Saturday, December 10, 2011
Chocolate Search 2
I was looking around for where to buy my chocolates when I came on a page at About.com that describes the various types of chocolates (semi-sweet, etc). It also states that couverture is the chocolate type used by confectioners because of the high cocoa butter content. So, that pretty much means I should be looking for couverture chocolates.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Chocolate Search
Well, school is ending Sunday, so I will be able to dedicate my study time to Victorian candy research, including making stuff! In view of that, I started searching for chocolate. For this break at work, therefore, I am going to go looking for info on high-quality candy-making chocolates.
Okay. According to Gourmet Candy Maker, the best chocolate is couverture (called "pure chocolate" on this website) by Callebaut, Sharfen Berger, Veliche, and Valrhona. The next grade down is premium chocolate (or "real chocolate" as they call it) made by Merckens, Peters made by Nestle, Guittard and Ghiradelli. The remaining grades in descending order are a regular candy bar, a baking bar, baker's chocolate (not really made for candy), chocolate chips, and coco buttons. At lunch, I am going to search for a source for the pure and real chocolates mentioned by this website.
A further search revealed a list of recommended chocolates at About.com. They are Belcolade, Blommer, Cacao Barry, Callebaut, Carma, El Rey, Felchin, Ghiradelli, Guittard, Lindt, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Van Leer, and Wilbur. Only 5 of these are also on the Gourmet Candy Maker list.
Okay. According to Gourmet Candy Maker, the best chocolate is couverture (called "pure chocolate" on this website) by Callebaut, Sharfen Berger, Veliche, and Valrhona. The next grade down is premium chocolate (or "real chocolate" as they call it) made by Merckens, Peters made by Nestle, Guittard and Ghiradelli. The remaining grades in descending order are a regular candy bar, a baking bar, baker's chocolate (not really made for candy), chocolate chips, and coco buttons. At lunch, I am going to search for a source for the pure and real chocolates mentioned by this website.
A further search revealed a list of recommended chocolates at About.com. They are Belcolade, Blommer, Cacao Barry, Callebaut, Carma, El Rey, Felchin, Ghiradelli, Guittard, Lindt, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Van Leer, and Wilbur. Only 5 of these are also on the Gourmet Candy Maker list.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Not abondoned; just busy!
It has been over 3 weeks since my last post? Dang. I wanted to do better than this. Anyhow, my two jobs and full-time school are pretty much taking up my time right now. Plus, I am still waiting for another book to arrive and the temperature to drop low enough for me to play with food. I did, however, find out that the local Sam's Club has Ghiridelli (sp?) candy making chocolates! I never thought of Sam's club as the place to get chocolate making ingredients. I may have to rethink that. Well, I just wanted to get something posted so anybody searching knows I am still here.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
It's been a week?!?!
Can't believe I haven't posted anything new for a week. Well, there really isn't much new. I bought a new thermometer for my apartment, and yes, my apartment is actually 78 degrees. Now I have to decide how much to spend for cooling. I still need to try a box fan in the window to see if there is any impact.
School and life have been taking up most of my time. I just didn't want folks to think I had abandoned this.
School and life have been taking up most of my time. I just didn't want folks to think I had abandoned this.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Huzzah, or the Victorian equivalent!
I was just researching granite saucepans, because it would be cool to do the recipes just like the Victorians. Well, my research indicates that granite saucepan is not a saucepan made of granite. It is what they called enameled cast iron due to the speckled patterns in the enamel that made it look granite-like. I thought enameled cast iron might not hold up to the high temperatures of candy making, so I didn't even think of using my enameled cast iron. That means, I HAVE THE RIGHT PAN! Okay, it isn't a saucepan; it's a casserole. However, I should be able to use it just like a saucepan. It will just be very difficult to pour. That means I am one step closer to actual candy making! Now, on to "how to cool my apartment" problem.
Getting busy . . .
Wow, my life is getting busy all the sudden. I am now the treasurer of two different college clubs. One of them keeps asking me to go to more and more events. At least I get a free dinner out of one of them. I've just discovered my cost accounting will be more difficult to get an A in than I previously believed. I am still looking for a job to pay for food and a proper church to join. On top of that, I am involved in court cases involving bankruptcy and an ex-wife.
Why am I putting that in a Victorian candy making blog? It is just to say my entries may not be as frequent as you or I would like them to be. I have not abandoned the project. From time to time, my focus may be drawn away.
Be that as it may, here is where things stand right now regarding candy. I am in the process of downloading a treasure trove of on-line historic cookbooks, including The Complete Confectioner from the 1850s. I have read two histories of candy with some fascinating results; and from these, I am putting together a candy timeline, a candy temperature chart, and a future reading list. I still have not found a sugar boiling pan I am happy with. From all the texts I have read, the pan needs to have a heavy bottom, to be nonreactive, and to have sides at least 4-5 inches high. I will probably go to the local restaurant supply store soon to see if I can find anything. I also need to stop at the Home Depot to see if I can purchase some marble scrap as my cooling surface. My apartment still is too hot to make candy. I am beginning to wonder if my thermometer is not functioning properly. I will stop at the Bed, Bath, and Beyond on Saturday to get a new one. If that still shows my apartment to be 78°F, I will next test a box fan to see if that lowers the temperature. I have recipes in the waiting for molasses candy and barley sugar. I found a reference to the use of "perlimpinpin" in barley sugar during the 18th century. "Perlimpinpin", as far as I can tell, is a French term meaning fairy dust, magic cure, or false medicine (snake oil), depending on the source, although there is a French company that sells a spice blend called "poudre de perlimpinpin." I am still trying to locate a recipe for this spice blend.
As you can see, I have been busy with everything. Now, I just have to decide what I like doing and limit my activities to those things.
Chow for now.
PS: Don't forget about my Suits and Soups Drive, which you can donate to by clicking here.
Why am I putting that in a Victorian candy making blog? It is just to say my entries may not be as frequent as you or I would like them to be. I have not abandoned the project. From time to time, my focus may be drawn away.
Be that as it may, here is where things stand right now regarding candy. I am in the process of downloading a treasure trove of on-line historic cookbooks, including The Complete Confectioner from the 1850s. I have read two histories of candy with some fascinating results; and from these, I am putting together a candy timeline, a candy temperature chart, and a future reading list. I still have not found a sugar boiling pan I am happy with. From all the texts I have read, the pan needs to have a heavy bottom, to be nonreactive, and to have sides at least 4-5 inches high. I will probably go to the local restaurant supply store soon to see if I can find anything. I also need to stop at the Home Depot to see if I can purchase some marble scrap as my cooling surface. My apartment still is too hot to make candy. I am beginning to wonder if my thermometer is not functioning properly. I will stop at the Bed, Bath, and Beyond on Saturday to get a new one. If that still shows my apartment to be 78°F, I will next test a box fan to see if that lowers the temperature. I have recipes in the waiting for molasses candy and barley sugar. I found a reference to the use of "perlimpinpin" in barley sugar during the 18th century. "Perlimpinpin", as far as I can tell, is a French term meaning fairy dust, magic cure, or false medicine (snake oil), depending on the source, although there is a French company that sells a spice blend called "poudre de perlimpinpin." I am still trying to locate a recipe for this spice blend.
As you can see, I have been busy with everything. Now, I just have to decide what I like doing and limit my activities to those things.
Chow for now.
PS: Don't forget about my Suits and Soups Drive, which you can donate to by clicking here.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Molasses more sticky than I thought.
Who would have thunk the subject of molasses would be so sticky to unravel.
My first problem is the recipes. One calls for "fine" molasses. Another asks for "good" molasses. Yet another requires "Porto Rico" (their spelling, not mine) molasses. I wasn't prepared to have to figure out differences in molasses, so off to another search on Google . . .
Okay. According to what I've found, "good" and "fine" are not grades of molasses. Molasses is made during three different processings. There is first-process, second-process, and third-process. During each processing cycle, more sugar is removed, so the product becomes more bitter. The first-process molasses is also called light. The second-process is also referred to as medium or dark. The third-process molasses is known in the United States as bootstrap molasses. There is also something British called treacle, a refined molasses from the Victorian era which is sweeter and more mellow in flavor than molasses. Sorghum is a syrup made from grains rather than grass, so it is technically not molasses. Taking all of this into account, I am going to define "good" and "fine" as the higher grades. Therefore, I wanted a first-process (fine) or second-process (good). Sooner or later, I will work with treacle, if I can find it.
Something I did not know about molasses, though. Although all its calories come from carbs, like sugar, molasses is nutritious. It is high in minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, selenium, and copper. All the metals a growing steampunk needs. It also contains uridine, which has been scientifically shown to help fight depression. Throughout history, molasses has been used to cure everything from arthritis to gray hair. Suddenly, molasses candy is sounding very appealing.
Next, I had to figure out which brands are which process. Grandma's Molasses comes in two types: Original and Robust. Their website says Original is pure cane juice. This means it is really not a molasses at all. Robust is a blend of first-process molasses. The only other brand I can find in the U.S. is Brer Rabbit. They have mild (first-process), full (second-process), and bootstrap. Amazon has 337 listings for molasses, including 5-gallon buckets and molasses dog biscuits.
So, off to the grocery store I went in search of molasses. My local big-box grocer is King Soopers (owned by Kroeger). They had a 12 fl. oz. jar of Grandma's Original for $3.99. I felt that was too expensive, so I checked the Dollar Tree. They did not have any molasses. I next checked the Mexican supermarket, Rancho Liborio. They did not have any molasses. I checked the Safeway, they had Grandma's for $3.99 and Brer Rabbit for $3.59. I was still not tempted to buy at those prices. My next stop was WalMart. They had the Grandma's Original for only $2.50 a jar. This is the first thing I have found at WalMart that actually made it worth the travel time.
I am now in possession of all the ingredients to make molasses candy. However, it will probably be a few weeks before I make the recipe. I am still looking for a good heavy-bottom kettle, and I have to try to get my apartment a little cooler. According to what I have read, the temperature has to be 68F with a humidity under 40% to make candy. Therefore, my next step is to find an inexpensive way to cool my apartment.
My first problem is the recipes. One calls for "fine" molasses. Another asks for "good" molasses. Yet another requires "Porto Rico" (their spelling, not mine) molasses. I wasn't prepared to have to figure out differences in molasses, so off to another search on Google . . .
Okay. According to what I've found, "good" and "fine" are not grades of molasses. Molasses is made during three different processings. There is first-process, second-process, and third-process. During each processing cycle, more sugar is removed, so the product becomes more bitter. The first-process molasses is also called light. The second-process is also referred to as medium or dark. The third-process molasses is known in the United States as bootstrap molasses. There is also something British called treacle, a refined molasses from the Victorian era which is sweeter and more mellow in flavor than molasses. Sorghum is a syrup made from grains rather than grass, so it is technically not molasses. Taking all of this into account, I am going to define "good" and "fine" as the higher grades. Therefore, I wanted a first-process (fine) or second-process (good). Sooner or later, I will work with treacle, if I can find it.
Something I did not know about molasses, though. Although all its calories come from carbs, like sugar, molasses is nutritious. It is high in minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, selenium, and copper. All the metals a growing steampunk needs. It also contains uridine, which has been scientifically shown to help fight depression. Throughout history, molasses has been used to cure everything from arthritis to gray hair. Suddenly, molasses candy is sounding very appealing.
Next, I had to figure out which brands are which process. Grandma's Molasses comes in two types: Original and Robust. Their website says Original is pure cane juice. This means it is really not a molasses at all. Robust is a blend of first-process molasses. The only other brand I can find in the U.S. is Brer Rabbit. They have mild (first-process), full (second-process), and bootstrap. Amazon has 337 listings for molasses, including 5-gallon buckets and molasses dog biscuits.
So, off to the grocery store I went in search of molasses. My local big-box grocer is King Soopers (owned by Kroeger). They had a 12 fl. oz. jar of Grandma's Original for $3.99. I felt that was too expensive, so I checked the Dollar Tree. They did not have any molasses. I next checked the Mexican supermarket, Rancho Liborio. They did not have any molasses. I checked the Safeway, they had Grandma's for $3.99 and Brer Rabbit for $3.59. I was still not tempted to buy at those prices. My next stop was WalMart. They had the Grandma's Original for only $2.50 a jar. This is the first thing I have found at WalMart that actually made it worth the travel time.
I am now in possession of all the ingredients to make molasses candy. However, it will probably be a few weeks before I make the recipe. I am still looking for a good heavy-bottom kettle, and I have to try to get my apartment a little cooler. According to what I have read, the temperature has to be 68F with a humidity under 40% to make candy. Therefore, my next step is to find an inexpensive way to cool my apartment.
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