Bryan Sumner
There are various forms of food coloring on the market- paste, liquid and powdered. There are also the new gel pastes and gel colors. Paste colors are on occasion favored for a number of reasons, and paste colors are used and recommended by expert cake decorators for most of the similar reasons. Paste colors will not change the consistency of the icings as fluid colors will do. They’re much more powerful, providing you with deeper, darker colors. Paste colors tend to be more concentrated-with a little going an extended way. Paste colors are available in jars. The Liquid Gel colors are rather new on the market; they really are a cross between a paste and a liquid. They can be found in squeeze bottles. These items can be purchased at stores that sell Rolled Fondant.
To add paste colors to your icing, the following steps should be taken:
1. Scoop out small portion of icing from the jar and place it inside your bowl, but keep it separated along the side of the bowl. Place a small dab of paste color on your spatula-knife.
2. Mix the paste into a small percentage of icing on the side of your bowl. Be cautious to not mix it in with the main portion of icing during this step.
3. Mix the little portion thoroughly and add additional paste
4. Stir the small percentage of icing into the contents of the remainder of the bowl, mixing it thoroughly so the colour is evenly blended with the entire icing. color as essential to get the shade of coloring desired. It is better to acquire a rather deeper shade at this point for when you mix it into the complete contents of the bowl, it will as expected develop into a lighter shade.
If one more color must be added to get a unique shade, repeat the steps outlined in 1 to 3, before you stir the first portion into the remainder of the icing inside your bowl. While the importance of the appropriate use of color in cake decorating cannot be overemphasized, it should also be mentioned here that the simple principles can be easily learned. Once learned it could be applied with much success to even the most formidable cake decorating project.
Color: Before actually going into the topic of colored icings, a short conversation of color itself may be in order. The total study of color can, obviously, occupy a lifetime, but in its function to cake decorating it could be greatly simplified. To start with, the same rules that apply to the blending of the artist’s colors apply too to Food Color. When the artist wants green he mixes the appropriate proportions of blue and yellow, when the picture requires violet he simply mixes red and blue. A look at the color wheel will illustrate how all the possible color combinations are manufactured from the three primary colors-blue, yellow and red.
Our next article is going to be with regards to colored icing. Thanks , and if we might be of additional help, please get in touch with us at our Oasis Cake Decorating Supply online store.
Tags: cake decorating supplies, cake decorating supply, cake decorations, cake supplies, decorating a cake
Posted in Baking · March 12th, 2010 · Comments (0)
Mistakes are meant to be eaten, especially when playing with candy and chocolate making. Let the good times roll! The purpose is, start off with a great attitude, and just have fun. Candy making is not too hard, and I know that you’ll pick it up very easily, and find out a new and fun hobby, with benefits! Wait till you observe the magnificent treats that may be made. Who knows maybe, you’ll even start a small business and earn a few dollars.
First a word of advice: Buy a good quality chocolate, not the dreadful waxy tasting stuff that is sold at really low prices. Each time that I’ve done a flavor test, the test individual picks out the quality chocolate. It creates a world of difference. My recommendation for a really good melting chocolate would be the Merckens® brand. This brand can be bought in shops that sell cake and candy decorating supplies.
There are several ways to melt chocolate to a superbly smooth texture. We would like the chocolate to become a great and even consistency since it must be poured right into a mold. The type of chocolate that is recommended is known as a candy coating or perhaps a confectionary coating. This sort of chocolate doesn’t require the careful melting procedures of “real” chocolate. Real chocolate needs to be tempered, which is an approach to heating and cooling the chocolate at exact temperatures to obtain it the proper consistency. Confectionary coatings are available in Milk, Dark, White, Peanut Butter, Mint, and an assortment of colors. Check with your local Candy Making Supply store to determine what varieties they stock.
The microwave oven is a convenient way to melt chocolate. It’s quick and easy, but remember to use a microwave safe bowl. Don’t overcook the chocolate, you should actually undercook it. Melt in 30 second intervals, and stir in between. The chocolate should be melted in a microwave safe bowl, inside a plastic microwave safe bag, or in microwave safe plastic bottles. The chocolate needs to be completely melted and smooth, with a nice shine to it. The chocolate can then be poured right into the mold.
The 2nd melting method is to make use of a double boiler. The lower pan should be filled with water and the top pan is full of chocolate. Heat the bottom pan of water to a simmer, and then remove it over the heat. Next put the chocolate filled pan on the top of the water pan. Keep blending without beating, until smooth and fully melted.
Our third method would be the employment of a slow cooker or Crockpot. This is good for big quantities, something like three to five pounds. So, put some of the chocolate in the Crockpot and set on a low heat. Please do not use the upper settings, since the chocolate will burn. Stir the melting chocolate, occasionally while it’s melting. Put in newer chocolate as the original chocolate is melting. It will take a good twenty to thirty minutes for three to 5 pounds of chocolate to melt.
Our final method will be to make use of a warming tray. This method is helpful because you can melt more than one color at a time. Put the chocolates in an oven-safe glass bowl and set them on the top of the warming plate. The temperature is required to be set on low to medium and stir when melting. As soon as melted keep the temperature on low. This will keep the assorted candy colors at the best melting temperature.
For additional information and help with Cake Decorating Supplies please visit our oasis online website.
Tags: candy making, candy making supplies, candy making supply, Merckens, Merckens chocolate
Posted in Desserts · March 12th, 2010 · Comments (0)