I was wondering if anyone here knows of some good places to find
chocolate molds.

Also, I have been searching for molds on the Internet and have found
some really nice metal antique ones. What is the best material for
molds? Is metal better than plastic?

Thanks a lot!

SC

"SC" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I was wondering if anyone here knows of some good places to find
> chocolate molds.
>
> Also, I have been searching for molds on the Internet and have found
> some really nice metal antique ones. What is the best material for
> molds? Is metal better than plastic?
>
> Thanks a lot!
>
> SC
>
I've never used metal, but I have to think that plastic is better. Rigid
plastic is the best. You can get a range of professional molds (Chocolate
World, other Eurpean manufacturers) from Chocolat Chocolat in Canada (nice
people and good service) and from Tomric in the US (Tomric also sells the
cheap bendy kind, if that's what you want.). Tomric has a catalog. Chocolat
Chocolat has a web site that has most of the Chocolate World line on it,
although they carry more than is pictured there.

What kind of thing were you planning to make? 3-D figures, or molded
chocolates? If the latter, ther rigid, heavy-duty professional molds are
infinitely easier to use than the kind you usually see.

Thanks for the help Janet. I think for now I am going to just make
molded chocolates.

I'll make sure to check out these websites!

SC

at Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:47:07 GMT in <fsYxd.5834$152.1498@trndny01>,
(Janet Puistonen) wrote :

>
>
>"SC" > wrote in message
roups.com...
>>I was wondering if anyone here knows of some good places to find
>> chocolate molds.
>>
>> Also, I have been searching for molds on the Internet and have found
>> some really nice metal antique ones. What is the best material for
>> molds? Is metal better than plastic?
>>
>> Thanks a lot!
>>
>> SC
>>
>I've never used metal, but I have to think that plastic is better. Rigid
>plastic is the best.

Why would you think plastic would be better? IMHO plastic would be worse,
because the chocolate picks up odours from the plastic and develops a
plasticky flavour. Furthermore, virtually all plastic pieces are more
breakable than metal, so in the long run you'll probably lose the moulds to
breakage.

The only advantage I can see to plastic moulds is with the flexible ones,
where you can pop it out of the mould, eliminating any demoulding
difficulties, but this wouldn't apply to the rigid plastic ones.

Ideally, one would want a flexible, nonreactive metal mould - thin
stainless steel or perhaps tin or brass. Generally, however, it seems these
are hard to find except as antiques. I'd look for a good antique set - if
you've found some online, I'd investigate those.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:47:07 GMT in <fsYxd.5834$152.1498@trndny01>,
(Janet Puistonen) wrote :

>
>
>"SC" > wrote in message
roups.com...
>>I was wondering if anyone here knows of some good places to find
>> chocolate molds.
>>
>> Also, I have been searching for molds on the Internet and have found
>> some really nice metal antique ones. What is the best material for
>> molds? Is metal better than plastic?
>>
>> Thanks a lot!
>>
>> SC
>>
>I've never used metal, but I have to think that plastic is better. Rigid
>plastic is the best.

Why would you think plastic would be better? IMHO plastic would be worse,
because the chocolate picks up odours from the plastic and develops a
plasticky flavour. Furthermore, virtually all plastic pieces are more
breakable than metal, so in the long run you'll probably lose the moulds to
breakage.

The only advantage I can see to plastic moulds is with the flexible ones,
where you can pop it out of the mould, eliminating any demoulding
difficulties, but this wouldn't apply to the rigid plastic ones.

Ideally, one would want a flexible, nonreactive metal mould - thin
stainless steel or perhaps tin or brass. Generally, however, it seems these
are hard to find except as antiques. I'd look for a good antique set - if
you've found some online, I'd investigate those.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Thanks Alex. I found some flexable plastic ones. I can see them
breaking eventually, but they were dirt cheap, so I don't care.

I'd love some of the antique metal ones but they (one) are expensive
and (two) if they are really antique, how does one know that they are
still food grade?

SC

Alex Rast wrote:

> Ideally, one would want a flexible, nonreactive metal mould - thin
> stainless steel or perhaps tin or brass. Generally, however, it seem
> these are hard to find except as antiques. I'd look for a good
> antique set - if you've found some online, I'd investigate those.

eBay has antique metal molds all the time. Anton Reiche molds
are specifically praised in Whymper for their plating, which is
nickel. The base material appears to be steel (they rust).
Unfortunately, most Reiche molds will have rust.

Alex Rast wrote:

> Ideally, one would want a flexible, nonreactive metal mould - thin
> stainless steel or perhaps tin or brass. Generally, however, it seem
> these are hard to find except as antiques. I'd look for a good
> antique set - if you've found some online, I'd investigate those.

eBay has antique metal molds all the time. Anton Reiche molds
are specifically praised in Whymper for their plating, which is
nickel. The base material appears to be steel (they rust).
Unfortunately, most Reiche molds will have rust.

Alex Rast wrote:
> at Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:47:07 GMT in <fsYxd.5834$152.1498@trndny01>,
> (Janet Puistonen) wrote :
>
>>
>>
>> "SC" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>> I was wondering if anyone here knows of some good places to find
>>> chocolate molds.
>>>
>>> Also, I have been searching for molds on the Internet and have found
>>> some really nice metal antique ones. What is the best material for
>>> molds? Is metal better than plastic?
>>>
>>> Thanks a lot!
>>>
>>> SC
>>>
>> I've never used metal, but I have to think that plastic is better.
>> Rigid plastic is the best.
>
> Why would you think plastic would be better? IMHO plastic would be
> worse, because the chocolate picks up odours from the plastic and
> develops a plasticky flavour. Furthermore, virtually all plastic
> pieces are more breakable than metal, so in the long run you'll
> probably lose the moulds to breakage.
>

The major reason I assume they are better is because professional
chocolatiers choose to use them.

The professional molds I use do not pick up flavors or odors and certainly
do not make chocolate taste of plastic. They are extremely strong, and I
cannot imagine how I could break one--except perhaps with an axe.

Metal molds are if anything more "breakable" because they can be bent and
dinged easily.

> The only advantage I can see to plastic moulds is with the flexible
> ones, where you can pop it out of the mould, eliminating any
> demoulding difficulties, but this wouldn't apply to the rigid plastic
> ones.
>

Molded chocolates release and pop out of the rigid molds easily when they
are "done." Flexible molds, on the other hand, are harder to use and easy
to damage. Rigid molds can be cleaned in a dishwasher, and the common type
of flexible ones cannot (they warp).

> Ideally, one would want a flexible, nonreactive metal mould - thin
> stainless steel or perhaps tin or brass. Generally, however, it seems
> these are hard to find except as antiques. I'd look for a good
> antique set - if you've found some online, I'd investigate those.

With all due respect, I think that would be a huge waste of money if you
actually want to use the molds to make chocolates. If you want to collect
them for the fun of it, go ahead.

Do be aware that there is a big difference between a professional-quality
mold and one of those bendy things that can also be used to make soap or
candles.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

Alex Rast wrote:
> at Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:47:07 GMT in <fsYxd.5834$152.1498@trndny01>,
> (Janet Puistonen) wrote :
>
>>
>>
>> "SC" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>> I was wondering if anyone here knows of some good places to find
>>> chocolate molds.
>>>
>>> Also, I have been searching for molds on the Internet and have found
>>> some really nice metal antique ones. What is the best material for
>>> molds? Is metal better than plastic?
>>>
>>> Thanks a lot!
>>>
>>> SC
>>>
>> I've never used metal, but I have to think that plastic is better.
>> Rigid plastic is the best.
>
> Why would you think plastic would be better? IMHO plastic would be
> worse, because the chocolate picks up odours from the plastic and
> develops a plasticky flavour. Furthermore, virtually all plastic
> pieces are more breakable than metal, so in the long run you'll
> probably lose the moulds to breakage.
>

The major reason I assume they are better is because professional
chocolatiers choose to use them.

The professional molds I use do not pick up flavors or odors and certainly
do not make chocolate taste of plastic. They are extremely strong, and I
cannot imagine how I could break one--except perhaps with an axe.

Metal molds are if anything more "breakable" because they can be bent and
dinged easily.

> The only advantage I can see to plastic moulds is with the flexible
> ones, where you can pop it out of the mould, eliminating any
> demoulding difficulties, but this wouldn't apply to the rigid plastic
> ones.
>

Molded chocolates release and pop out of the rigid molds easily when they
are "done." Flexible molds, on the other hand, are harder to use and easy
to damage. Rigid molds can be cleaned in a dishwasher, and the common type
of flexible ones cannot (they warp).

> Ideally, one would want a flexible, nonreactive metal mould - thin
> stainless steel or perhaps tin or brass. Generally, however, it seems
> these are hard to find except as antiques. I'd look for a good
> antique set - if you've found some online, I'd investigate those.

With all due respect, I think that would be a huge waste of money if you
actually want to use the molds to make chocolates. If you want to collect
them for the fun of it, go ahead.

Do be aware that there is a big difference between a professional-quality
mold and one of those bendy things that can also be used to make soap or
candles.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

SC wrote:
> Thanks Alex. I found some flexable plastic ones. I can see them
> breaking eventually, but they were dirt cheap, so I don't care.
>
> I'd love some of the antique metal ones but they (one) are expensive
> and (two) if they are really antique, how does one know that they are
> still food grade?
>
> SC

If you want to make a few chocolates for a hobby, clear flexible molds can
be had cheaply at every craft store. They are sold in zillions of shapes by
hundreds of online sites. Do a search on candymaking or chocolate molds and
you'll find dozens. They usually cost less than $3 each.

But if you really want to make chocolates, you will get a much better result
with a rigid mold.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

SC wrote:
> Thanks Alex. I found some flexable plastic ones. I can see them
> breaking eventually, but they were dirt cheap, so I don't care.
>
> I'd love some of the antique metal ones but they (one) are expensive
> and (two) if they are really antique, how does one know that they are
> still food grade?
>
> SC

If you want to make a few chocolates for a hobby, clear flexible molds can
be had cheaply at every craft store. They are sold in zillions of shapes by
hundreds of online sites. Do a search on candymaking or chocolate molds and
you'll find dozens. They usually cost less than $3 each.

But if you really want to make chocolates, you will get a much better result
with a rigid mold.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

Thanks again to everyone. Janet which company is your favorite for
good study plastic molds?

SC

"SC" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks again to everyone. Janet which company is your favorite for
> good study plastic molds?
>
> SC

I've bought all of my molds from Chocolat Chocolat.They carry several
product lines, not all of which are on the web site, but there's plenty
there. (Be prepared to pay over $20 for a professional mold, no matter who
you buy from.) The people at ACMC, who also make tempering machines, were
selling a limited range of professional molds at a discount recently. You
might want to check their web site.

Janet Puistonen wrote:
> "SC" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Thanks again to everyone. Janet which company is your favorite for
>> good study plastic molds?
>>
>> SC
I just remembered that J.B. Prince has them also, and I've bought some
there. There's both a website and a catalog.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

Janet Puistonen wrote:
> "SC" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Thanks again to everyone. Janet which company is your favorite for
>> good study plastic molds?
>>
>> SC
I just remembered that J.B. Prince has them also, and I've bought some
there. There's both a website and a catalog.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

Alex Rast wrote:
> Key point : what's necessary and best in a professional environment
> is not automatically the best in a home environment, nor does it
> necessarily produce the best possible results.

True--and we do not know what SC plans to do. (That's why I suggested to her
that the cheap kind or antique metal might be fine for a hobbyist, but not a
good choice if she was planning to produce more.)

--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

Alex Rast wrote:
> Key point : what's necessary and best in a professional environment
> is not automatically the best in a home environment, nor does it
> necessarily produce the best possible results.

True--and we do not know what SC plans to do. (That's why I suggested to her
that the cheap kind or antique metal might be fine for a hobbyist, but not a
good choice if she was planning to produce more.)

--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.

Alex, where do you get your molds? Is there a certain brand you like?
Thanks for all this great help.

SC

Alex, where do you get your molds? Is there a certain brand you like?
Thanks for all this great help.

SC

at Sun, 26 Dec 2004 23:27:41 GMT in <1104103661.808892.31480
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, (SC) wrote :

>Alex, where do you get your molds? Is there a certain brand you like?
>Thanks for all this great help.
>
I use metal moulds that I get from the simplest of local sources : Sur La
Table. They have a whole selection of metal tins of various sizes, and
these work quite well. I've also seen the el-cheapo plastic moulds there
too, although I don't get those. Finally, they have silicone moulds. The
implication is that you can use them for chocolate, but I haven't tried
them. In priciple silicone could work OK.

I've never seen a brand name stamped on the tins I use. If you want me to I
could inquire with the SLT folks and see if they can look up the brands.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...
> at Sun, 26 Dec 2004 23:27:41 GMT in <1104103661.808892.31480
> @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, (SC) wrote :
>
>>Alex, where do you get your molds? Is there a certain brand you like?
>>Thanks for all this great help.
>>
> I use metal moulds that I get from the simplest of local sources : Sur La
> Table. They have a whole selection of metal tins of various sizes, and
> these work quite well. I've also seen the el-cheapo plastic moulds there
> too, although I don't get those. Finally, they have silicone moulds. The
> implication is that you can use them for chocolate, but I haven't tried
> them. In priciple silicone could work OK.
>
> I've never seen a brand name stamped on the tins I use. If you want me to
> I
> could inquire with the SLT folks and see if they can look up the brands.
>
>
> --
> Alex Rast
>
> (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Alex, when you use tin molds, do you have to oil them either before use or
after? If so, what kind of oil do you use? (I'm wondering if one could use
cocoa butter...)

NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 14:52:02 GMT, "Janet Puistonen"
> wrote:

>
>Alex, when you use tin molds, do you have to oil them either before use or
>after? If so, what kind of oil do you use? (I'm wondering if one could use
>cocoa butter...)
>
I'm no expert but wouldn't the cocoa butter bind with the chocolate
you're trying to mold, making it more difficult to remove the
chocolate?

--
Davida Chazan (The Chocolate Lady)
<davidac AT jdc DOT org DOT il>
~*~*~*~*~*~
"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of
chocolate."
--Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003)
~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks a bunch Alex and Janet. You have both given me great info to
work from.

Alex (you can call me Stef), we have a Sur La Table here in Dallas,
plus I have the website in my favorites. can look up molds and if I
get confused, I can write to you again.

As for what I am doing with the chocolates. I am just tinkering for
now, but I do plan to sell when I get the results that I want.

Thanks again to everyone....you guys are great.

Stef

p.s. Alex, do you sell your chocolates? Janet, how much do you charge
for yours?

"Davida Chazan - The Chocolate Lady" > wrote in
message news
> NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
> On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 14:52:02 GMT, "Janet Puistonen"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>Alex, when you use tin molds, do you have to oil them either before use or
>>after? If so, what kind of oil do you use? (I'm wondering if one could use
>>cocoa butter...)
>>
> I'm no expert but wouldn't the cocoa butter bind with the chocolate
> you're trying to mold, making it more difficult to remove the
> chocolate?
>
Possibly, but oil should not be required to release the chocolate from the
mold: it's to prevent the tins from rusting in between uses. I was wondering
if one could avoid the traces of other oils. But I just thought of the major
reason why it would be unlikely to work: tempering.

"Davida Chazan - The Chocolate Lady" > wrote in
message news
> NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
> On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 14:52:02 GMT, "Janet Puistonen"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>Alex, when you use tin molds, do you have to oil them either before use or
>>after? If so, what kind of oil do you use? (I'm wondering if one could use
>>cocoa butter...)
>>
> I'm no expert but wouldn't the cocoa butter bind with the chocolate
> you're trying to mold, making it more difficult to remove the
> chocolate?
>
Possibly, but oil should not be required to release the chocolate from the
mold: it's to prevent the tins from rusting in between uses. I was wondering
if one could avoid the traces of other oils. But I just thought of the major
reason why it would be unlikely to work: tempering.

"SC" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thanks a bunch Alex and Janet. You have both given me great info to
> work from.
>
> Alex (you can call me Stef), we have a Sur La Table here in Dallas,
> plus I have the website in my favorites. can look up molds and if I
> get confused, I can write to you again.
>
> As for what I am doing with the chocolates. I am just tinkering for
> now, but I do plan to sell when I get the results that I want.
>
> Thanks again to everyone....you guys are great.
>
> Stef
>
> p.s. Alex, do you sell your chocolates? Janet, how much do you charge
> for yours?

Not enough.

"SC" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thanks a bunch Alex and Janet. You have both given me great info to
> work from.
>
> Alex (you can call me Stef), we have a Sur La Table here in Dallas,
> plus I have the website in my favorites. can look up molds and if I
> get confused, I can write to you again.
>
> As for what I am doing with the chocolates. I am just tinkering for
> now, but I do plan to sell when I get the results that I want.
>
> Thanks again to everyone....you guys are great.
>
> Stef
>
> p.s. Alex, do you sell your chocolates? Janet, how much do you charge
> for yours?

Not enough.