Marble boards

I believe one of the most important tools in candy making is a good marble or granite board. When I first started making fondant, I used a glass cake pan to pour and stir it in. It took extremely long and was very laborous.

I finally invested in a granite stone and found it made the process much easier. It is also a very important tool for making other candies and for hand-dipping chocolates. I wanted to offer these on my website to help you have access to this important tool. I was concerned about the weight and cost of shipping and as I was searching I found a material that works perfectly.

I had heard marble was a better stone to make candy on and found a thin marble board. I tested it side by side with my granite slab and found that I liked the texture of the fondant on the marble board better. I have tested it on all my recipes and for hand-dipping and I love it. The bonus to this material is that it is very light weight. I have mounted rubber pads on the bottom to prevent the board from sliding and scratching the counter. I have since gotten rid of my heavy granite slab. I love this marble board and I'm sure you will too.
 

Pans

A heavy-bottomed pan is very important when cooking candy. Pressure cookers are the only pans I have found to have a good heavy bottom. I've experimented with the stainless steel and aluminum pans. I prefer the solid aluminum. Stainless steel heats too quickly and I found that it scorched my candy. I never had any problems with the aluminum. I use and recommend the pan I offer. It has a heavy, solid aluminum bottom not a sandwiched metal-layered bottom. It is a 6-qt. pan which is large enough to hold your candy recipes and has two handles for more control for pouring out hot candy.

You can find the pan in the candy making tools section.
 

Thermometer

One way to avoid mistakes when making candy is to have a good, reliable thermometer. When I first started making candy ,not knowing what to look for, I purchased one of the glass candy thermometers. I got very frustrated because it was hard to use and I hadn't learned to calibrate it so it was inaccurate. I eventually threw it away and used the water test.

The water testing worked for me but it wasn't very accurate. I would have some batches too soft or too hard. It was hard to be consistent and accurate.

I learned from a friend how to find a good thermometer and how to callibrate it and that made a big difference. Making candy was so much easier and consistent. I have purchased some thermometers and found, when I got them home and opened, that the glass bulb was not anchored securely to the stainless steel back and slipped up and down at the slightest bump. I knew I could never get an accurate reading with it shifting like that.

I always look for the glass bulb to hook directly into a hole in the top of the thermometer, then there is absolutely no shifting. The thermometer I offer is constructed that way and it is one I use and recomend. I show you how to callibrate the thermometer on the DVD #1 and in the E-Books.

You can find the thermometer in the candy making tools section.
 

Chocolate

I have tried several different dipping chocolates and I prefer the Peter's. It is very creamy and has a wonderful flavor. I've had many compliments on my chocolates being the best they've ever had and I attribute a lot of that to the quality chocolate that I use, which is Peter's.

* FOR GREAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, PUT LOTS OF CHUNKS OF THIS CHOCOLATE IN YOUR BATTER!