Like most everyone, I enjoy good candy. One of my family's
favorite is Cherry Cordials. As a child, one of our
Christmas traditions that we looked forward to every year
was to get a whole box of store bought chocolates in our
stocking. After having hand dipped chocolates, the store
bought ones were a disappointment. I enjoy learning new
things and after watching a candy demonstration, I set out
to make a good Cherry Cordial that my family and I could
enjoy. From there I started to experiment with other
recipes. I learned various tips from other candy makers and
books.
I seasonally make candy at home around my family and
ranching schedule. I give them as gifts and sell them at
craft shows. I also have several orders to fill every year.
It is rewarding to have people look forward to my candy each
year and hear their compliments.
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.
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.
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.
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!
