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They work super well! Sometimes the sticks can get a little lopsided though if you don’t push them in deep enough but it’s an easy fix!
You're going to want a pill press machine.
https://www.amazon.com/Powder-Self-Made-Machine-Multifunction-Forming/dp/B0BGQ6TYLZ/
There's all shapes and sizes, some of them are mechanical with cranks and stuff. I just linked a cheap one.
(And no I have no idea if ordering a pill press machine puts you on some kind of list. It's probably fine.)
Two possible options. Wilton makes a White White icing color. It’s pretty opaque but will take a long time to dry (it has glycerin so it might just not set at all). It might be ok if you just have tiny details. another option in their Matte Color Dust (not the pearl) which you can dilute with a bit of vodka to make paint. It can get patchy if you paint a large surface but it will definitely dry and could work well with dots and details.
I use a funnel pitcher when I’m pouring caramel or toffee into silicone molds, works really well.
I just use white cotton canvas work gloves. Like this. There should be no grip dots, or polypropylene. Just cotton canvas. This is what I use after the candy has cooled significantly. Before then (like while it's still runny) I manipulate it on my marble slab with bench scrapers. I do use these to pull the candy, but it's still a bit toasty. Sometimes I throw on a pair of latex gloves, then acrylic gloves, then the cotton to help with layering up, but two cotton canvas gives would probably be best, I only have one pair. you could use 100% leather welding gloves to handle very hot candy.
it's sounds kind of ridiculous, but a little candy making book for a little girl is a great beginner's resource, and it has all the traditional methods of making candy. I love it.
I will definitely check out the videos!
Here's the chocolate I used but I don't have the wrapper anymore with the ingredients. I do remember that it didn't have coco butter listed but I wasn't sure if I should temper it or not so I did anyway. They set at room temperature as I didn't want them to end up sweating.
If money is no object, then it'd have to be this one Seriously, a copper pot vs. my normal pots, there's so much difference. I'd wanted one for years, but money was an object! The pot keeps the temperatures within 1-3 degrees across the entire surface. When I pour the candy out, very little sticks to the pan, it flows without having to do any scraping which reduces the chances of getting any extra hard candy from candy that heated too long and made it into the pan.
The IR I use is this one. We've used it for house measurements, water temps for my babies bath water, candy and grilling.
Í believe it is https://www.amazon.com/Mauviel-MPassion-2194-16-1-9-Quart-Saucepan/dp/B0002L5GII/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=copper+sugar+pot&qid=1628437745&sr=8-1 this one. It was a gift for Christmas last year!
I use this one. It has a remote probe so I can use it in the oven too. It has lasted over five years.
I’ve used this one from Amazon for all of my candy making after moving to the states (originally from DK so fairly addicted to licorice and especially the very salty kind)
Alpha Chemicals Ammonium Chloride - NH4Cl - 1 Pound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004V9UQ14/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Q36ASA1F804P8JVSNQXM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
The recipe below is very good and she breaks down each ingredient and what can be substituted, etc.
https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/real-gummy-bear-recipe/
This is a pretty good mold kit. Really you can use any brand just make sure it’s food grade. They are all very similar!
Alumilite Amazing Mold Putty Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058VAG5A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_1T5W1HFKEDR7RZDVBEGS
Not sure if this is the one you purchased, but I’ve seen several videos on youtube of people using it for gummy rings! Hope this helps!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2LEVYY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_lH38FbW15HW11
Here's the machine I'm looking at, what do you think?
It's on the pricier side, but I've been saving up since last year, so I think it's the one I'm going to pull the trigger on. I plan on using it for many years to come, and based on the reviews & the videos, it seems like a pretty solid investment.
That, and I have a friend who owns a chocolate shop who is looking at upgrading to a used machine (which is $40k new & $20,000 used), so $300 doesn't seem so bad in comparison lol.
The Chocovision mini Rev works well. It says 1.5 lb capacity, but it can really only temper 1 lb well at a time.
Decent budget models are around $80:
Sort of a high price for something to temper chocolate with...but:
- You get really amazing results. Not just with the tempering portion, but also being able to re-seal the vac-bag to store your chocolate for later, so things don't go to waste (or if you're like me, so you don't gorge yourself on the leftovers LOL). I use the FoodVacBag brand on Amazon for vac-seal bags. Usually I just re-seal & chuck in the freezer, which greatly extends the shelf life (good for a couple years that way because there's no air in the bag).
- You can use the wand for a ridiculous amount of other stuff (sous-vide foods like steak & chicken, plus jarred foods like Starbucks egg bites, creme brulee, mini cheesecakes, homemade pickles, etc.
- Good chocolate is expensive. Single bars of the good stuff are $4 to $8 a pop locally. I burned through a few bars with some pretty mixed results before discovering the SV method. Especially once you add up all of the ingredients for a small batch & are looking at $10 to $20 for everything required for a certain recipe, the pricing doesn't look so bad haha.
For me, it's just a hobby, but the magic sous-vide wand was a simple way to hugely level-up my results at home!
Hmm, I'll have to try cardamom caramels, sounds interesting! Were they good for like one try, or would you make them again? I did some apple-cider caramels last year that were pretty amazing, although I don't know if I would ever really make them out of the fall season haha. It's sort of like pumpkin spice stuff...love it in the fall, but not really any other time lol.
Oh yes, the cocoa powder should always be 100% cocoa, except when you turn it into hot cocoa mix. I meant that mass manufacturers have to add lots of sugar and milk powder in the process of making chocolate to cover up the crappy flavor.
One of the many chocolate jobs I've had over the last 12 years used Terrasoul cocoa powder for a while. They're pretty good, as is Navitas Organics. Both are readily available on Amazon and at Whole Foods and most other natural grocers (Sprouts, etc.)
Raw/unrefined or cold pressed cocoa butter is the way to go. It will retain a decent amount of flavor, and a good one should definitely smell like really light chocolate, and should almost smell sweet. It has a SLIGHT waxy smell, but if it starts to smell rancid or like paraffin wax (no chocolate smell) that's not the one to use. Terrasoul's cocoa butter has always been pretty decent.
So, a concher refiner is SORT of a mixer, but it's more of a grinder. They're usually a huge drum with weird arms inside that grind the chocolate against the walls of the machine. There are smaller versions that will do the job if you're deciding to become a more serious hobbyist, like this tabletop refiner (Premier Small Wonder Table Top Wet Grinder 1.5 Liter by SS Premier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KEptDbNKH13MX) but I definitely don't recommend trying to make any money off this kind of venture.
Lastly, Hershey's uses sour milk powder in their chocolate to give it a different taste. Milton Hershey basically had a bad batch of milk and just rolled with it instead of getting new milk and ended up liking the flavor more. Apparently, the company has moved over to using butyric acid instead of the rarer-to-find sour milk powder, but this is even grosser to think about - butyric acid is the same chemical compound that makes milk smell sour, cheese smell like a foot, and vomit taste... Well, like vomit. Delicious!
You need a depositing funnel like this https://smile.amazon.com/Lautechco-Adjustable-Chocolate-Decorating-Accessories/dp/B01KJ51MS4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512855647&sr=8-3&keywords=candy+funnel
I make caramels every year about this time and use a funnel like this. I deposit them into square silicone molds and get a very consistent result
No need to remodel. These are counter-top models ---> Like this guy.
I've got a digital one and it works quite well. My traditional candy thermometer got water in it and the label curled up, so I had to trade. So happy I did. http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTC450-Digital-Candy-Thermometer/dp/B00279OPDU/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1438259858&sr=1-1&keywords=digital+candy+thermometer
The Liddabit of Sweets cookbook is great. It walks you through the recipes, and has a sense of humor.
Everything I've made from it has been super tasty, too.
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