pagosselin

Zoe, That sounds really good. I'm always looking for new peanut butter recipes, Especially if they are a little less sweet tasting. Pat

Kerry I have to add my 'THANK YOU' along with everyone else. I always look forward to your post. I found this funnel but I haven't ordered from them before. http://www.foodservicedirect.com/index.cfm...nery_Funnel.htm

That's true. In this case, the product I have does show a 'Best By' date. I was just surprised that invert sugar could go bad since I've never noticed one to get moldy or taste off. ← I have a question because I think I'm confused about this. Is invert sugar the same as invert syrup? Isn't the sugar dry like powder sugar and the syrup a liquid?

This is a site that sells agave nectar (A natural sweetner) and they also sell vanilla. Recently they sent me a recipe for marshmallows made with agave syrup. I thought I would pass it along. Follow this link for the recipe http://m1e.net/c?74378681-tbVkS/flvmu7.%40...9-hvmwT1HvWYUWA

Steve, Which chocolate do you use from Albert Uster? I have been wanting to try their chocolates but I hate to buy a 22 lb bag of something that I haven't tasted before. I have been using Callebaut but not completely satisfied with the dark (semi sweet). I am getting it from American Gourmet Foods in Washington DC.

Here's the number for their tech. assistance 800-774-9131 hopefully they can help.

Wow thanks for all the good info. I haven't made any yet but when I do I will use Nightscotsman's recipe. I would start with plain vanilla marshmallows. I have just used kraft marshmallows for the pops so far and they last forever. (Coated and sealed in bags) I thought with all the great comments about making marshmallows that I wanted to try some. My problem is that I need to start making them soon and the show isn't until Dec. 1st. It's a 2 day show so I need to have lots of chocolates made and packaged.

What is the shelf life of the homemade marshmallows? I want to make some for a holiday show but not sure how far ahead I can make them. I will be dipping them in chocolate and sealing them in cello bags. Should they be stored at room temp. or refrigerate for a longer shelf life? Any suggestions?

Here's another site you may want to check. www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/scale/recipeconversions.php

Have you tried refrigerating after dipping or rolling in fondant? And I suspect that you need to double or triple dip them in chocolate as well. It's been ages since I last made them, but I seem to remember rolling in fondant, refrigerating on wax paper for a bit. ← I also double dip in chocolate and sometimes I double dip in the fondant. I agree that you need to go slightly up the stems but sometimes there will still be a leaker. One other thing I do first is dry the cherries with a heat gun or hair dryer.

Lorann Oils also sells the cocoa butter. 1-800-862-8620 Can be pricing to ship though.

I bought a large wine cooler for storing chocolate.....it now holds wine because of humidity issues. I'm in Florida and it just didn't work well...maybe in another location it would do better. Also, the temperature range on the cooler is lower than I'd like and it had a tendency to fluctuate into the 40-50 degree range. ←

Your chocolates look beautiful. I definitely agree that people want to see the chocolates. You may want to look at this site www.sweetpackaging.com they have some very nice boxes. I have ordered from them and have been very satisfied. Most of there inserts are gold (not brown) and they have lots of boxes with clear lids. They have a 4 oz. rectangle shaped box I use. The long narrow shape makes it look like more than 4 oz. compared with a 4 oz. square box. One of their new boxes is a gold triangle shape with a gold insert, it is much more attractive than it looks on the site. These may be a little pricey though when you are just starting out.

Pastry Chef also carries it. Mark ← Also LorAnn Oils 1-800-862-8620 or www.lorannoils.com They are in Lansing MI. The last time I bought a 16oz bottle it was $11.00.

With the rev X the chocolate needs to have reached the tempered state(after the beep) then you can adjust the temperature. (Up or down). Hope this helps.

"Guess how I know?" I got a good chuckle from that. I would be willing to guess there would be, ah, one or two persons that have found things out the same way. I am looking thru the yellow pages to get some info. on steel shops. I have the hubby thinking about it also.

I was going to post about this as soon as I had found an ingenious way to add some weight to the bars but life got in the way. They are not the perfect answer but do work. I will try to find a link to the kind we are discussing and add it later. For now I brace them with a couple of heavy pieces of brass and for me they do the job. This is the basically what they look like: link They snap together to make a picture frame but you just need the aluminum bars not the assembly kit. It won't take a genius to figure out a way to add some weight into the grooves - I am just not being very brilliant these days. Edited to add link and comments. ← Thanks to everyone. It looks like JB Prince has the best price so far. I will look into getting them from a metal shop before I go and order them. Boy some sites are verrrry pricey. I won't be using them enough to pay the higher prices. Do these rods attach in any way? It doesn't appear they do. Is it the weight that keeps them in place?

Would anyone know a good source for some caramel rulers? Also how long can I keep transfer sheets and should they be kept in fridge? Thanks

Here are three more you may want to check out. www.modpac.com - www.sweetpackaging.com and www.impresspackaging.com I know Mod pac will break cases and sell as little as 50. They have a good quality box. Sweet Packaging also has some impressive boxes but I'm not sure if they sell in small quanities.