John DePaula

Never were truer words spoken! I remember sitting at my computer with a ruler trying to figure out how big 'X' mm would be; it wasn't easy. And yes, I did end up with some that were too large. It's just so much easier to see the molds before buying. Definitely take Kerry up on her offer.

Yes, exactly. You can do both transfer sheets and structure sheets if you want a more 3-D surface. Examples of both are in the demo: Demo: Transfer Sheets on Chocolate Bonbons, Using Magnetic Chocolate Molds

1) Never buy a bar that has no 'Best By' date; otherwise, how do you know? 2) Don't buy a bar that has obviously been stored incorrectly e.g. in a sunny window, or too hot a space I've had the same experience with G&B that you've had - it's not a fave. In the Dagoba line, I've enjoyed the 74% New Moon bar but haven't had one in years. I hear that the quality is inconsistent.

By all means, start with the clear Belgian molds. That way, you can see if the chocolate was tempered correctly. Also, pay attention to the height of the piece. It's easier if all of the pieces in a box are at the same height so that your candy pad sits flat and the others don't knock around too much.

The shelf-life is not unlimited. And really, it just depends on how well it was stored away from light and moisture and heat. I'd say, at least a year under normal conditions but probably not much longer.

Ya know, I thought their Phinney bars are fine for what they are - kinda veering toward the 'novelty' area. But their premium Theo bars are surprisingly gritty / sandy. Have you tried Amano Chocolate Bars? Also Devries Chocolate should be considered. ETA: I haven't found them in stores but want to try Patric Chocolate, too.

The home page loads for me, but if I click on any other link I get the following message:

It's hard to make recommendations about what would be readily available where phan1 lives, wherever that is, but... Do you live near a Whole Foods or a gourmet supermarket? They often have a lot of good chocolate bars there e.g. Pralus or Valrhona. Try a Valrhona Caraibe (66%) or Guanaja (70% - may be too amer (bitter) for the novice), or Tainori (64%). I tend to like the higher percentages (70% or above) so it's difficult to recommend things below that. Even good bars that are below 70% often seem too sweet to me (with the above being an exception). How about a Felchlin Cru Savage (68%) or Maracaibo (65%). I've liked any Chuao or Porcelana bar that I've tried: Domori, Amadei, et al. Callebaut might be a good place to start since you see it lots of places, usu. in a big broken chunk. HTH

Yes, yes, there is indeed a huge difference among chocolate bars, even among the same manufacturer. Unfortunately, I've got a big pot of caramel on the stove right now so I can't get into it much today. However, I will say that if you can't tell the difference then it doesn't make sense to spend the extra money.

Thanks for the info, folks. I'll try to pickup a copy somewhere. There's quite a range on the prices that I've found. Kerry, seems like I looked through L'envers du decor back in 2004 and made a note to get it at some point down the line. As I recall, it seemed pretty good. Thanks again.

Don't see a dedicated thread to this book. Does anyone have Jean-Pierre Wybauw's book on the art of making chocolate decorations? If so, how do you like it and how does it compare to similar texts on the subject? TIA

Would you, please? Thanks!

To deviate a bit. How would you coat marshmellows with caramel? Do you just dip them? ← I think Kerry Beal did a demo of this on a thread somewhere...she basically made a layer of caramel and a layer of marshmallow and either rolled them together (like a sticky bun) or she rolled the marshmallow up in the layer of caramel and then cello wrapped the pieces. ← Is that here? -->Confections! What did we make? - Post #276

That looks wonderful to me!

Lior, mrose means that you stick the two molds together BEFORE the chocolate has set. Keep them together with the rubber band so that they stay aligned until you're ready to unmold them.

Take a look at my post here-->Sicilian Quandry - Post #3

I love that!

I couldn't find the topic either. Why not just make a caramel and cook to about 112C?

Try a local grocery store. Even if they don't sell the purees to the general public, they might be willing to sell you a single container if one of their suppliers carry it. At twice the price, of course...

Well, I thought it was obvious that way I stated it but apparently not... I would never be so rigid to suggest absolute cooking times. But yes, cooking/boiling for at least 2 minutes... I'd say, and stand by, that.

Yeah, I like the Kirkland brand, too. Very good at a good price point.

Generally, I find the store brand at Whole Foods "365 Everyday Value" to be of, well, good value. Olive Oil, Rice Milk, etc. all seem to be pretty good esp. when compared to prices on anything else. DISCLAIMER: I sell my chocolates there, just so you know.

Thanks - of course, I picked the one decent-looking specimen to photograph . I really appreciate all of your willingness to post your tips and tricks -- it's not like I'm really starting from ground zero here. I read through this entire thread before getting started, so I had a leg up. Lots off good info here and over in the other confections threads. Of course, no one mentions how hard it is to tell the top of a ganache when it falls off your fork after it's been covered in chocolate. I think several of today's attempts are sideways or upside-down . ← Chris, are you putting a thin pre-coat of chocolate on the ganache before cutting? If I've dropped a piece in a pan of chocolate, I can usually tell which side is up by tap tap tapping the piece.

Indeed! Chris, the dipping looks excellent, really!

I have a jar of glucose I got from local cake supply store. Shouldn't be too hard to get. I am Hungarian as well and can give them a source once I get home and look on my cantainer for the producer or distributor. ← Oli! Koszi! Dobd nekem egy email. robidawson@gmail.com Thanks everybody. I just asked Oli to send me an email with the info... but if he posts it here that would be just as good actually. BTW, what is invert sugar? ← invert sugar is just regular sugar (sucrose) that has been broken down into equal parts of glucose and fructose. Common name of invert sugar is Trimoline. Honey can be a good substitute if you don't mind the flavor cast of the honey.