gurlPatis

I don't have the more expensive, fancy chocolate but, I do have different varieties of Merckens, Peter's and Wilbur that I bought really cheap, like $20 for 10lb. Does anybody have any experience blending them for either enrobing or for making frostings to make a tastier chocolate? Like using mixing Merckens Marquis with Peter's Ultra. I would appreciate a template to go by which would alleviate some of the headache of testing myself. does anyone know how to make chocolate cake with milk chocolate? how to replace dark unsweetened with milk chocolate? help, thanks.

Gotcha, thanks.

If it states 11lb, it's American and if 5kg it's Belgian, right? Any color variation in packaging?

Thanks. One more thing. How can I tell Callebaut Belgium from Callebaut N.A. packagewise?

Thanks Kerry. What brands of good quality real chocolate, both milk and dark, do you recommend for dipping? I just got the Merckens and Peter's from him and I have some Valrhona but, the Val seems more suitable for molding. It is a true couverture from the "fat content" stand point. I have to add cocoa solids to make it dippable. Is it just me, or is Valrhona milk chocolate really weak tasting?

Hi Kerry, I forgot to ask. What brands of confectionery coating have you tried and how have they stacked up against real chcolate. Do they taste really lousy or just different? I've never tried them before.

You just made a very valid point. I melted some last night to coat fondant centers and it is very thick. It took a bit of cocoa butter to thin it out but, it is as thick as Merckens. I don't know if it should be that way or not. As I stated before, I've never tried this brand before but, I have tried the Cacao Barry and it is more fluid than Callebaut. I do like the taste though. The owner wants to know exactly what to buy from Callebaut but this is my first try. Maybe you could talk to him about it, you seem to know quite a bit about this stuff.

I bought it from a place called stovercompany.com I found them by accident. The owner sent me a business card with my order with his facebook address so, I checked it out and he's going to be meeting with reps from Callebaut at the end of the month and would like input on what Callebaut chocolate is the most popular so he will know just what to order. I really don't know because this is my first time buying Callebaut, although I've used Cacao Barry before. Right now, he only has the Callebaut in chunks in 10lb bags. Let him know what you want on Facebook. Please, anyone with knowledge about the SEMPER brand, please let me know. I don't want to temper if I don't have to and I've never heard of confectionery coating costing more than real chocolate. He's trying to get samples from the company to include with orders but, I'm maxed right now. I want to get some cake flour from him. Anyone know of PURASNOW brand? Never heard of that either. He also has 11lb bags of Callebaut Cocoa for $31.67. I was afraid his stock might be old until I got my chocolate. Everything is fresh. I also bought a heap of Merckens and Peter's. Got Merckens Marquis for only $20.12 for a 10lb block. I thought the business was connected to the Russell Stover empire because of the obvious name and they're located on Russell-ton rd in PA.

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie and am seeking your help about a particular brand of confectionery coating that I've discovered. I recently bought about 70lb of real chocolate very cheap and it is great but, I noticed that the company also sells a brand of confectionery coating called SEMPER. And what's more, the coating costs more than the real chocolate does. It is around $38 for an 11lb block whereas Callebaut is only $35 for 10lb. The SEMPER does not require tempering either. I would like to try it if it tastes good as it would avoid me the bother of tempering. But only if it is good. Anyone have any current or past experience with this brand? I'd appreciate any and all input.