Cheapskate confectionery frames

[jmacnaughtan]

Hi,

 

I've just picked up the most recent edition of Greweling's "Chocolates and Confections", and realized that I really needed confectionery frames to do most of the recipes.  Being the cheapskate that I am, I don't want to pay a lot of money for them, so I went down to the local DIY place and picked up 2 x 100cm hollow aluminium rods, measuring 10x12mm, which I cut in half to make 4 x 50cm rulers:

 

 

What I want to know (and I apologize if there is already a thread for this.  My searches came up with nothing) is whether these are safe to use in contact with confectionery centres, whether I need to treat them somehow or whether I should just cover them in cling film before use.

 

Also, are frames better suited for use on Silpat, acetate or parchment paper?  I have all three and a horrible image of a wave of hot caramel bursting free and smothering everything.

 

Any help and advice is appreciated,

 

James

[Edward J]

It's not the aluminum that bothers me, it's the fact that the bars are hollow--crud gathers in there and they are harder to clean.  Like you, rather than buy bars on-line or through a confectionary/pastry supplier, I got solid s/s bars cut from a metal supplier.

 

You can lay a sheet of cling film over the bars.  Before I got the metal bars, I had a wood frame that I layed a sheet of cling film over and poured my ganache into.  The only caveat to this is that you can't run a spatula or ruler across the bars to level the slab off--you'll pull the cling film or shred it.

[jmacnaughtan]

It's not the aluminum that bothers me, it's the fact that the bars are hollow--crud gathers in there and they are harder to clean.  Like you, rather than buy bars on-line or through a confectionary/pastry supplier, I got solid s/s bars cut from a metal supplier.

 

You can lay a sheet of cling film over the bars.  Before I got the metal bars, I had a wood frame that I layed a sheet of cling film over and poured my ganache into.  The only caveat to this is that you can't run a spatula or ruler across the bars to level the slab off--you'll pull the cling film or shred it.

 

You're right. I would have preferred solid bars but there weren't any, and there aren't really any other DIY stores within easy reach for the time being.  Do you think the film would be necessary?  I'd rather not have to use it, I like being able to achieve flat, smooth surfaces

[rajoress]

If you have clear contact paper, it is foodsafe, you can cover your bars in that then it would work better than cling film and would be washable...when I use my bars, I use them on top of a mat covered with parchment paper. Good luck!

Ruth

 

edited to say there has been discussion about contact paper being foodsafe and non foodsafe so I guess it is up to the end user. Prolonged contact is not good as it is plastic made from chemicals, so maybe that is not the way to go...

Edited November 19, 2014 by rajoress (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Couple of previous threads -

 

here

 

and here

 

I use mine on silicone, parchment or acetate -depending on the project.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Kerry Beal (log)

[minas6907]

I never got the hollow bars for the same reason Edward mentioned. Usually, the same place that sells the hollowed bars will also have angles. My go to frame is made from a 12 inch long, 3/4 inch aluminum angle. After they were cut, it did take some work to remove the burrs and smooth out the edges, but it was worth it. Although when I look back now, I wish I had just ordered stainless bars, its not like youll ever need to replace them.

As for the sheet, like Kerry said, it just depends on what your doing. I dont work with acetate much, but I would let caramel near it. And this is just me personally, I use parchment for baking, and my silpats for chocolate/sugar.

[jmacnaughtan]

Couple of previous threads -

 

here

 

and here

 

I use mine on silicone, parchment or acetate -depending on the project.

 

Thanks, I had a look at these threads but couldn't really see whether these hardware aluminium frames are actually suitable for contact with food.

 

I never got the hollow bars for the same reason Edward mentioned. Usually, the same place that sells the hollowed bars will also have angles. My go to frame is made from a 12 inch long, 3/4 inch aluminum angle. After they were cut, it did take some work to remove the burrs and smooth out the edges, but it was worth it. Although when I look back now, I wish I had just ordered stainless bars, its not like youll ever need to replace them.

As for the sheet, like Kerry said, it just depends on what your doing. I dont work with acetate much, but I would let caramel near it. And this is just me personally, I use parchment for baking, and my silpats for chocolate/sugar.

 

Unfortunately, hardware places around here are seriously lacking.  I wasn't too thrilled about getting hollow ones as cleaning will be an issue, but for now they are (hopefully) better than nothing.  I think I'll have to seal off the ends and tape them to whichever surface I need.

 

I did find a source on-line which cuts solid bar to measure, with four 400mmx12mmx12mm for around 40€ (around $45).  Apparently they do both aluminium and stainless steel, but I'll need to get a quote from them directly for the SS.  Is this a reasonable price for them?

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks, I had a look at these threads but couldn't really see whether these hardware aluminium frames are actually suitable for contact with food.

 

 

Unfortunately, hardware places around here are seriously lacking.  I wasn't too thrilled about getting hollow ones as cleaning will be an issue, but for now they are (hopefully) better than nothing.  I think I'll have to seal off the ends and tape them to whichever surface I need.

 

I did find a source on-line which cuts solid bar to measure, with four 400mmx12mmx12mm for around 40€ (around $45).  Apparently they do both aluminium and stainless steel, but I'll need to get a quote from them directly for the SS.  Is this a reasonable price for them?

Sounds a bit expensive for aluminum - but location determines cost I think.  Stainless is much more expensive and really heavy.

[Jim D.]

Thanks, I had a look at these threads but couldn't really see whether these hardware aluminium frames are actually suitable for contact with food.

I purchased stainless steel bars (I like the fact that they are heavy and stay in place), and at first I too was concerned about food safety.  I scrubbed the bars and washed them thoroughly with soap and water.  No dirt or metallic residue showed up.  In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I just assumed they were probably as food safe as many other things we use in baking and cooking.  Why would a cast-iron pan, for example, be safe for food?  I may be naive about such matters, but wrapping the bars in plastic wrap or foil doesn't work, so it was either plunge ahead or give up the use of frames (the plastic fixed-size ones being much too expensive).