Questions For All You Chocolate Pro's

[keeganluvscake]

I have a few questions about chocolate. I'm not interested in making candy or anything. I know you have to temper the chocolate for that. I was wanting to take a stab at gourmet caramel apples for Halloween for family and friends. Could I use that Wilton melting pot for stuff like that or does that also need to be tempered? I was checking out the tempering machines and WOW are the expensive but I'm sure great for chocolate pros.

Kelley

[2sdae]

For what you are wanting you could melt hershey's or doves chocolates in a double broiler and drizzle on or coat..may need to add a little oil to it to thin it though....I am not familiar with wilton's melting pot.
edited to add: I AM NOT A CHOC. PRO BY ANY MEANS.

[LadyDZA]

I know you dont want to temper, but it's not so bad, I swear!! I use Ghirardelli chocolates for my apples, and here are the instructions I use.
Ghirardelli :: Tempering

I've also had good luck with using the Ghirardelli chocolate chips and adding in a tablespoon of shortening and melting it in the microwave. I've done this for strawberries. But for apples you need so much chocolate that it might not be a good way to do it, depends on how many apples you're planning to do.

[keeganluvscake]

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'm intimated by tempering and prob a bit lazy looking for the "easy" way out! I don't even own a double boiler LOL! I will have to borrow my Mom's and will let you know the out come.

Kelley

[LadyDZA]

You dont need to buy a double boiler---make your own.. Get a pot and fill it a little way with water and start it to boiling, and then get a glass bowl about the same size, just a little smaller, with handles (like a pyrex) and sit it down inside it, making sure it's not touching the water.

That's what I do at least. I use a 2 qt pot and then set my glass pyrex inside it so that the handles are whats holding it up on the pot. ...Did that make sense?

[jeri]

If you are using the Wilton Melting Wafers, the pot shoud work fine. I use them quite a bit with strawberries and they are super easy to use. Not as good as fine chocolate but if you are just starting out they are a breeze to work with. Just be careful to not get them too hot... especailly the white. It will sieze up and the only thing you can do is toss it. Also... be sure you do not get any water into the chocolate... that makes a nice mess too! I really cheat... I put a pan on water on the stove and get it hot... put my wafers into a pyrex measuring cup generally use the 2 cup one... set the cup into the hot water for a couple of minutes and stir the chocolate until it melts. I take the cup out of the water and use it till it starts to harden up then put the cup back into the water till it is melted again. You just need to be careful that you are always stirring it keeping a close eye on it.

I used to teach chocolate making. We had home based parties and we always used the melting wafers. I somewhere have a ton of recipes for great fillings for peanut butter cups, mounds bars, snickers, choco cherries, turtles, cream filled in different flaovrs, toffee... tons of them. I will have to see if I still have these recipes somewhere... Now I want to make chocolates! It is really easy. Time consuming but tons of fun!

[keeganluvscake]

Jeri, I have the Merkens wafers. I wish you lived near cos I'd love to take a chocolate class. Would love the recipes! Thanks!

[jeri]

Merkens are the same. Not as good as a good quality chocolate but you don't have to temper them and much easier to work with. I will see if I can find the recipes. If I don't have them I think my sister still does. She makes chocolates every Christmas. I kind of got away from it because I want to eat them all!!!