Getting more in Chocolates
“Chocolates have a certain effect on a person. Who does not like chocolates?”
Here are some tips on handling chocolates what to do with them when you find one in store:
Avoid chocolate blocks in chillers or coolers
Chocolates are not supposed to be placed in the fridge so if you happen to look into processing them for candies or making other sweet delights, look for a store that keeps their stock in room temperature and not in chillers. The effect of really low temperature on chocolates is basically drying them out. The major difference is that the powdery texture that a chocolate block has when it spent some time in the cooler. This will definitely carry on when you melt them for candies, truffles or Ganache.
Avoid stirring too much
This is a really common mistake when people try to melt chocolate in a double steamer. It would be best that you use a flat spatula and turn the chocolate instead of actually stirring it. If you are able to let the melting take place more naturally you can avoid air bubbles forming which would then give a smoother texture on your finished product.
Avoid direct fire when melting chocolates
There are a lot of people that still has the notion that melting chocolate on direct fire. This should not be the case. You can use a double steamer instead. What you can do is use a pot wherein you can fill up with water. You can then get yourself a bigger bowl wherein you can set on top of the pot. Make sure that the bottom part of the stainless bowl does not touch the water. In fact at least allow 1 to 2 inches gap between the water and the bottom of the bowl. You can just go ahead and bring the water to a boil and turn the heat off. You can then place the bowl on the pot and melt the chocolate from there. It would also help if you use a fruit peeler to shred the chocolate block for easier melting. You can notice that a chocolate had burned if at its melted state it starts to clump.
Your imagination is your limit
You may be surprised at how easy it is to work on chocolates. In order for you to be able to make the most out of your chocolate making experience is to try out things that you may think would taste great with chocolate. You can do this by having chocolate fondue. This way you can practice a bit in melting chocolate and come up with some ingredients that may taste great with chocolate.
This is just the basics of making sure that you are able to enjoy chocolate further. True, you can buy chocolate bars in stores but you may be surprised at how therapeutic chocolate making is. Allow yourself to experience the sensation of actually being able to challenge your senses while making them. If you want to look into a hobby, this may just be the one for you.