smooth texture. We want the chocolate to become a great and even consistency since it must be poured right into a mold. The type of chocolate that is recommended is called a candy coating or a confectionary coating. This type of chocolate does not require the careful melting types of treatments of “real” chocolate. Real chocolate needs to be tempered, which is a method of heating and cooling the chocolate at strict temperatures to get it the right consistency. Confectionary coatings come in Milk, Dark, White, Peanut Butter, Mint, and a variety of colors. Seek advice from your local Cake Decorating store to find out what varieties they stock.
The microwave oven is a convenient technique to melt chocolate. It’s quick and easy, but be sure to use a microwave safe bowl. Do not overcook the chocolate, you ought to actually undercook it. Melt in 30 second intervals, and stir in between. The chocolate can be melted in a microwave safe bowl, in a plastic microwave safe bag, or in microwave safe plastic bottles. The chocolate needs to be completely melted and smooth, with a nice shine to it. The chocolate can then be poured right into the mold.
The 2nd melting method is to use a double boiler. The lower pan should be filled up with water and the top pan is filled with chocolate. Heat the bottom pan of water to a simmer, after which remove it over the heat. After that put the chocolate filled pan on the top of the water pan. Continue blending without beating, until smooth and fully melted.
Our third method will be the employment of a slow cooker or Crockpot. This is good for big quantities, something like three to five pounds. So, put some of the chocolate in the Crockpot and set on the minimum heat. Please don’t use the upper settings, because the chocolate will burn. Stir the melting chocolate, occasionally while it is melting. Put in newer chocolate as the original chocolate is melting. It’s going to take a good twenty to thirty minutes for three to five pounds of chocolate to melt.
Our final method would be to use a warming tray. This process is helpful since you can melt more than one color at a time. Place the chocolates in an oven-safe glass bowl and set them on the top of the warming plate. The temperature is required to be set on low to medium and stir when melting. As soon as melted keep the temperature on low. This will keep your assorted candy colors at the best melting temperature.
For additional information and help with Candy Making please visit our oasis online website.
Tags: candy making, candy making supplies, candy making supply, Merckens, Merckens chocolate
Posted in Desserts · March 19th, 2010 · Comments (0)
Cookies seem to be everyone’s favorite. In fact, they are the number one dessert consumed in the United States, some $4 billion per year. That’s lots of cookies. In fact over 95 % of households devour cookies each year. Cookies are actually classified into 6 different methods of preparation. They are: drop, molded, pressed, refrigerated, bar, and rolled. Although in the U.S. we do not name a cookie by its preparation category; we do classify a cookie by the dominant ingredient that it possesses, like; chocolate, peanut butter, nut, fruit, etc. Bakers are now even making cookies with rolled fondant icing. So wouldn’t it be good to create your own?
A cookie is described as a thin, sweet, usually small cake. They might be prepared in myriad shapes, flavors and textures and usually are categorized by the way in which there’re formed. Their dominant ingredient, such as nuts, fruit or chocolate chips, can also classify them. Whether gourmet, soft or bite-sized cookies, new categories are always cropping up; no one book could hold all the formulas for all of the assorted types. Observe that some cookie types are subtypes of others and there could be a fine line between certain categories of cookies; as an example identical dough can either be hand shaped right into a ball or dropped from your spoon. There are also specialty and holiday cookies made up from all the categories.
Cake Decorating doesn’t need to be a sophisticated task. Cookies can instantaneously turn from plain to decorated, but it does take rehearsal and time. Below are some beginner tips:
1. Pick a recipe that creates little leavening and makes a level cookie instead of a puffy one. They decorate much more easily and look better.
2. Next, cut out and bake your cookies. Let them cool thoroughly on a wire cake rack before blending the colours and frosting. Don’t mix a lot ahead of time since the icing will crust or dry out. (Crusting is a skinny layer of icing that hardens on top. It may be difficult to get rid of. In the event you stir even a small amount into the icing, you may ruin it.)
3. When cookies have cooled, blend cookie frosting – At the outset separate frosting into small bowls before coloring. You may need larger or smaller amounts depending on the color being utilized. Cover up immediately using a damp paper towel as they can dry rapidly. Set aside some white in case you need to rectify a color.
4. For piping decorations, you can fill small parchment cones for each color, fitted with a decorating tip or use a squeeze bottle with the tip cut-off.
5. Fill parchment cone roughly half full. Set each one in a tall drinking glass for each of the colors you happen to be using and keep within reach. First put a damp piece of paper towel in the bottom of every one after which put your parchment cones in the glasses with the tips resting on top of the paper towel to maintain them from drying out and clogging the opening! In case you are using buttercream, you actually don’t need to do that.
6. You are now ready to decorate! Have fun and keep in mind to eat any of the mistakes!
Ready, Set, Go, find a store that sells cake decorations and start baking.
Tags: cake decorating supplies, cake decoration supply, cake decorations, candy making, rolled fondant
Posted in Desserts · March 18th, 2010 · Comments (0)