![[Streich's Candy and Cake]](./images/logo.gif){kind=logo}
| Candy Storage |
Melting Process |
| Filling Candies (Bon-Bons) |
Flat and Lollipops |
| Making 3D Candies |
Making Baskets |
| Painting/ Coloring the Mold |
Mold Care |
| Brush Care | |
|
|
| The page is provided to help with melting chocolate candy and making the completed items by using plastic candy molds. |
|
|
| Merckens and Van Leer Candy Snaps/Wafers will keep up to six months when stored in a cool, dry place, free from odors. Ideal storage temperatures are from 55F to 75F. Snaps/Wafers should always be stored in airtight containers to keep moisture out. Moisture causes the candy products to be thick when melting. If product absorbs too much moisture it will not melt at all. |
|
|
1) Put Snaps/Wafers into top of a double boiler.
2) Use hot tap water, (130F to 150F), in bottom of double boiler to melt Snaps/Wafers. 3) Let Snaps/Wafers set 5 to 10 minutes and then stir with a wooden spoon to hasten melting. NOTE: Do not boil Snaps/Wafers on stove. Product will thicken and will be difficult or impossible to use. Do not spill water in Snaps/Wafers. This will change the texture of coatings. They will appear streaky and become thick and grainy. Snaps/Wafers may also be melted in glass jars. Place Snaps/Wafers in glass jar and melt in sauce pan with hot tap water. Jars are convenient because you can clean off the top edge of jar, cover and store until next use. When ready to use again, take off cover, place jar in hot water and melt down. As melted coatings are used, refill jars with more Snaps/Wafers as needed. Coatings may thicken after prolonged heating. To thin, add Paramount Crystals. Add small amounts until you get desired consistency. Paramount Crystals are available at cake decorating and candy making supply stores. You may use vegetable oil if Paramount Crystals are not available. If you use oil, your candy will not set-up as firmly and will pick up finger prints easily. Coatings can also be melted in a microwave oven. Place 1 lb. of coating in a bowl or large measuring cup. Do not cover. Place in microwave oven on medium power. Microwave coating three minutes, then stir. Continue microwaving at short intervals until coating is melted. Be sure to stir between intervals. When using smaller amounts of coating, reduce microwave time. When coating is melted, place on hot pad and use immediately. If coating should thicken, microwave again to melted consistency. |
|
|
There are a large variety of molds suitable for filled candies.
Molds should be deep enough to coat, fill and cap.
1) Fill each cavity approximately 1/4 full. Pull coating up the sides of each cavity using a nylon brush. Be sure cavities are completely coated and don't leave any holes or bubbles. Also, be sure to coat evenly. You have now formed the shell to hold the filling. Coat one cavity at a time. If you spoon coating into all the cavities and then try to brush coating up the sides, depending on how fast you work, you will find that approximately half way through the candy will harden and you will not be able to finish the rest of the mold. 2) After you have finished the whole mold, place into the freezer until coating has set-up firmly but not frozen. If you freeze a mold you will hear a cracking sound when you remove it from the freezer. This means that your candy will leak when filled, especially chocolate covered cherries. Others may not leak juice like the cherries but will have a grease secretion. If shells crack, snap out and throw them back into double boiler, remelt and coat mold again. 3) Roll filling into ball and place into shell. Be sure to leave enough room for a cap. If fillings are too soft to roll into a ball, a decorating bag with a round tip will be the easiest way to fill shells. You must be sure to keep the top edge of candies clean so your cap will have a coating to coating seal. Otherwise your filling will leak out of the shell where your cap did not seal properly. NOTE: Our cremco brand soft creme filling is execellent and easier to use then the nougat type. 4) Cover the filling with a spoonful of coating. Be very careful not to overfill. If you overfill, your candy will have a rim around the edge and will resemble a hat. Using your brush, gently brush coating back and forth to smooth bottom of candies. Never tap a filled candy; the shell is very fragile. 5) Place mold in freezer until candy has set-up. When making candy you need to learn how to tell when the candy is ready to release from the mold. It is difficult to express in terms of time when your candy is ready for removal from the freezer. The larger your molded candy the longer it takes to set-up. If your freezer is packed full of food it may take longer. If your freezer is empty your candy will set-up faster. Further, after you open and shut the door a number of times, your freezer will take longer. When your freezer comes on again your candy will set-up very quickly. You must learn the shiny look and the dull look. When you spoon the candy into the molds it looks wet or shiny. As the candy sets up and releases from the mold, the mold takes on a dull finish. This means candy has released from the mold and is ready for removal from the mold. 6) Remove from freezer, invert mold carefully. Check to see if the mold looks shiny or dull. If the mold is shiny, return it to the freezer. If the mold has a dull look then release from the mold by carefully tapping mold. If candy doesn't release after tapping several times, return it to the freezer for another minute or two. NOTE: After molds come out of the freezer, bring back to room temperature before using again. Cold molds may cause air bubbles to appear. |
|
|
1) Use clean dry molds.
2) Spoon melted Snaps/Wafers into mold. Do not overfill; this will cause your candy to result in a rim around the edge. 3) Tap mold to release air bubbles. Also, this will smooth-out the candy. If candy isn't smooth enough, use brush in a gentle back and forth motion to finish smoothing. At this time, if making lollipops, add sticks and roll to coat. Coating sticks makes them more secure. 4) Place mold in the freezer and leave there until candy has set-up. 5) Remove mold from freezer and check for shiny or dull look. If ready, turn over and release candy from mold. |
|
|
There are two types of two piece molds. The first type is clipped
together and there is an opening where you fill the mold. The second
type is also clipped together but there is no opening to fill the
mold. The mold with the opening is easily made solid. First, clip
the mold together using bulldog clips or other clips that will
not damage the mold. Then fill mold through the opening until full.
Watch for air bubbles; remove by tapping mold or use paint brush.
Place in freezer until coating is set-up. Note: Remember,
when coating has a dull look, this means it has released from the
mold and is ready for removal. Remove from freezer, unclip mold
and take off one half of mold. Clean seam edge by carefully running
object, such as a toothpick, around the molded candy. Do not use
anything too sharp or you may damage the mold. Cleaning the seam before
removing from the other half of mold helps to prevent fingerprints
on candy. Sometimes bottoms of pieces need to be trimmed with a
sharp knife to make them stand properly.
You may make this same mold a hollow candy by clipping together as described above. Then fill 2/3's full and roll until candy completely covers mold. Drain excess candy from the mold. Place in freezer until candy sets up. The larger the piece, the longer it takes to set-up. Be careful not to leave in freezer too long, otherwise piece will freeze and crack. When candy has set up, remove from freezer and repeat this process at least one or two more times to thicken walls of candy. Meanwhile, place a small flat pan or tray in the freezer to cool. Remove cooled tray from freezer. Place wax paper on the tray. Fill mold approximately 1/3 full. Place tray over mold and invert mold so candy will run down and setup on tray. Quickly place mold on tray in freezer in upright position. This molds the bottom into your hollow piece. Leave in freezer until set up. Remove from freezer. Remove one half of the mold and clean seam. Remove the other half of the mold and trim bottom if necessary. To make a solid piece of candy using a two piece mold with no opening, fill one half of the mold to the edge and place in the freezer. Cool just long enough to set-up top half of candy. Remove from freezer. Fill other half of mold to the edge and then add approximately one more teaspoon of candy. Now take the half that has set-up and place on top of melted half. Clip together. Candy will bleed out of mold seam. This will assure that you won't have cracks at candy seams. Now that the mold is clipped together, turn over so that melted half is on top. This helps the two halves to adhere. Place in freezer. When ready, remove from freezer. Remove one half of mold and clean seam. Remove other half of mold and trim the bottom if needed. To make a hollow piece of candy with this mold, fill one half of mold and clip together. Roll mold until completely coated. Place in freezer in upright position and allow to set-up approximately three minutes. Remove from freezer and repeat this process one or two more times. Place mold in upright position in freezer until set-up. Remove from freezer, remove one-half of mold and clean seam. Remove the other half of mold and trim bottom if necessary. |
|
|
Some basket molds can be bought pre-cut. Most basket molds have
to be cut and trimmed. When cutting and trimming the mold, be careful
to leave enough edge for your clamps. Next, cut out the top of
the basket. This is easily done using a sharp pair of scissors;
be sure to trim edge carefully so the basket will be even. Clip
basket mold together. Fill 2/3's full and roll basket to coat mold
completely. NOTE: If you have trouble rolling basket,
you can use a paint brush to draw the coating up the sides of the
mold. Before placing mold in the freezer, stand mold in a Styrofoam
block. Make a cut in the Styrofoam large enough to hold the mold upright.
Another way to support the mold is to purchase hand clamps which
will clamp the bottom of the mold securely. The handles also serve
as a freezer stand for your mold. A third option is to stand your
mold in a bowl and fill-in around the mold with paper towels sufficiently
to support the mold. After standing mold upright, place in freezer.
When coated part of mold is set-up, remove from freezer and roll
basket to coat again. Return to freezer to set-up again. If basket
is small, coating twice is sufficient. Medium or large baskets
should be coated a third time. After coating basket three times
place in freezer to set-up completely. Allow extra candy coating
to accumulate in the bottom of the basket. The basket needs the
extra weight in the bottom for stability. This keeps the basket
from tipping over when filled. When basket has set-up, remove from freezer,
remove mold and trim as previously described. |
|
|
| Molds are colored by painting the smaller areas of a mold with a nylon
brush. Use small brush for painting small details and a large brush for larger
details. Melt colors. Dip brush into desired color and apply to an area of
the mold. Continue to do this until desired areas are colored. The last and
largest area you will spoon the color in and fill the mold. Never tap a mold
that is colored. Tapping the mold will cause running of the colors. If you
do not have enough brushes for all of the colors and you want to change the
color on the brush, wipe brush clean, dip into new color and brush on a paper
towel. Repeat the process until brush shows no trace of original color. Do
not wash brushes because wet brushes should dry approximately 24 hours before
using again. Another way to color molds is with a small 2 ounce squeeze bottle.
This bottle was designed for the purpose of coloring and filling small molds.
Fill bottle and use #1 cake decorating tip. When you turn the bottle up-side
down and squeeze, the candy coating will run out. When you stop squeezing
and release the pressure from the sides of the bottle the candy coating will
draw back into the bottle. Be careful not to apply too much pressure. Further,
excessive candy will cause the colors to run. The squeeze bottles also come
in 8 Ounce and 16 Ounce sizes. The larger bottles are used for filling molds.
The bottles must be placed in warm water between uses. When you are done
with the bottles, drain out melted coating. Place bottles in the freezer.
When candy has set-up remove from freezer, squeeze bottle and coating will
break up. You can now shake the hard coating from the bottle. Wash, dry and
store bottles until next use.
Another way to paint molds is by using parchment paper cones. Fill cone 1/3 full of melted candy coating. Squash sides of bag and roll bag down tight until you apply pressure on coating. Tape bag so that it doesn't un-roll. Bags are stored in the dry top of a double boiler with hot water underneath. When ready to use, lift cover remove color needed, cut small hole in end of bag and you are ready to use like a crayon to color. When done, return the bag to top of double boiler with cut end up. Replace double boiler cover. Double boiler acts as oven to keep bags warm so your candy coating will stay melted. Be sure to keep hot tap water under double boiler while coloring bags are in use. Candy Writers (colored candy in a tube) are yet another way to decorate molds, the primary use of the Candy Writer is to decorate a molded item, such as placing eyes or names on the candy, but it can also be used to decorate the mold before pouring the chocolate. Candy Writer info |
|
|
| Molds are only washed when too dirty to use. Plastic candy molds should be washed in lukewarm water. You may use a mild dish washing liquid if necessary. Do not soak molds, nor scour them. HOT WATER will discolor and warp molds. After washing, towel or drip dry; store flat. |
|
|
| Wash brushes in warm water with a small amount of dishwashing liquid. Wash brushes quickly. Never let a brush soak in water because glue will soften and bristles will fall out. After brushes are washed, gently squeeze out excess water and stand brushes bristle end up to dry. Brushes should dry for at least 24 hours before next use. |
