Whether intentionally or unintentionally, many people tend to forget to show their loved ones that they still care despite their busy schedule. Be that as it may, however, what’s important is that showing and expressing your love and care to those you hold dear should never stop. You’re also not limited to displaying affection during special occasions—you can do it every single day.

Aside from reminding them every day that you care for them, here are some special ideas you can do to show someone you care:

1.     Greeting Cards

Greetings cards are not only limited to holidays or special occasions. You can give greeting cards any time of the year. If you’re up for it, you can even create your own card and give it to someone special. Fill it with your favorite photos with that person and messages that express your feelings and affection for them. The best thing about cards is that they can be kept, and they’ll surely be re-read for all the years to come.

2.      Chocolate Bouquets

Do you want to surprise your loved ones while they’re at work? Chocolate bouquets are a unique way to do that, plus chocolates are an excellent all-year-round gift. You can personally select and order a bouquet from Chocolate Bouquets, give it to them yourself, or have it delivered to your loved one’s address or workplace. You don’t have to wait for Valentine’s Day, and you can give it not only to your significant other but also to your parents, siblings, friends, even a classmate or officemate you’ve grown close to. Don’t forget to add a personalized note to the bouquet to make it even more special. Every day is the perfect day for surprises, so go ahead and surprise them!

3.      Plan a Surprise Trip

It’s understandable how you and your loved ones can both be engrossed in the busy world. But how about breaking the ice and planning a surprise trip for the both of you? You can even be the one to call their office and tell their company how they’ll be gone for a few days for a vacation leave. Make sure you have every detail ready such as the tickets, room reservations, travel itinerary, and, of course, their vacation leave for work. This will surely melt their hearts, knowing that you both will be out in the city for a few days and have a well-deserved break from work. 

4.     Cook Their Favorite Meal

One of the most remarkable ways you can show someone you care for them is by cooking their favorite meal. Whether you’re a talented cook or a mess in the kitchen, it’s the effort and thought and count. Make sure you also strive to cook it right by following a recipe, cookbook or watching cooking tutorials on the internet. After that, you can either deliver it on their doorstep or at their workplace. They surely won’t miss the message saying you care for them.

5.     Buy Them a Special Present

Have you ever heard your loved one mention something they’ve always wanted to buy for themselves but never had the chance to do so? In that case, it’s your cue to buy that item for them. Whether it’s a book long-anticipated by your mom, a dress your sister fancies, or something from your partner’s wish list, buy it. They won’t only be surprised, but the thought of you remembering something they mentioned a long time ago will touch their hearts and prove that you do care and listen to what they say.

6.     Make a Reservation at Their Favorite Restaurant

If ever your loved one has a favorite restaurant, it’s your chance to take them there and make dinner reservations for you both. They’ll surely love this surprising gesture, and this will also be your chance to catch up with each other, especially if you haven’t been together in a while. Make sure that to keep your phones inside your pockets while you’re at the dinner table. A moment is best spent when both people have undivided attentions and are engaged with each other in meaningful conversations.

Wrapping Up

There are still countless ideas out there for when you want to show you care for someone. Whether it’s a gift, a destination, or a thoughtful gesture, the most important thing is to make sure that these are sincere and genuine. Always remember to never stop showing your love and care for those you cherish.

 

Generally speaking chocolate starts to melt from 30 to 32 C, just a little bit lower than your body temperature (that’s why chocolate tastes so good, when you melt it on your tonque!). But the exact melting temperature depends on the content of the chocolate you are melting (or try not to melt!).

Before we go into the scientific explanation of chocolate melting, what you probably want to remember is that white chocolate melts at the lowest temperature, milk chocolate somewhere in the middle, whereas dark chocolate takes the longest to melt.

When I run my chocolate making courses, I get often asked questions about chocolate truffles and working with ganache. So in this chocolate blog post I wanted to look at commonly asked questions and give you the answers with simple solutions.

But first of all, if you don't know how to make delicious chocolate truffles at home you can check out this recipe. Now that you have made your first batch of homemade chocolate truffles we can start with the questions!

Chocolate truffle making tips

How do you keep truffles from melting?

The best way to prevent your chocolate truffles from melting when you are working with them is to wear catering gloves and form your chocolate truffles first with your fingertips and then roll them gently in your palms to finish shaping them into a smooth ball. It’s also useful to chill your chocolate truffle mixture before you work with it (1-2 hrs is fine or overnight if you have the time).

When you finish making your chocolate truffles, chill them for a few hours and then store them in a room temperature (anything around 18 C is ideal).

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Best chocolate tempering machine to buy - Review Guide (2020) 

Whether you are just starting with chocolate making or you are thinking of starting your own chocolate business, chocolate tempering is going to be essential part of your chocolate work.

Chocolate tempering is a fairly complex task and one that has to be done correctly otherwise you might end up with bloomed chocolate, which doesn't look very sightly and it also shorterns the final product shelf-life.

My chocolate courses students have been asking me which chocolate tempering machine to buy, which inspired me to review a few tempering machines for you and write up this chocolate tempering guide. 

This chocolate tempering machine guide focuses on small scale chocolate making - either at home or small business. 

When to consider buying chocolate tempering machine

If you want to just try working with chocolate and make a few chocolate treats for your friends and family once in a while, you probably don't need to buy tempering machine (unless you really fancy having another kitchen gadget). You'll be perfectly fine with chocolate tempering on a marble or using the seeding method.

However if you are thinking of setting up a small chocolate business or you are planning to make a lot of chocolate, tempering machine will significantly cut down the time that you'd otherwise need to use for hand chocolate tempering. It will save you time, that you can dedicate to preparing your moulds, decorating your chocolates or prepare your chocolate fillings.

What to consider when buying chocolate tempering machine

Tempering machine size

This will very much depend on how much space do you have in your kitchen or chocolate workshop. Ideally your tempering machine should be placed on a firm and sturdy hard surface area (kitchen worktop, table or a free standing cupboard). The average size of tempering machine could be anything from 40cm to 60cm both in depth and width. Tempering machines are also fairly heavy and the more chocolate volume you can input the more they will weigh. 

Tempering machine volume

The smaller table top tempering machines take about 500 g of chocolate, whilst the large types can take up to 5 kg. The smaller tempering machines are adequate for occassional chocolate work or for a hobby chocolatier, but if you want to start even a small scalle chocolate production, you'll need at least 1-2 kg volume. 

Tempering machine price

The cost of table top tempering machine varies from few hundred pounds to several hundred. Chocolate tempering machines are a bit of an investment, so I'd often recommend carry on tempering chocolate by hand, until you reach the point when you need to temper 1- 1.5 kg and then invest in a mid range tempering machine. 

 

 

Chocolate tempering machine - Comparasion Review Guide (2020) 

 

 

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Royal Catering Electric Chocolate Melter Temperer - RCCM-250-2GN 

This chocolate tempering machine is a great value, considering the specifications. It will temper up to 8 litres of chocolate (which is around 10 kg) in two different compartments. This machine is also fairly compact and simple to set up. Temperature can be set to anything from 1C to 100C. 

More importantly, this tempering machine heats up your chocolate with dry heat, which means that there is no additional humidity like with heating up chocolate on a bain marrie. 

Specifications

• Dry heat
• Two separate container vats
• Stainless Steel
• 250W
• Max. 100°C, continuous heat
• Volume Capacity - Maximum of 8 litres - 2x4L
• Machine weight (without chocolate) 7,35 kg
• Dimensions - 34.5 x 28.2 x 29.4 cm
• Each container is 15 cm deep

 Pros

• Led display for temperature control
• Automatic thermostat
• Benefit of two separate containers for different chocolates
• Easy to clean as it's stainless steal and the containers are dishwasher safe
• Compact size

Cons

• Continous heat (doesn't automatically stop heating when it reaches desired temperature)

CHECK PRICE >>

 

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Chocolate Tempering Machine - Huanyu

This is great starter machine as it's very affordable, compact and holds good amount of chocolate. The machine has two separate containers, which means that you can have milk or dark chocolate melting together at the same time. It's made from stainless steel, which makes it very easy to wash.

It heats the chocolate by slowly heating water container which sits underneath the chocolate containers. Whilst this cuts cost of this tempering machine by half from other models, it also means that you need to be more careful when taking the chocolate containers from the machine. 

Specifications

• 600W, 220V/50Hz
• Stainless Steel
• Temperature control 
• 2 separate containers with 1.6 litres capacity each (about 2 kg)
• Water heating
• Measurements - 22 cm wide, 44cm deep, 17cm tall
• Each container is 13 cm deep
• Weight (without chocolate) 5kg

Great for

• Great price
• Perfect for a start up business on a budget or home chocolate enthusiast
• Gradual heating of the chocolate by heating the water compartment underneath
• Easy to clean (stainless steal)
• Automatically stops heating when the container/chocolate reaches desired temperature

 

Cons

• Water heated machine (be careful when taking the containers off the base as they might have water dripping)
• Analogue temperature setting, which could be sometimes incorrect (double check with a digital thermometer)

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Chocolate Tempering Machine - Newtry

This tempering machine is a good value for money, as it has 3 different compartments, which can be used for white, milk and dark chocolate or use to keep your colouring cocoa butter warm. It is still fairly compact, considering that it has 3 different compartments. This machine will save you money and space as you don't need to buy separate tempering machines (if you need to temper white, milk or dark chocolate at the same time).

Specifications

• Digital Display
• Temperature range 0-80 C
• Capacity 12 kg in total (about 4 kg each container)
• Measurements: 66 cm deep, 36 cm wide, 18 cm tall
• Water Heated

Great for

• 3 separate compartments for white, milk and dark chocolate
• Good value for money

Cons

• Size

CHECK PRICE >>

 

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How to use tempering machine

Each tempering machine comes with a detailed user guide, so here are just a few tips on how to use tempering machine correctly. 

Most tempering machines have been designed for 'seeding' method of tempering chocolate. This means that you add chocolate to your chocolate machine, let the chocolate melt slowly and when it's fully melted, you add about 1/3 of the original chocolate volume in new chocolate calets. You need to lover the heating temperature at this point, depending on what chocolate you are working with. Let the new, unmelted chocolate to crystalise the rest of the chocolate and when fully melted, you are ready to start your chocolate work.

The seeded method does take a longer time, than tempering on a marble, but this give you the time to prepare the chocolate moulds, fillings or pack your chocolates whilst your new chocolate machine tempers your next batch of chocolate.

Let me know how you get on and until next time

Happy Chocolate Making!

Magdalena 

 

My Chocolate Making Resources

Chocolate Melting Point >>

Why do we need to temper chocolate >>

How to make chocolate at home from cocoa nibs >>

 

This is a question I often get asked by my students at my Chocolate Courses. It’s a fair question. Tempering chocolate is quite complicated process, and it can be very frustrating if you think you’ve tempered your chocolate enough and you end up with a bloomed chocolate bars. Don’t worry; I’ve been there too!

So, why melting your chocolate is simply not enough?

If you just melt your chocolate without tempering it properly, you’ll end up with a chocolate that will bloom (you’ll get white streaks and lines running across your chocolate, when it finally sets). It will also take a long time to set and it will melt very quickly when you touch it.

It’s not going to make a ‘snap’ when you break your chocolate bar and it will even taste slightly grainy. Saying that it’s perfectly safe to eat chocolate that hasn’t been tempered properly, but the look is not great, and the texture won’t be probably as smooth as if you temper your chocolate well.

When we’re running our various chocolate making courses we often  get asked lots of questions from enthusiastic chocolate makers about every aspect of the chocolate making process. And, of course, it’s a pleasure to share our knowledge with so many keen and eager course attendees and chocolatiers to be. Sometimes the questions are technical and detailed– such as those about the tempering and the chocolate crystallisation process. Others are more general, but equally practical, like when do we get to eat it all?

What’s your favourite chocolate treat when you go to the cinema or settle down at home to watch a film? With me, it’s a Bounty because after I’ve licked away the chocolate, I can silently slowly chew the coconut to enjoy the flavour and try to make the bar last as long as possible. A Crunchie bar, on the other hand, is just too, well crunchy, and every bite can be heard three rows back.

Buying my favourite chocolates and candy to enjoy a film or tv programme got me thinking about my favourite movies. For many of us, the cinema experience just isn’t complete without diving down into a bag of Revels or Minstrels whilst staring up at the big screen at the same time.

Here at Cocoa and Heart, we’re fascinated by all things chocolate. And chocolate itself and how it was first cultivated in Central America as a bitter drink and then brought over to Europe and gradually developed into a chocolate bar for eating, has a fascinating history all of its own. Here are some of the key dates in the History of Chocolate Timeline.

1,500 BC: The people of Central America begin to drink chocolate. The cacao tree may have been cultivated earlier than people first thought. Linguistic links to the words cacao and chocolate can be traced back to the Olmec peoples which pre-dates Maya and Atzec civilisation by several hundred years.

900 AD: Maya Civilisation: Pottery cups found in the tombs of Maya nobility contain symbols for cacoa and images for its preparation.