Melting Chocolate ( wafers) Dipping Strawberries help is here! New Chocolate Fountain Tips here!
There are several methods for melting chocolate or melting wafers. In any case, the important thing to keep in mind is to go slowly and don't heat the chocolate too much, or it can burn and turn grainy.
Oven - this is a fair method, although it does take a bit more time than other methods. Turn on your oven to the lowest setting (usually 200 °F.) Put chocolate into ramekins and place in the oven. Check and stir the chocolate after about 10 minutes. Return to the oven if needed, or start making chocolates if your chocolate is smooth and melted.
Microwave - The microwave is another great way to melt chocolate, but you must watch it carefully. A few extra seconds and your chocolate can be ruined. Use the low or defrost setting on the microwave -- zap for 30 seconds, then stir, do it again in 10-20 seconds intervals, maybe twice more, and check and stir after each addition of microwave time.
Double Boiler - A double boiler is one pot set over another that has simmering water in the bottom. If you don't have a double boiler you can improvise one by placing a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. The only problem with this method is you risk getting water into the chocolate, which will make it seize, but if you're very careful the double boiler method works fine. Do not allow the simmering water to touch the bottom of the top pot (or bowl as the case may be).
Important Tips & Instructions for Candy Makers
Here's some advice from chocolate maker extraordinaire Kerri, who has been turning out exquisite looking chocolates for over 20 years and counting. With so much experience, she had some invaluable tips for candy makers.
Water is the enemy of chocolate -- even a single drop of water will make your chocolate (or candy melts) "seize" or become grainy.
To color your white chocolate you will need special candy colors (we like both the powdered or gel varieties). Do not use regular food color or food color paste -- both contain water which will make your chocolate seize!
When adding color to chocolate, add a little, stir and then add more if needed. It's better to add more than to have a color that's too bright. if you ignore this advice and add too much color, you can dilute the shade by adding more white chocolate to the mix.
You can use artists brushes to paint in the designs on your chocolate molds, but Kerri prefers to use squeeze bottles, or even lollipop sticks to paint the detail on her chocolates. She feels the offer more control and likewise turn out a neater finished product.
Never wash your chocolate molds with soap! Soap will remove the slickness of the mold, making it difficult to get the chocolate off. Also, for the same reason, always carefully DRY your molds after washing. Water spots can also cause spots where the chocolate won't release easily from the mold.
If your melted chocolate is too thick to paint, add a tiny amount of paraffin (included in our chocolate making kits) until you get the right consistency. You can also use vegetable shortening or cocoa butter for thinning, but it doesn't set as well as paraffin flakes. In any case, add a tiny amount -- no more than is necessary, as the chocolate will not set as well with too much thinning agent.
To hasten the chocolate setting, put the molds in the freezer for a few minutes, this will also avoid giving the finished product a cloudy appearance and instead will turn out glossy chocolates.
To un mold the chocolate after it has set, simply turn over onto a tray or table. Sometimes you may need to "pop" the chocolate out of the mold, more often than not, however, it will just slip out.
When painting and molding chocolate, frequently hold the mold up over your head so you can see it from the right side. This will tell you if you have any chocolate 'bubbles" or thin spots in the color that need to be touched up before the chocolate is finished. To get rid of air bubbles,tap the area under the bubble with your fingers until it pops.
If you make a mistake, or if extra chocolate dribbles in the wrong places -- don't touch it while it's still wet. Place the chocolates in the fridge or freezer to harden, then you can easily just pick off the parts you don't want there. If you attempt to fix mistakes while the chocolate is wet, it will only smear. Once it hardens, it's easy to fix any mistakes.
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is trying to paint every little detail. Don't -- you'll end up with a big mess. Just paint in enough detail to give the piece some character, then fill in the rest with white or dark chocolate. If you look at the Angel and Christmas Tree photo above, you you see that we could have put in a lot more detail, but knew we'd get a more attractive final product if we kept it simple.
Don't feel like painting all the details? Then just fill your molds with a solid color of chocolate or white chocolate for festive molded candies, then use Edible "Glitter Dust" to give them a shimmering effect.
Many chocolate molds give you the option of making a 3D figure. The turkey molds that come in our Halloween/Thanksgiving Chocolate Making Kits, are a perfect example. To make these carefully cut around the bottom "foot", or standing portion of the mold, until you have a hollowed out section " a mirror image" in both half's of the mold. Now join the two halves together with strong clips, and slowly pour in melted chocolate, tapping gently to release air bubbles, when nearly full "swivel and tilt the mold" until the bottom edges are coated with the melted chocolate, then turn the mold "upside down"( right way up) and pour out the excess. Now lay the mold first on one side, then the other, until it has " skin dried", but not fully cured, then repeat the above at least one more time, very large molds may require 3 "fillings".After the last " fill and dump", place the mold right side up, so most of the excess chocolate forms in the base, to help the molded piece stand,Put into the freezer to chill, then pop out of the mold as usual. You can still paint details into your 3D molds,like the turkey at right.
How to Make Hand Decorated Chocolates
The photos below will show you the techniques for making hand painted chocolates. You can use these techniques with any molds you choose.
Before you begin, take a look at your chocolate molds from the right side. Decide which parts you want to paint and what colors you want to use before filling in the chocolate. You actually need much less color than you think -- it's better to use for accents.
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Photos 1 and 2. Start painting the details on your chocolate molds.
3. Be sure to finish all the details of one color, then let it set before going on to second or third colors. In this photo, we painted Santa's face, beard, mittens and belt before filling in the red suit.
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4. After all the details of the mold have been painted and have been given time to set, it's time to fill in the mold. Simply spoon the melted chocolate into the mold, making sure it fill in all spaces. Gently tap the mold on the table to remove any air bubbles.
5. If making lollypop chocolates, like our Santa's Boots, fill the molds then insert the lollypop sticks. To put the stick in, gently push it in place, then rotate the stick all the way around so it gets coated in melted chocolate.
6. After your chocolates have completely set and hardened, carefully pop them out of the mold. Use a butter knife or hobby knife to trim off any excess chocolate around the edges.