Jim D.

My first reaction to this idea was to wonder how I would cope with the sudden changes sometimes required in caramel making. When, for example, the caramel temp goes high too quickly, I remove it from the heat for a little while and turn down the gas a bit. I can't imagine that the Presto cooker temp would drop that quickly. I suppose if it's not too heavy, I could take it off the heat the same way. How quickly does the temp control respond to a change? Or do you use it more or less as a regular pot without too much attention to its temp controls?

That is interesting because I thought that in order to get the spreading of the cocoa butter/chocolate to make the dendrite, whatever is used for the "stamp" had to come into close contact with the cavity wall (as an artist might make a dendrite by pressing two sheets of glass together with paint between them).

Thanks for that suggestion. I didn't know you are a former chocolatier. When did you come to your senses and get out of the business?

I used the same thing, and with the first clay "stamp" I used, the stick came out after just a few times. After that, I removed the stamp from the cavity with the aid of a small knife inserted slightly into the side of the clay, and that solved the problem.

In continuing my quest to become adept at making caramel, I think the next step is finding the right pot. I have Rose Levy Beranbaum's caramel pot, which is fairly tall and narrow--ideal for making small batches, but I question whether it really qualifies as the heavy pot caramel requires (it is really quite lightweight, tipping over easily, and I am surprised that she would put her name on it). In any event, as I make larger batches, it is definitely not large enough. My next size up is an old Le Creuset pot. It certainly qualifies as heavy and works well for medium batches. But as I discovered yesterday in making Peter Greweling's Soft Caramel, it is not large enough when the foaming starts. My largest pot is a "ceramic nonstick" Greenpan, but it too is not heavy. So what do people recommend for fairly large batches of caramel? I suspect a Le Creuset of adequate size might require a bank loan, so perhaps something else?

Bob, thanks for that insight. I know you have a lot of experience cooking caramel.

If you would like to pick up a substantial amount of $$, bring some of those frogs to Staunton for the "Harry Potter" festival the weekend after next. I'm told that last year parents were seen handing over major amounts of cash for all sorts of junk, including some jelly frogs. Imagine what they would pay for a chocolate one! Apparently they play a role in the Potter books.

Thank you so much for that reply. I was hoping you would chime in. So perhaps I should add some baking soda? I like this caramel because it seems virtually foolproof--no crystallizing sugar (though I shouldn't tempt the sugar gods by saying that), but it does take a long time to cook. And I was not prepared for how much it expands during cooking, so had to switch pots halfway through.

Yet another caramel question: I just made Greweling's Soft Caramels (all-dairy version). I've made it before but maybe only once. I cooked it to a temp I thought would work for piping it and it is fairly thick, but it remains rather pale. I checked Greweling's recipe, and the photo there shows a rather pale caramel, just about like mine. Mine has a light caramel taste. Maybe I'm just used to the other kind (cooking sugar first to a dark brown, then adding cream), which gives that "bowl-you-over" caramel taste? But I have seen cut caramels considerably darker in color. I could not cook mine any longer or it would never pipe. Does this kind of caramel (a Maillard caramel, as @Chocolot refers to it) ever get darker? If I need to thin mine out to pipe it, should I add some cream and reheat slightly? I wish I had some way to bump up the caramel flavor.

Those are beautiful. You are so right about that mold. Same with half-spheres and cocoa pods. I suppose it's because they are so shallow, but although it means they are very easy to unmold with almost no sticking, they are very tricky to seal. In her videos Kirsten Tibballs of Savour points out that you really have to examine them at eye level to catch the tilt.

Very nice. Did you use white chocolate or white cocoa butter? My first attempt was not nearly so successful. In an experiment, a dark green (cocoa butter only) dendrite showed up fine against milk chocolate behind it, but in real production, the dendrite gets mostly lost. I think there has to be a background contrasting with the dendrite color (as in your case) for this to be successful, and I should have realized that.

Is adding a little extra EZtemper silk to cocoa butter an easy way to get an overtempered condition? If so, what percentage would you recommend?

That's what I make quite often and add some chopped pistachios to the shell to get some crunch and more flavor. Pistachio ganaches, in my opinion, don't have a lot of pistachio flavor. The gianduja also pairs well with other fillings, especially something with cherries.

Truly disgusting...in a beautiful way, of course.

Not completely sure what you mean. The bags go to the customer (still sealed), so they are not reusable by me. I suppose they can be used again by the buyer, depending how they open them. But these are sous vide bags and have no closure of their own (unlike a Ziploc bag, for example) and therefore would have a limited use without a heat sealer. I also use them to seal ingredients for freezer storage when those ingredients are in containers unsuitable for my vacuum sealer--for instance, kilo containers of fruit purée or nut paste. With the air still in the bag when I seal it, the purées acquire a minimal amount of ice crystals, but far less than if they have no protection. Leftover ganaches I vacuum seal, and they are like freshly made when I take them out of the freezer. The vacuum bags I reuse because they are considerably more expensive than the sous vide bags. Let me know if that's not what you meant.

Yes, the business selling the molds is in Vancouver. I assume the stated price of $10 is in U.S. dollars.

I like the look of the heart, but it's smaller than I like--I'm now between 10 and 15 grams. I deviated recently and got a cocoa pod and quenelle as I needed them for the Dubovik course, but they are too confining for me. But thanks for thinking of me. 😜 Seriously, these molds and the others from a Canadian source are amazing bargains.

I still use the method developed from the thread to which you linked and do more or less what you said you might do. I don't find Ziplocs or similar bags offer a very reliable seal in the freezer. If you can get the air out of the bag, that is an advantage, but reviews of hand-held vacuum sealers (does Ziploc still make one?) have been mixed at best. I got a big impulse sealer (16" wide) and bags to hold the three sizes of boxes I use, and I seal each bag individually with a double seal. I put the bags in the refrigerator for a day, then into the freezer. When I take them out to deliver to vendors or sell directly to customers, I move them from freezer to fridge for a day or so, then deliver them still sealed. Vendors all have coolers into which they put the chocolates for sale, and I provide (free) one box they can leave out on the counter (covered in plastic wrap) to entice customers. I enclose an easily visible note on each box that suggests the buyer let the chocolates come to room temp before cutting open the bag. So far, to the best of my knowledge, this has worked without fail--no spoilage, no sweating from humidity. It's a compromise for sure, but I don't see how real vacuum-sealing would work for my boxes (though if you read Greweling and others, they discuss doing so).

Yes, I was sorry I came across those listings. Even though I had a firm resolution not to buy any more molds, I saw a CW cube that I couldn't resist, especially for $10 each. But I was saved by the fact that the mold was listed incorrectly and wasn't what it said. The other seller had the same mold, but by then I had overcome my temptation...at least for now. It's a sickness, you know.

If by "time factor" you are referring to the time it takes to have a mold delivered, then I completely agree. There is one major vendor that takes weeks to get molds (they don't seem to have very many in stock), but bakedeco.com and chocolat-chocolat.com are fast. And if you want a great price on some brand-name molds, check out The Chocolate Life classifieds, where two companies are selling used molds at $10 apiece. If you are ever interested in somewhat larger half-spheres, I had some custom made and have extras I am selling on the eGullet classifieds forum.

I second everything pastrygirl said and would add that a half-sphere (also referred to as demisphere or hemisphere) is very easy to use and very forgiving (they usually fall out of the shell with little or no coaxing). Or if you want almost unfailing success, try a magnetic mold, for which you will need transfer sheets.

Now I'm really intrigued. Do you have a website yet?

From Andrey Dubovik's latest Instagram posting it would appear that he has managed to get the dendrite effect on a mold that is not smooth. Quite a feat.

@Kerry Beal, those are beautiful. What is the name of the color?

I'm sure you are correct. When, by the way, is your shop opening? I'm anxious to see what you are selling as you have such interesting designs.